La Junta tribune., 1917-03-29
PARKWAY PERU
some Of the Sights Of Arequipa-
Harvard University Maintains OBJ
scrvatory ON Mount I'll Misti

her trip down the west coast of
South America as follows:
Arequipa is very high. and the
nights are always cold. descrip-
tion that read of Monte Carlo
seems to describe the scene in the
plaza in AreQuipa exactly. 1t is
rather like a wierd dream to see the
wonderfully brilliant flowers and
beautiful palms, which seem to much
more than just green, in that bitter
cold atmosphere. In which women
are wearing furs and men are
wrapped up, just as ! am lead to be-
believe they do in Duluth. But on
the night that thy promenade on the
plaza. they walk or freeze. and In
my estimation they do both. There
are two nights in each week on
which the band plays in the plaza.
and everyone walks around and
around te square. Promptly at .
O'Clock every one goes home or to
te movies, though not everywhere
Is the bell rung as signal, as in
square, or any where for that mat
ter, We came in for good deal OF
attention. and when ! appeared in
white on the streets | was the "ob-
served of all observers" for II is
black all the time there. In the day
time the temperature rises wonder
fully in Arequipa, and IT is prefer
able most OF the time to go about
without wrap.
Arequipa Is in the same Iongi-
tude as Boston, so Harvard Univer-
sity has established an observatory
about two miles from Arequipa
proper, out toward III Misti. the vol
cano that keeps the people so fright
ened. We walked out to the obser-
vatory.. The man In carge was des-
eribed 10 us by an Englishman as
being very peculiar. because he ate
no meat, and drank no wine. We
did not see him. because as most
OF the work must be done at night.
he was asleep. hut there was his
assistant, Mr.. Blanchard. who
talked American" and showed the
interesting instruments. In which we
all were so Interested. The place It.
self is certainly restful to an Amer
lean. for the house IL built as our
houses at home are built. and has a
varanda, with u sleeping porch
above. across the front Neither OF
the men who were there when we
We're, were married, but | was told
to make myself at home, which I
did. and surely liked to see the fur
nishIngs OF living room and dining
room as We have them In the States.
II II said that when the observatory
was first established n.An had
charge who was socially inclined,
and that every one who has any
social or political prominence In
Peru has been entertained there, at
some time There IL OF course AN
ample water supply and the flowers.
grass and the hedges of red geran-
iums are surely beautiful. A very
beautiful bouquet OF sweet peas was
given To me, and there were. too.
the finest roses. but I knew that
they would be all wilted before
walked the two miles to the hotel.
so asked them not to pick them, for
they were too pretty on the bush
We saw some OF the most import.
ant and biggest telescopes In the
world. and saw where and how they
max" their observations and pie
lures. We looked through one OF
the biz telescopes nj the top OF
Mount MiptI. and saw the cross OF
iron. which IL abou, twenty feet
high. which was placed there at the
request OF the frightened people
when Mount Misti was last disturbed
about some trlflo, Anyway he rocked
the earth In duakcs aud spoutcd
smoke. !, N thought that there are.
not nearly aH many quakes In Are
quipa ns are reported, because the
people get frightened very easily.
and the instrument ut the observa-
tory records very few There had
been one slight jar registered dur
ing the year II IL quite wonderful
to see all these instruments and
how the records are kept. and We
were very Interested and beautiful
ly entertained ! hope to 20 again
when next In Areauipa. Mr.. Blanch-
ard was most good and explicit in
explaining to us the mysteries OF
the slides and telescopes. TO ones
who had not the fnintest conception
Of the magnitude OF the work 70 ap-
peal to. The wonderful gissses arc
cared for lust like hahtes lenit.vs.