The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-03
ECUADOR CITY ]. :.
 QUAKE VICTIM Cities Of Equatorial Nation Are Considered Among Health
 fest In The World

Ecuador city, reported wiped out. by an earthquake, lies in region where the only rift in, natures lute seems to be- siesmic disturbances says bulle- tin from the headquarters of the Ma. tional Geographic society.
 .'Tulcan had about 5000 people. It lay 100 miles northeast of Quito, near the Colombia border, and was acces. sible only by a mule trail.
 s'One writer says the climate is So healthful that hens lay so consistently that medicine has to be given them to save their lives :
 Water, Rail And Bridle-Path
 "The mule ride is the last stretch of a waterway, rail and bridle-path route which takes visitor up South Amer ica's principal Pacific river, the Qua yas, to Guayaquil, Ecuadors principal port, and thence to the country's capi- tai, Quito, after two days" railroad travel. lf a '.
 Quito is only 286 miles from Qua yaquil, but the trains do not travel by night That is the visitors good for tune, for the route discloses the rugged beauty. of the Andes and trayerses re. gions which produce staples of Amer. ican retail trade-Panama hats, quinint and cocoa. g5 ,.e,<.
 Though hidden far from the busy world, Tulcan was thriving commu nity,/ to which American exporters representatives in Guayaquil sent agents, and its own people frequently joined the colorful crowds on the streets of Quito, a capital above the clouds.
 Quito Cultured Capital
 Quito resembles our own capital in that it is more residential and govern mental than |. business city. Ladies in smart motor cars shop at stores dis playing the latest importations from New York, London and Paris. Amer ican Indians frequently come to Wash ington; but the Ecuadorean Indians are far more plentiful in Quitos streets They stroll about in orange ponchos, sailor-like cotton trousers, and broad brimmed hats. Their native villages usually can be distinguished by the shapes of their ponchos. the cut ot their hair, or turn of their head. dress. .,t r
 .sThefe is nc daylight saving problem in Quito. Day and-night are twelve hours the year round. The climate is just as equable--it is always early spring in Quito-but there is a 10- degree difference between. the sunny places of the direct Equatorial rays and theashade. ...4
 "FOtfr hours toward the mountains will land one in region of perpetual frost; in half a day one can descend to the deep and sultry valleys between the mighty chains of the Andes.
 VU1,awa fthaanunka En,nAe Epona
 One Ecuadorean chocolate planta. yearly for American and European are spread, for drying, over acres of through them with bare feet occasional ly to make sure they dry. When the pods are first opened fthe beans and pulp are creamy white; they grow brown after exposure to air.
 Quito, from the slopes of the hills which surround it, present picture of dazzling .white, relieved by the red roofs of it's wooden houses.
 Although wood is it's only available building material Guayaquifs public buildings, churches and theatre are noted for their architectural beauty hHu DCcuuSc itS DulIulHSS are WOOu II maintains what is reputed to be the largest fire department of any city oi it's size in the world. In times past il suffered from disastrous fires.
 Why Panama Hats?'
 Sixty miles up-river, GuayaquiI is the country's great distributing center It has one manufacturing industry oi great importance to the United States that of Panama hat making. It ex ports more than million dollars worth of headgear annually. The raw material comesS- from smaller inland cities; the finished product gets its name from the canal through which il is shipped to this country.
 One. other prospect of northern Ecuador which is not so pleasing is th' snow clad. ever active, volcanic Coto paxi. with it's ilI-omened smoke halo The crater is near Latacunga, where the legend survives that the grea earthquake of 1898 was foretold by $ priest The Carmelite nuns of Lata cunga. so the story goes, held to theil faith ill the prophecy for seven years during which they slept in tents in theil gardens. Their faith was rewarded when the quake finally came, for theil convent fell, but the tent-dwellers es | ran n