Pará and the Amazon
The great Amazon River, we all know, is the largest in the world, yet its immensity is hardly realized. In size of basin and volume of water it far exceeds the Mississippi. For a distance of 180 miles from shore the Atlantic is freshened by its waters, which vary in depth in the estuary from 90 to 900 feet. Among its 1100 tributaries, great and small, there are seven more than 1000 miles long, not counting the Marañon and Ucayali, by which it is formed. One, the Madeira River, has a length of 3000 miles. In the great region which it drains there are 1200 varieties of birds and 8000 animals not found elsewhere, to say nothing of the plants. The soil is so rich that corn is returned 800 fold.
The best time to visit the Upper Amazon is in the dryer season, from June to the middle of October, or in January; the worst is from February to June. The climate of this section is attractive only to those who enjoy heat and rain; the heat is not excessive, but continuous; the rain is often 200 inches annually. Still the climate is called fairly healthy for the most part, with small sections very bad.
Pará, the most important in wealth, population, and commerce of the northern States of Brazil, is a name familiar to all, to many simply as rubber, to others rather as a city than a State: improperly so indeed, as the city by its residents is termed Belem. Founded at the mouth of the Amazon in January, 1616, it is younger than the other important coast cities, while the State, formerly a part of Maranhão, is little more than a century old. The date of July 31, 1867, when the great river, previously closed to all but Brazilian steamers, was opened to the navigation of the world, is that of the beginning of Belem’s prosperity and wonderful growth. Today a city of 150,000, it lies on the edge of a tranquil lagoon called Guarujá Bay, formed by the Pará River, one of the several mouths of the great Amazon. Along the city front is a forest of masts and smokestacks, and vessels of every size and character pass to and fro. Fine docks and warehouses have recently been constructed, the work, begun in 1907, to be continued by the Port of Pará Co., according to the requirements which are rapidly increasing, since facilities must ultimately be provided for a traffic from an area of the more than three million square miles embraced in the Amazon Valley. A channel 30 feet deep leading from the outer river to the port is marked by 26 modern buoys, illumined by acetylene gas, with lights of 120-candle power intensified by a lens. The port works are equal to the best at Liverpool and Hamburg, having three-quarters of a mile of quay wall with water 30 feet deep for ocean steamers, 722 feet of wall with 12 feet of water for river steamers, and 1500 feet more for smaller boats with 9 feet 6 inches of water. The wall of huge blocks of concrete is of the most substantial character. On a roadway 60 feet wide are electric cranes and railways, back of which are large warehouses. Beyond these is a granite-paved boulevard, then the city itself, with the Custom House, market, banking houses, stores, and all forms of commercial activity.
On the large square, Frei Caetano Brandão, in the center of which is a statue of the bishop after whom the square is named, the founder of the first hospital in the city, stands the Cathedral erected in 1710, elegant and harmonious, of rather severe exterior, but within brilliantly decorated in high colors. On the bay side of this square are the ruins of an old fort called Castello, preserved for historic interest. The principal plaza is the Independencia, adorned with flower beds, with lawns, bushes, and trees; but the people here loving nature and flowers, no one ever steps on the lawns or plucks a blossom, which indeed is the case in the other cities of Latin America. In the center of the square is a monument to General Gurjão, a superb bronze statue of a soldier who died fighting, while he exclaimed, “See how a Brazilian General dies!” At the side of the plaza, Parque Affonso Penna, is the Government Palace erected in 1776, and near by the blue tinted City Hall of colonial days, containing in the main hall a beautiful painting of the death of the great musician, Carlos Gomez, who died here.
In the square, Visconde de Rio Branco on a marble base is the most artistic monument of the city, a bronze statue of the Brazilian patriot, José da Garma Malcher, with the figure of a beautiful young girl below writing the name of the hero. Another garden, Baptista Compos, is a little paradise with fountains, lakes, bridges, plants, etc.
A unique public recreation ground at the other end of the city is a tract of primitive woods, called O Bosque, dense and somber with great trees which as the city grew in that direction was with wonderful foresight preserved by the Municipality. Driveways were opened disclosing its poetic beauty, greenhouses, cascades, fountains and other embellishments added, making it a resort of which the people are proud.
The usual Praça da Republica contains a beautiful marble monument with bronze figures commemorating the proclamation of the Republic. On this square, the heart of the city, is the Paz Theater of white marble, imposing and austere, of the Corinthian order of architecture, with a tranquil grandeur unlike any other in South America. The interior is decorated with paintings by De Angelis surrounded by high gold reliefs, contains a foyer with a beautiful inlaid floor, and has everything in lighting and mechanical devices of the most modern type. The Paz Hotel is near.
Notable churches are Santa Anna, built in 1761, and Our Lady of the Carmo, about the same date, and Our Lady of Nazareth, built in 1802, where seamen especially bring offerings, wax miniatures of boats and other objects of maritime life, forming a curious museum of nautical art.
