Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-06-17
Mrs. Maude Newell Williams
Writes Entertaininglyi of a
Journey up the Magdalena
MONKEYS, SNAKES, PARROTS
AND ALLIGATORS ARE SEEN
Styles Do Not Worry the Inhabi-
tants in the Interior, for They
Wear Few Clothes

For some time Rev. and Mrs. G. s.
Williams, nee Maude NewelB have
been at Barranquilla, Colombia, South
America, but recently returned to
Bucaranmanga in the interior where
they had worked as missionaries for
several years. The following letter
by Mrs Newell tells of their interest
ing trip up the Magdalena river:
We are meandering slowly up this
lazy Magdalena once more.
Our boat is great numbering
thing, which spreads itself awkward
ly over a big chunk of the river, and
drags at either side a large covered
barge. Each barge carried a hundred
cattle. For the most part, the poor
animals are quiet and stand still
which is fortunate, for if they did
much moving with their long, curved
| horns, havoc would result.
1t is quite as hot on this river as
we have found it to be on former
trips. The steamers are built with
wide deck at the PROV, and a gap
| ing stairway which leads directly to
the great boilers below. On this deck
there are chairs and here the pass
! engers are supposed to sit. In the
center of the deck are two immense
, chimneys. each of which gives out
as much heat as a small furnace; the
waves of heat roll up the open stair
way, the sun pours in under the roof
! on first one side and then on the
other, or sends it's force straight
, down on the low tin roof, and, al
though one is constantly seeking an
other corner, hunting a breath Of
breeze he pants and swelters from
8 a. M until p. m.
Treacherous Sand-banks
The nights are no better The
river is at it's lowest and there is
. constant danger of running on a.
sand-bank. Some friends of ours
spent nineteen days on the river, in
making a five days trip-most of the
time they were on first one sand
bank then on another Thus our
boat is tied up at night, although the
moon light is so brilliant this week
that one can see to read by it. The
phantom breeze we manage to stir
up by moving during the day. we lose
by night. The cabins are very small,
SO we lie in a small lake of perspira-
ton and smother through the nights.
Steamers Burn Wood
These steamers still burn wood, and
we tie up at thatched villages where
the whole haIf-clad population (that
is an exaggeration, really, because
half Of the population is not clad at
all and the other, the grown-up half
is only half-clad) comes running pell-
nell to meet us, while we load wood.
It is still being loaded in the same old
! way; loaded on mems heads and so
brought aboard. 1t is necessary to
take on quantities of it several times
each day to keep the boat supplied.
Foliage Is Wonderful
The foliage seems more wonderful
to us than ever, after year of the
ugly, thorny growths Of the sterile
coast lands. This is veritable para
disc in appearance. The densiest
greenest green imaginable dotted ev-
erywhere with great punches, entire
trees, of brilliant blooms. Four class
es Of trees abound, although many
scores of different kinds are to be
distinguished; the lovely bamboo,
gracefully draping itself over the
Landscape and at this season of the
year, one curling waving mass of deli
cate white flowers; the magnificent
mango tree, which, low-spreading, of
ten has diameter of ten feet in it's
trunk, and one hundred-fifty feet at
it's top, meanwhile maintaining a
most remarkable and beautiful SYM
metry, and the densest possible foil
age; the cerba tree, which, growing
tall shows a hundred feet of clean
broad, flat, pure white trunk with a
great flat table of branches and leav-
es at the top; and the palms OF
numerous varieties Wretched, dirty
little villages constantly appear, with
out single redeeming feature, but
that, hanging over the huts, thanking
the hamlet and massed in behind it
is ever the dropping, protecting CO.
coanut palm with it's own inimitable
charm.
Monkeys, Snakes and Parrots
Over and around all the trees cling