The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-08-30

- " OIIoSll u Sues Oh the Wlue
estuary of the Rio de la Plata,
~ only few hours steaming
distance apart, lie two of
South Americas greatest cities,
Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina,
and Montevideo, capital of Uruguay.
Buenos Aires means good airs" or
delightful breezes," if one is willing
to translate less literally. The city is
not merely the capital and chief port
of a South American republic. 1t is
a world center-a city of superlatives,
contrasts and paradOXes.
Its population of slightly more than
2,OOO0O makes it, by wide margin,
the metropolis of South America and
the southern hemisphere. 1t is the
greatest of Spanish-speaking cities,
having nearly three times as many in
habtQnts as Madrid. 1t is greater
than any other Latin city except
Paris. In the New world it shares
third place with Philadelphia; only
New York and Chicago surpass it.
And now that Petrograd and Moscow
have Shrunk while Vienna is marking
time, il probably ranks or soon will
rank as the eighth city of the world
led only by the three metropOlises of
Europe UOndOn, Berlin and Paris)
the two of North America (New York
and Chicago), and Tokyo and Osaka
in Asia.
This great city is the focus Of the
culture, thought, politics, economics,
and social life of Argentina as well
as the funnel through which pour. the
millions of pounds of dressed meats
and the millions of bushels of wheat
which make up the contribution of the
republic to the hungry peoples of the
Old world. Its language is the Ian
guage of Spain, but many other things
Spanish have been thrust aside. Its
Inhabitants would laugh at the idea
of a midday siesta-SO generally OBJ
served in most Spanish-American
countries. The rapid development of
Argentina has made innumerable for
tunes, and the stream of gold has
been poured lavishly into the lap of
BuenOS Aires. In no other city, per-
hapS, can one see so strikingly dis
played the evidences of extreme opu-
lence.
Making Marvellous City.
In progress and the possession of
vision the people of BuenOs Aires
are unsurpassed even by the restless
builders of North Americas greatest
cities. For centuries after its estab-
lishment Buenos Aires was without
a port. Ships anchored miles from
the shallow, sandy shore and all
freight was handled in lighters. With
in the last twenty-five years the mu-
nicipaIity has constructed the largest
artificial docks in the world. These
provide adequate facilities for the
thousands of ocean vessels and coast
ing craft that put into its port an
nually.
The narrow checker-board of streets
in the business center which the colo
NAL BuenOs Aires bequeathed to the
world-city of today has been a con-
slant embarrassment in the face of
the demands of modern business. The
municipality has widened some of
these narrow ways at q cost of many
millions of dollars. into stately and
handsome avenues, and is carving
other arteries of traffic diagonally
through the closely packed squares.
In the newer parts of the city
streets of ample width and numerous
broad avenues have been laid out.
Many of the avenues are lined with
the costly palaces of Argentina's null
timillionaires. 1t is in this part of the
CITY and in such semi-business ave
nueS as the tree-trimmed Avenida de
Mayo with its mile or more of fine no.
tells. clubs, cafes, and business build
ings de luxe, that Buenos Aires re-
minds the traveller of Paris. The COM
paris0n is forced on the observer
again when he drives in the afternoon
through Palermo park, the Bots de
comes a part of the seemingly inter-
, minable procession of smart eQuipages
hearing their throng of well-dressed
men and women. AZ
The men of Buenos Aires are up-to-
date in all things; but its women are
even ahead of the times. They wear
the latest Paris creations even before
they are donned by the ParisienneS
themselves. Climate must be given
it's rightful place in the explanation
of this paradox. Summer models are
designed in Paris in December, and
the reversal of the seasons south of
the Equator makes these seemingly
premature creations fitting attire in
BuenOs Aires in January and February
when they reach the beau monde of
that distant metropolis. Buenos Aires
is in the south latitude correspond
ing to that of Charleston. S. c., north
of the Equator. and has climate
somewhat like that of the country be-
tween Charleston and Norfolk, though
Irio