The greatest interest and admiration may be excited by the Goeldi Museum, one of the most famous in South America, and now under the direction of Dr. Jacques Huber. The building is surrounded by fine specimens of the Amazonian forests with the finest collection in the world of the Hevea brasiliensis, the best of the many varieties of rubber trees; and the experimental garden probably contains every species of rubber known, with many other plants of commercial value. Of equal or greater interest are the archæological, ethnological, and zoological departments. Here are collections of pottery of extinct Indian tribes inhabiting this region at the time of the Portuguese discovery, with funeral urns and pottery from mounds of the Island of Marajó. Weapons and utensils of the Amazonian Indians are shown. The collection of Brazilian fauna comprises a complete series of Amazonian monkeys, a great variety of birds, the larger mammals, as the tapir, jaguar, etc., and insects. Many living creatures, aquatic birds, parrots, toucans of gorgeous plumage, alligators, anacondas, boa constrictors, electric eels, and many others, safely caged, enchain the attention.
The Lauro Sodré Institute for industrial and agricultural training, a School of Commerce, a Fine Arts Academy, and other establishments for education, for the sick, and the poor are liberally provided. A fine new Market is not of small importance. The broad, clean, well shaded streets are often lined with beautiful villas and gardens; though but a degree and a half from the equator the heat is not excessive, rarely above 90° Fahr.
Manaos. The visitor to Pará, is likely to be on his way up the Amazon to Manaos or Iquitos; if a bit of an explorer, perchance to Bolivia by the newly practicable Madeira and Mamoré route, or to the rubber regions in any one of five countries. The city of Pará, is about 80 miles from the pilot station Salinas; and a further journey of 24 hours, nearly 200 miles, is required, across a bay, then for nine hours through a narrow channel, before one really enters the broad stream of the great Amazon. Along the narrows the landscape is charming; clearings with huts and children are frequent; canoes with fishermen, and small steamers calling at the barracas (plantations) for rubber or to bring provisions are numerous. The luxuriant vegetation is fascinating. But from the remoteness of the shores, on the immense wide river the four or five days to Manaos may be somewhat monotonous. The greater will be the surprise of the uniformed traveler when after 900 miles through the enormous wilderness of forest he arrives at this new city, with a population of 80,000, truly a wonder of wonders. Its location is at the junction of the Rio Negro with the Amazon; one writer says on a large bay, another that it is on the left bank of the Negro eight miles from the Amazon. At all events it has a safe and quiet harbor with excellent port works arranged to fit the rise and fall of the river, about 50 feet. A floating roadway extends into the river, a platform and pontoons supporting warehouses; and ocean steamships come alongside. Hills have been lowered, shallow places filled in, and waterworks and drainage systems supplied; so that a remarkable city indeed is here in the forest. It is said to be the best lighted city in Brazil. The Municipal street, 100 feet wide, is lined with handsome buildings. The Eduardo Ribeiro avenue in the afternoon and evening is thronged with people of wealth and fashion. The Amazonas Theater, on this avenue and S. Sebastião Square, is of astonishing magnificence, having cost $2,000,000; its beautiful colored dome is a conspicuous feature from the harbor. The interior compares with the splendid exterior, allegorical paintings by De Angelis, the celebrated Italian artist, ornamenting the ceilings of foyer and auditorium. The Palace of Justice, a white marble building in Roman style, with a bronze and marble staircase, is also imposing. The Cathedral is a vast temple of simple architecture. There are excellent school buildings, a public library, a museum with curious Amazonian specimens, a spacious market cool and well ventilated, and a public garden with music from six till midnight. Electric fans are everywhere in evidence, ice here manufactured is supplied in abundance, and excellent sanitation makes the capital surprisingly free from sickness.
Iquitos. By ocean steamers, the Booth Line from New York and from London, the journey may be pursued up the Amazon as far as Iquitos in Peru, a city of 15,000 population, where the Amazon, over 2000 miles from its mouth, still has a width of nearly three miles and an average depth of 25 feet, twice that in the rainy season. The city is a few leagues below the junction of the Marañon and the Ucayali, by which the Amazon is formed. Iquitos is quite cosmopolitan with representatives from various European and American nations. It has many warehouses, and commercial and other modern buildings of brick and iron. One hundred and fifty feet above the river and surrounded by dense forests, the climate is not so bad as it might be, though the temperature averages 85° to 90° all the year around; as a rule the place is not unhealthy.
Rubber is the principal occasion for its being and growth, and its commerce is rapidly increasing. In all directions lie the rubber forests, or more accurately the forests which contain rubber trees. For these do not grow conveniently in groves, except here and there occasionally a few trees, but scattered singly in the damp forest, perhaps 100 or 150 trees in an estrada or section of about 100 acres, an area which a single man can take care of. The estrada is really the path leading from one tree to another. The man, called the seringuero, sets out early in the morning with hatchet and tin cups or basins; he makes on each tree several incisions, 4 to 6 inches apart around the tree. By the time the round of 3 or 4 miles is finished it is time for lunch; then the collection may begin, the tins containing the fluid called latex are emptied into a pail, eight or ten quarts in all, producing about as many pounds of rubber. This is finished by noon, after which the latex must be smoked over a wood fire; it is coagulated on a sort of ladle twirled over the smoke. Fresh coats are added when one is dry until a bolacha or biscuit is formed of from 5 to 100 lbs. The man who does this work may be a native Indian or a resident of Ceará or elsewhere. He works for a contractor who may employ several hundred. Many atrocities have been committed by these contractors, who have compelled the defenseless Indians to work for them without pay and have inflicted cruelties, torture, and murder upon them and their families, especially in the Putomayo district, where an English Company has been engaged. Through recent investigations the cruelties have been terminated for the moment; but such is the greed and inhumanity of some professedly civilized men that close watch must be kept by humane officials to prevent further abuses and the extermination of harmless savages.
