The Ely miner., 1935-06-06
Prepared by the National Geographic Society.
Washington, D. C.-WNU Service

|
| Prepared by the National Geographic Society,"
| Washington. D. C.-wNU Service.
IN ANCH life in the wilds of Ecua-
* dor was the dream of an ad-
venturous American couple.
Together they have created a
delightful home in the middle of an
equatorial jungle. The Hacienda Rio
Negro is located on the eastern slopes
of the Andes, about two degrees south
| of the equator, at an altitude of some
| 5000 feet, on the north side of the
Pastaza valley.
The site itself is tropical paradise.
A broad, beautifully wooded valley
rises in range after range of hills on
each side of the falling Pastaza in a
series of table-lands.
| The most delightful feature of this
equatorial Eden is the fact that there
are no mosquitoes, and all noxious in
sects seem to be reduced to a mini
| mum.
The nearest town, post office, and
general supply depot is Banos, whose
| white-walled, red-roofed houses cling
with a stoical, and several times mis-
| placed, trust to the base of the Black
Giant, Tungurahua, beautifully
shaped volcano.
Leaving the lava-swept base of Tun-
gurahua at Banos and the semi-arid-
ness Of the Andean cradle, one pro-
| crosses down the valley of the Pastaza,
past the Falls of Agoyan, higher than
Niagara, and finds oneself getting
gradually deeper and deeper into the
fringe of the jungle.
At last, descending from Ell Mirador,
where one sees a large section of the
Pastaza river valley spread out, partly
occupied by the hacienda, one emerges
from the gorgeously orchid-lined trails
| into open pastures.
Years before, an Ecuadorian had
| partially cleared some of the land and
had built a four-roomed house in
what he proudly called the "Ameri-
can STYLE" The heavy tile roof had
fallen in; the rotten timbers which
| supported it, sagging with fatigue, had
| finally given up the struggle. bam-
boo shack attached to one end Of the
house was alive with cockroaches. A
! feeble attempt by the former owner
| to patch the interstices with mud plas-
ter merely served to make cozy home
| for more of the Objectionable insects.
During the first days of their adven-
ture, the new owners lived as well as
| they could in this tumble-down struc-
| ture, choosing the driest corner of the
| four rooms for their camp beds.
Keep in Touch With Radio.
Everything had to be done with what
resources were at hand. Immediate
purchases were impossible, for there
were no convenient shops. Consequent
ly they learned to improvise, even
when it was a question of creating
| such things as a forge, a blower, an
efficient water heater and pressure
| tank, a water wheel to run the dynamo
| to charge the radio battery, power
| transmission belt, dressing for. the belt,
or kitchen drainboards out of roofing
zinc. The whole hacienda, with its
house and furnishings, may be put
down as a one large improvisation.
Radio links the jungle clearing with
remote world. During one small
political uprising in Guayaquil they
heard the news broadcast from New
York before the newspapers in the
mountains had published ii.
The natives regarded the set with
superstitious awe; but were more i'm
pressed by being able to hear pro-
grams from the mountain cities of Rio
bamba and Quito than they were by
European or North American programs.
| All things outside Ecuador were for
eign to their experience, but to hear
music from towns which many of them
| had visited was something at which
| they could really marvel.
Fortunately the special osier fiber
| near the ranch. 1t was readily adapted
| to the making of wicker furniture. In
an incredibly short time strongly built,
| comfortable chairs, chaise Tongue,
and a table were fashioned by ma
| tive cabinet maker.
Passing Indians brought sacks of
| kapok, which made soft cushions for
| the chairs, mattresses for the beds,
| and pack blankets for the mules. The
scarf1ike shawls, woven by the Indian
women of the mountain region are
used as cushion covers and curtains.
These shawls, hand-woven Of white
cotton with a geometric design In in
digo last indefinitely and can be
| washed as often as necessary.
There is no glass in the house win
dows. Heavy shutters of wood can
be closed when the rains beat down
| too heavily. The temperature is so
| constantly mild that no further pro-
| lection is needed. By dint of much
| hard work, complete water system
was finally installed. A flume of
hardwood and bamboo brings water
from a stream on the hillside back of
| the house to a pressure and settling
tank, also built of wood. From this
tank the water is piped into the house.
An efficient system for heating the
water was made from two 50-gallon
drums. The bathroom is lighted by
candles set In sconces made Of hollow
bamboo stems.
| Making Their Garden.
One of the first things the young
pioneers did on arriving at their new