The rubber is collected in this way from trees called jebe or hevea, but there are many varieties of trees which produce rubber of varying excellence. A kind of tree called the caucho which grows on higher land is cut down by the cauchero and the entire latex is extracted, averaging about 50 lbs. to a tree; this is a quality of less value. Brazil has a heavy export tax on rubber, Bolivia about half as much, while Peru exacts less than a quarter.
The terrors, perils, and the fascination (to some few) of the immense and awful forest are in many books described. Few are the explorers who, aided by many hands wielding machetes, have penetrated far into the jungle from the flowing river roads. For their adventures I have no space. Yet in these days of doughty deeds by valiant women, a far more wonderful exploit by one who doubtless had no wish to usurp man’s functions as an explorer may here be chronicled. Long, long ago, in 1769, when the forests were untrodden even by the casual rubber gatherer, Madame Godin, to join her husband in Guiana, left Riobamba in Ecuador with two brothers, a nephew, a physician, three women domestics, a negro servant, and thirty Indians. Having passed over the great mountain range they embarked on a stream, one of the many affluents of the Amazon, to meet with repeated disasters. Their boat was upset, their supplies and baggage were lost. The Indians deserted. A raft being made, this also foundered. Proceeding on foot, lost in the forest they wandered until, exhausted with starvation and effort, they lay down to die. This all the rest did, but after two days by her dead companions, Madame Godin arose. Shoeless, her clothing nearly gone, with no food save roots and herbs she struggled on amid the terrors of the jungle till after nine days she met two so-called savages. These treated her kindly, ministering to her needs till she was able to proceed, then conducted her to a white settlement farther down. As a white-haired woman she ultimately reached Pará and joined her husband, a notable illustration of the weaker sex.
The Madeira-Mamoré Railway. Only the unusually enterprising tourist, the explorer, or the business man will be likely to investigate this new railway, but all may like to know a little about it. The Madeira, the largest tributary of the Amazon, comes in from the south a little below Manaos, and is the outlet and means of access to a large portion of the state of Matto Grosso in Brazil and of the country of Bolivia as well. Continuous river navigation has, however, been impossible on account of a series of 19 falls and rapids on the Madeira and Mamoré rivers within a distance of 200 miles, thus preventing earlier development of a section rich not only in rubber, but in minerals, and in agricultural and stock-raising possibilities. About 570 miles up the Madeira River is the new city of Porto Velho, where the railway begins, now completed for a distance of 202 miles to Guajará Mirim on the Mamoré, about due south. Thus has been accomplished a work which in 1869 was planned by an American, Col. George Earl Church, under a concession from Brazil and Bolivia. In 1871 he turned the first sod of the railway, but financial and other difficulties soon caused the suspension of operations. In 1878 another effort was made, also to meet disaster. Today the better knowledge of the causes of tropical diseases and of methods of sanitation has caused the task to be triumphantly concluded. Construction work, begun in August, 1907, was carried on with such effect that in spite of many difficulties the final section of the road was opened for traffic July 15, 1912. As yet there is no fast express, two days being required for the journey. Porto Velho, the northern terminus of the road, on the right bank of the Madeira, is a town of 1500 people, with an ice plant making six tons a day, piped water supply of two kinds, one for internal use, and with wireless telegraphic communication with Manaos, hence close relations with the rest of the world. To this port ocean steamers may come during part of the year, November to June, and large river steamers at any time. The residence part of the city is on a hill a little back. Regular trains three times a week leave at 8 a.m. The greater part of the journey is through the jungle in a cut 100 feet wide, though in places the river is visible, at Santo Antonio a picturesque view including the first cascades. Near Caldeiro Station is one of the worst places on the river, called the Devil’s Caldron, invisible, however, from the track. South of Mutum are 25 miles of straight track passing through an immense rubber concession to the company. At Abuna, 218 kms., where the train is due at 5.30 p.m., halt is made for the night close to the river. Leaving Abuna at 7.30 the next morning the arrival at the terminus should be at 3.15 p.m. Villa Murtinho, 93 kms. south of Abuna, is just opposite the town of Villa Bella in Bolivia, and the junction of the Beni and Mamoré, the Bolivian city being between the two rivers; the Mamoré from here south forms the boundary between the two countries. At the terminal, Guajará Mirim, there is another town of the same name on the opposite shore in Bolivia, from which a railroad is now being constructed to Riberalta, an important town of Bolivia, near the edge of the Amazonian forest and the Bolivian cattle country. For the development of northern Bolivia which is drained by the Beni River, this railway will be a great motive power, as also for Matto Grosso of Brazil. An enormous region of rubber and of many other possibilities is hereby rendered accessible, as this great accomplishment is to be supplemented in Bolivia by other important connections. The formal inauguration of the road already long in use was postponed on account of the desire of the President of Brazil to assist in person at the ceremonies.
It is an item of interest that the head waters of the Guaporé River, a branch of the Madeira, are so close to those of the stream Aguapehy, tributary to the Jauru and Paraguay rivers, that they could be connected by a canal less than 1000 feet long. Years ago the trip across from the Amazon waters to the Paraguay-Paraná basin was made in a canoe by hardy Portuguese explorers following this route, which in the years to come may develop into a frequented waterway.
Any one wishing to make the journey from Manaos up the Madeira to the railway is obliged to pay a tax of 9 milreis, in addition to a deposit of 50$ for hospital or funeral expenses in case he should contract yellow fever or other serious ail, but the 50$ are refunded on his safe return.
On the Way Home. Few will sail away from the matchless harbor and city of Rio without keen regret and the determination to revisit them at the earliest possible moment, though with these once lost to view he may look eagerly forward to the conclusion of the homeward voyage. This at present by the Lamport and Holt steamers occupies 16 or 18 days, which are happily spent on their large and luxurious vessels, the several calls en route relieving any possible monotony. The weather is generally delightful, two weeks of summer, not too hot, followed by one never knows what, for the two or three days before reaching New York.
A few may prefer to take ship to a European port and spend some time on the other side before returning home, but there is no longer a necessity for going that way in order to have a comfortable voyage. Although the steamers of the English Line are a trifle faster, even with the best connection at Southampton or Liverpool the time to New York is longer.
Bahia. About 60 hours from Rio on the third morning of the return voyage, the ship is likely to be at anchor in the harbor of Bahia, once the capital of Brazil, and now with a population of 285,000 its third city. It is 720 miles from its ancient rival. Founded in 1549 by Thome de Souza this is the oldest of all the Brazilian cities and has ever been a place not only of commercial importance but of artistic and literary culture and of sumptuous religious sanctuaries. Until 1762 it was the seat of colonial power. The location of the city on the east side of a deep and well protected gulf is admirable; its beauty would excite enthusiasm if it were seen before Rio instead of afterwards. The name of this city is really São Salvador, while the bay is Bahia de Todos os Santos, Bay of All Saints, the name Bahia of the State having, as in the case of Pernambuco and Pará, by foreigners been transferred to that of its capital city. Its appearance is indeed striking, with its upper and lower town, the former crowning a high and almost perpendicular bluff, the latter, looking almost as if it had been pushed over the edge, occupying a narrow strip along the water front, both sections charmingly variegated by dense tropical foliage. Conspicuous from a distance are the great elevators connecting the upper and lower town and many large buildings, towers, and churches.
In a small boat one may be rowed a mile from the anchorage to the landing, then passing to Ribeira street, may follow this to an elevator at the right or by a steep and narrow street on the face of the bluff may climb to the top. By the elevator at the right 15 or 20 may be lifted in a wooden box to the edge of a pretty square above, the Praça da Constitucão. At the right is the site of the ancient Municipal Building, spoiled by the Dutch in 1636, later repaired, and recently rebuilt, with a new four-faced clock tower added; but in January, 1912, it was riddled by shots from Brazilian warships on account of an insurrection. A large attractive building at the rear of this square, which formerly was the residence of the Portuguese Governors and the Presidents of the Province, has been rebuilt from the foundations and is now used for the Governor’s offices, his residence being in Corredor da Victoria. The American Consulate is well located on a corner of this square. Narrow lanes of three centuries gone, lead from here in several directions; but some of them are traversed by electric cars which frequently leave the Plaza for diverse sections. A pleasant suburban ride is to the fishing village and suburb of Rio Vermelho, where a nice luncheon may be obtained; one passes on the way out, through some of the fine residence streets, by the side of beautiful parks, and by the lighthouse on Cape Barra at the entrance to the bay, on the site of an old fort. There is a fine view from the lighthouse top, well worth the climb, and one may walk on to Rio Vermelho a little farther.
PRAÇA DE FREI CAETANO BRANDÃO, PARA
BAHIA
The narrow Chili street runs from the Praça da Constitucão to the Castro Alves Square, 150 feet above the bay, with a Statue of Columbus surmounting a marble fountain in the garden. On one side is the San João Theater. Here also are the Paris and the Sul Americano Hotels, and the building of the journal, the Diario da Bahia. Following from here Carlos Gomez street we may come to the Piedade Square with a pretty garden, and a marble fountain with a symbolic statue of an Indian stepping on a serpent. On one side of the square is the Piedade Church, on another the Senate House, of Italian style of architecture. Passing the Police Headquarters, a pretty street, Pedro Luiz, with modern buildings, leads to the Passeio Publico, a delightful resting place, the largest and most popular in the city, shaded by mango trees, containing an obelisk of Egyptian marble, commemorating, one says, the arrival of King João VI in Brazil, another the opening of Brazilian ports to foreign commerce in 1808. At one side, on the Afflictos Square, the thick walls of an old fortress have been remodeled into police barracks. A steep street leads down from the Passeio Publico to a colonial fortification, the Gamboa Fortress at the edge of the water.
The Largo Duque du Caxias contains in a pretty garden an imposing monument of Carrara marble and bronze, 100 feet in height, named the Dois de Julho, the date of the evacuation of the State by the Portuguese troops in 1824, which sealed its independence. At the top of the tall Corinthian Column stands the traditional Indian with foot on a dragon, signifying the triumph over despotism. Colossal figures of bronze represent the great rivers of Brazil, with other accessories making this one of the finest monuments in Brazil. A notable peculiarity of the city is that the monuments are of symbolic character and not of individuals, no busts or statues of heroes save one to the English philanthropist, Dr. Paterson, a physician whose good works were many. In the Praça do Riachuelo, which is overlooked by the handsome edifice of the Commercial Association, another beautiful monument, a marble pillar surmounted by a flying Victory, commemorates the triumph of Brazil over Paraguay in the terrible war of 1864-70.
Among a number of interesting churches is the San Francisco, built in 1713 with elaborate and gorgeous interior decorations. The Collegio Church of the Jesuits, now the Cathedral, built of stone prior to 1572, on the Largo Quinze de Novembro, has an imposing interior, the details of its ornamentation, from the design of the main altar to the work in the ceiling, making it perhaps the most curious in Brazil. A Benedictine Church, San Sebastião, on a central eminence, is peculiar in being all white inside and out, the main altar and the Saints’ images of Carrara marble, while the two towers and the dome, the highest spot in the city, are white also. Oldest of all in Bahia is the Church Nossa Senhora da Ojuda.
Bahia boasts of one of the best Medical Schools in South America, with a finer building than the School in Rio possesses; this on the Largo Quinze de Novembro. It has also a Law College and other excellent schools, one of the most valuable, a Lyceum of Arts and Trades founded in 1872 with day and night classes, workshops, and class rooms, and 2500 pupils in attendance. A Public Library with 30,000 volumes, a Municipal with 20,000, and still others are of good service to the people. The Poorhouse is an attractive looking place and there are excellent hospitals.
In the eastern suburbs are charming vistas; and of homely; interest are the hundreds of colored women engaged in laundry work along a little stream with the clothing spread out upon the grass and bushes. No machine washed and dried clothing there, but all done in good fresh air.
Bahia is the great cocoa port of Brazil, furnishing about one-fifth of the world’s supply; the State is wonderfully rich in productions of almost every kind. One may ask what does it not produce rather than what it does: coffee, tobacco, rubber, cotton, sugar, nuts, woods, etc., besides a wealth of minerals of great diversity; the largest diamond carbonate ever discovered was found here in 1895. It weighed 3150 carats and was divided in Paris into smaller stones. Gold, copper, and many of the precious stones are found in various sections. Even the sand is exported, being worth $100 a ton; some, at least, of a deposit found by an American engineer along the shore, called monazite, rich in thorium silicate, used for electric lights.
The lower part of the city should not be ignored, for here are the commercial houses, the markets, Custom House, arsenals, Post Office, factories, and many of the stores. There is one pretty plaza, but the streets are very narrow, and at night it is wholly deserted for the residential section above, save for a few of the poorer classes who live on the steep hillside.
On the boundary of this state are the Paulo Affonso Falls of the San Francisco River, worth visiting if time permits; the valley is one of the most fertile regions of the globe. A line of comfortable steamers subsidized by the State, running to Pernambuco, gives opportunity to change at Peneda, about 30 miles up the river, to a smaller boat, which ascends to Piranhas, near the foot of the cataract, 150 miles farther, a two days’ journey. A railway runs from Piranhas to Jatoba, 71 miles, to navigation above the Falls. Pedras, the Falls station, is about half way. Then a ride of two hours or so brings one to the great cañon. Men living near, for a small fee, will act as guides. There are various rapids and one high fall; the river first compressed by rock banks is divided into five narrow branches through rock clefts, four of which tumbling down 15 or 20 feet become a mass of foam and rush down a steep incline, with a roar audible for miles, in splendid rapids. The four branches soon unite, rushing on to the great Fall, the Mai da Cachoeira, where all five take a grand leap of 190 feet, which may best be surveyed lying prone on a flat rock 72 feet above the Fall, too awe-inspiring a sight to be enjoyed by every one, but to those of steady nerve a magnificent spectacle. A visit to the Bat’s Cave may as well be omitted.
Unless one stays over a steamer in Bahia, one may have but a glimpse of the city’s many attractions and of course none of the unique, solitary, yet some day to be famous, waterfalls. Five or six hours only on shore are generally permitted to the tourist, though the steamer is likely to delay several more after the return on board. But it does not do to take chances on so important a matter.
From Bahia the sail is generally to Port au Spain, Trinidad, where the hours will be a pleasure after ten days on the broad ocean. Once more you are in a land where you will hear English “as she is spoke” in various ways by persons of various complexions. A drive past the Victoria Institute, the Government House, and the market place to the reservoir, the Botanical Garden, and to the beautiful Queen’s Park Hotel will be greatly enjoyed; and the opportunity for shopping in the excellent stores or from the natives who bring wares to the boat will be improved by some whose purses are not yet empty. On the regular steamers, there is no opportunity to visit the celebrated Pitch Lake some miles away, a lake with an area of 114 acres, on the surface of which one may walk if he moves along promptly. This is the main source of the supply of asphalt used in the United States.
The next morning the steamer is at Bridgetown in Barbados, a pleasant old town where some hours may be spent in a drive, a stroll, or in shopping to buy a few curios or embroideries. This is surely British soil, though 90 per cent of the inhabitants are negroes. Near the landing is Trafalgar Square, with a bronze statue of Nelson in the center, justly his due as it was he who preserved Great Britain’s West Indian possessions in 1805. Here are the government buildings and St. Michael’s, the Anglican church. A Carnegie Library and a Salvation Army Building not far away may be reminders that we are approaching home. The Woman’s Self-Help Association, also on the Square, invites and deserves patronage; for Indian pottery and other curios, lace, embroidery, and various edibles may here be procured at modest prices. A house called Wilton at the corner of Bay street and Chelsea road is of interest as being in 1751 the temporary residence of George Washington, the companion of his elder brother Lawrence, who having contracted consumption had come here in the hope of recovering his health. Dying a year afterward, Lawrence bequeathed his estate of Mount Vernon to his brother George.
Seven days later Sandy Hook is passed; the Statue of Liberty, the old and new skyscrapers draw near. Every one is glad to return, however delightful the journey. Some, if not all, of the passengers will in future have a little broader outlook; regarding the Other Americans with somewhat more of respect; well knowing now that there are agreeable scenes to be revisited, remote regions to be explored, and for those who have the judgment, tact, and energy, wonderful opportunities for enterprise.
CHAPTER XXXIII
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE
Although information and advice in regard to South American trade have been liberally proffered in many books and magazines, and in various addresses to commercial bodies, a few additional remarks may be of service; as from current report, cogent need still exists to reiterate with emphasis many suggestions previously urged, some of these in a magazine article of my own as long ago as July, 1907, but equally important today.
Except for certain facts of common knowledge, it would go without saying that the first and most important point for a manufacturer to consider is whether or not he really cares to cultivate South American trade, and will make a determined and persistent effort to secure and preserve it; a few occasional sales certainly not being worth while. To form an intelligent opinion on this question conditions must be thoroughly understood.
Commercial men should by this time be aware that in the regions to the south business opportunities are large and are rapidly increasing, that the population of the Latin American Republics is above seventy millions, and that their commerce, amounting in 1912 to two and a half billion dollars, is far greater than that of China and Japan together. In fact Argentina alone has more commerce than either of these Asiatic countries, and Brazil has more than Japan. Further, the ratio of increase on our South American continent is greater than in those regions of Asia.
Next, the manufacturer should realize that the longer he delays entering the field the smaller will be his chance of success; that the British and Germans have long been on the ground, and that, in spite of our fancied superiority in business methods, they will not easily be supplanted. He should understand that the South Americans in general are not eager to trade with us, their association with Europe, both by blood and by steamship lines, being closer and stronger. In some countries we are really unpopular; in others they do not care a rap about us either way. Many Latin Americans are distrustful and suspicious of our nation from a political point of view. They dislike the boorish and supercilious manner of some of our half-educated traveling, railroad, and mining men, although Americans of broader intelligence and better manners are well liked. Even in Peru, which country, if any, is supposed to be especially friendly, a prominent statesman, F. Garcia Calderón, in his recent book on Latin America, expressed grave fears of the Yankee Peril, more serious than that of the Germans.
Pleasant speeches at dinner should not blur the fact that Latin Americans are more enthusiastic about Latin America than Pan America. Capital, to be sure, from any quarter is welcomed in undeveloped countries and decidedly better bargains will not be despised. Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia gladly accept our money for internal development, but Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, as a rule, get what they need from Europe, nearly a billion and a half dollars being invested in Argentina by Great Britain alone. It is time to realize that it is for our interest more than theirs to cultivate friendly and commercial relations with South Americans. They will not be neglected by others or suffer greatly if we do not favor them with our presence and regard. To undertake the establishing of commercial relations with the idea that it is a condescension on our part is a mistake certain to interfere with the rapid extension of business.
It is obvious that only those American goods which are exclusive or which require no tariff advantage can long compete successfully on even terms abroad with European wares, now sold by active enterprising business men determined to keep and increase their trade.
An important and primary consideration is the willingness and ability to conform to South American custom in regard to credit; it is rulable to defer payment from three to six months after the delivery of the goods, the price being fixed accordingly or interest being added. Such credit, readily granted by European firms, must be given by ours in order to secure extensive trade. In some quarters an idea is current that South American credit is not generally good, but shippers of many years’ experience assert that customers there are quite as reliable and honest as those in Europe or the United States. Furthermore, certain New York shippers take charge of and guarantee the collections, so that no loss is possible. Where results have been unsatisfactory it has often been due to the incompetence or dishonesty of the agent rather than to the Latin American with whom he dealt. Naturally suitable precautions should be taken and careful scrutiny exercised, as not every one is honest in any quarter of the globe.
As an aid in investigating credit, as well as for other reasons, the establishment of American banks in the various countries is an urgent necessity. Rumors as to plans for these have long been abroad, but as yet nothing has been accomplished. Few of our houses may be capable of organizing a great chain of banks like that of London and La Plata; those who might apparently do not wish to, or they are awaiting the passage of the currency bill. But in any of our large cities capital might be raised to organize a single bank in Rio, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, or other cities, which would be a valuable center of credit information as well as of exchange. Under able and cautious management such banks would be of great service to our exporters and repay the investors with 10 or 12 per cent dividends if not more.
Much has been said about American Steamship Lines as an encouragement to our commerce. While it would indeed be a pleasure to see the Star Spangled Banner now and again floating from vessels in foreign ports, this is of less consequence than the banks. If neither business judgment nor patriotism impels our multi-millionaires to build up a merchant marine, our needs will be supplied by others. Already we have excellent bi-weekly passenger service from New York to Buenos Aires and every week steamers to Rio. On the completion of the Canal we shall have weekly service from New York down the West Coast by at least two good lines of steamers. In addition a large number of freight steamers is already plying to each side.
With favorable consideration in regard to embarking on foreign trade, or even as a preliminary, some ordinary geographical knowledge and a slight acquaintance with local conditions, easily procured, is highly desirable. It is not a prepossessing introduction for a gentleman to receive a letter directed “Buenos Aires, Brazil or Chile,” as often happens, this being one degree worse than if Brazil or Chile were used alone, as the former address betrays not merely ignorance but the man’s indifference to his display of it. The common practice of mailing letters with insufficient postage is still more annoying, and is absolutely inexcusable.
Many of our largest industries and some smaller ones already have an excellent trade with South America, so that on the average the United States stands third in the value of goods imported into the various countries. Great Britain is first and Germany second. One meets their representatives everywhere.
As from six weeks to three months will pass before an answer may be received to one’s letter addressed to the United States Consul resident in the various countries, it is the more important to learn as much as possible at home of the character of the different localities, the variety of climate and productions, the condition of the people and their requirements; some of which information may be found in the valuable monthly Bulletin of the Pan American Union, in the excellent Semi-Monthly, The South American, and in the multitude of books recently written on the various countries.
With even the slightest knowledge one might avoid the absurdity of sending lawn mowers to Iquique, a barren desert where for the few and expensive plots of grass not only the water but the soil is imported; or rubber boots to Lima, where only a slight drizzle is ever experienced and small probability exists of need in the back country; or old-fashioned chandeliers on a three-foot stem to places where electricity is employed or where the ceilings are 15 feet high. If ordinary precautions had not been ignored, it would seem foolish to say that before shipping goods one should ascertain whether such articles are wanted in that locality.
It is well to note that except in the case of some novelty, the people know what they want and insist upon having it. They will not take what we think they ought to want or what is convenient for us to send. The Latin Americans are quite as fashionable and up to date as we are; the Indians, on the contrary, want the same thing year after year and for centuries. If their trade is desired their taste must be catered to, for others are ready to supply what they want if we do not.
Permanent commercial interests alone should be sought. Great injury has been inflicted upon the reputation of our merchants by the unjustifiable conduct of manufacturers, who in dull times have sent men abroad to take orders; then, business at home reviving and rush orders being received, they have turned back to their old customers, ignoring the new and leaving their orders unfilled, careless of their embarrassment and inability to supply their needs from any local market. Such trade permanently reverts to the British dealers upon whose steadiness they can rely.
It would seem a gracious act if some of our large manufacturers, instead of wanting the whole earth, should cultivate the South American trade, certain to prove profitable, and leave some of their home market to be taken care of by smaller people not so well prepared for the conquest of distant fields.
The changeableness sometimes exhibited seems extraordinary. An American in Bolivia engaged in a large business with Indians, after much urging and time spent, was persuaded by a traveling man from New Orleans to give him an order for a thousand dollars’ worth of goods to be delivered within six months. About the time they were expected, the American received a letter saying that the firm had concluded not to fill any orders to Bolivia!
A difficulty frequently experienced where cash sales have been made, and an excessive annoyance to the purchaser, is that a draft sent at the same time with the goods if not earlier reaches the consignee a week, a month, or more before the arrival of the merchandise. A month’s interest is lost by the purchaser, with the goods not in hand. When they do arrive they are often not as ordered, deficient in quantity and quality, and naturally that is the end.
It should be superfluous to say that merchandise should be up to the quality of the sample, but not so. Such happenings, common at home, will not work abroad where the tariff is level and competition free.
Further, the goods must be precisely like the sample, not even something better. Men who order two-wheeled vehicles do not want four-wheeled. The latter in some sections are impossible. The assumption that people do not know what they want, or the carelessness which permits of gross mistakes in shipping goods thousands of miles is evidence of crude business ideas and methods.
In most sections a slight difference in price is not so keenly regarded as the quality of the goods and the steadiness of price. It is more agreeable to them that an article should be sold for 30 cents through a period of years than that it should vary from 25 or 28 cents to 32.
Careful packing of goods, a matter of the greatest importance, has for years been continually urged, without avail or with but slight improvement. It is as true now as seven or eight years ago that packages from the United States on the dock in South American ports may be picked out on account of their disreputable appearance. Boxes splitting open, bags and bales ripping apart, many goods lost or ruined, is the continual complaint. Of course there are exceptions. Some houses may have reformed.
A United States official, writing for goods to his New York druggist, charged him particularly about the packing. The bottles arriving in a pasteboard box were broken. Again he tried with definite instructions and the same result. The next order went to England, where it was properly filled.
The persistence in ignoring expert advice is extraordinary. Agents in South America often send explicit directions as to packing, the size and weight of boxes, etc., without the slightest effect. Goods are dispatched in a 500 or 1000 lb. box to a region where they must be transported on the back of llamas, whose load is 100 lbs. The box is left on the dock or at the railway station; the goods are never used.
New York shippers report that much freight reaches them in a condition impossible to embark on the long journey. It must be refused or repacked. These are curious commentaries on the supposedly superior business ability of Americans. The splendidly bound boxes and bales of British goods are in striking contrast.
On the East Coast transportation by water and rail is general, though not complete. On the West, Chile is well served with railroads, Bolivia’s are rapidly developing, but an enormous region remains, especially in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, where transportation by mules, burros, llamas, and Indians will long continue to be the only methods.
A material factor in securing South American trade where agents are employed is the sending of suitable and competent men. One of our largest houses, noted for the rather superior quality of its salesmen, admitted that they had by experience discovered that some who were very good salesmen here did not succeed there. Precisely why Americans should be so reluctant to follow advice from experts on subjects of which they are ignorant is a puzzle; but it is a fact that the preaching of many men for many years seems largely to have fallen on deaf ears. We should comprehend that South Americans are not ignorant barbarians, that in general they have more culture, often more education, than our business men, that their manners are much better, and that if we desire their business we must adapt ourselves in some degree and treat them with courtesy and not arrogance. To speak of them as monkeys, savages, and dagoes, even so as to be overheard, to commit other acts of unpardonable rudeness in churches and elsewhere, boorishly to inform them that they are half a century behind the times, are acts which might seem incredible but are by no means rare. A man who is thoroughly convinced of his own superiority and who regards the courteous amenities of life practiced by Latin Americans as silly and time wasting, as an evidence of insincerity and of a lack of practical common sense, who fancies himself above the conventions of dress and manners as practiced in the cities visited, and as they are in Europe, who would rush and push his wares is likely to make an unfavorable impression and to learn that more haste is less speed.
It should be obvious that to accomplish much a man must speak the languages of the countries visited. What success would a man speaking no English have in the United States? Spanish is current in all the Republics save Brazil; there it is understood by all persons of education, and may do fairly in the large cities; but for an extended tour or a long stay in Brazil a knowledge of Portuguese is essential.
Two extremes are noticed by the observant traveler in South America, each of which appears objectionable. Some American goods are sold at one-half or one-quarter of the home price; which might cause the disinterested layman to conclude that our tariff needed revising; other articles are sold at double or triple the price at home (not always the fault of the duty), a practice in the long run likely to prove unprofitable. Thus a popular sewing machine was bought a few years ago in Arequipa at one-fourth the price in Boston. White paper made in the United States is cheaper in Chile than in Chicago. On the other hand, in La Paz, shoes worth $2.50 cost $5.50 to $6.00, kerosene oil sold at about $5.00 for a case of 10 gallons, a can of corned beef costs 80 cents; and ham, 60 to 80 cents a lb. The last, put up by a Chicago packer, could be purchased more cheaply at retail from an English firm, having come by way of London, than at wholesale from the Chicago agent on the ground; and the home office would not take a direct order. Whether the price was according to the plans of the home office, or the idiosyncrasy of the agent anxious to make his fortune in a hurry, is unknown. That some agents are arbitrary in their charges might be judged from the fact that boots sold at Mollendo for $5.00 a pair were priced in La Paz at $14.00.
The sharp practice of some salesmen is greatly to the disadvantage of others. The man who sold a snow-plow to some one on the coast lands of Peru on the plea that the climate would change on the completion of the canal no doubt prides himself on his smartness, indifferent to the fact that he has done much to discredit Americans in all that region. Many seem to think that patriotism consists simply in “blowing” about their country; that they might do it a better service by honorable conduct and courteous demeanor does not occur to them.
I have heard that in many places on the plateau, as probably in the interior, it is customary to charge the poor Indians who earn but 50 or 75 cents a day double the already high price which a white man is asked for the same article, a sample no doubt of the justice and fair dealing for which we are told that men are distinguished, but in which women are said to be lacking.
Ten dollars a day has been allowed as a suitable sum for traveling expenses, and one following the railroads and not being burdened with heavy samples might find this sufficient. In the interior where many pack animals must be employed, or with a large supply of baggage to go by rail, and in Brazil and Argentina where heavy license fees must be paid, the fifteen dollars a day asserted by a recent traveler to be necessary may be desirable. It depends, too, a good deal upon the skill and character of the man.
The tax on commercial travelers who sell goods or who merely exhibit samples and take orders is an item to be considered in connection with other expenses. In some countries a separate license must be obtained for each Province or Department, corresponding to our States; in others for each Municipality. A few countries, more liberal, exact no fee whatever.
Beginning with Ecuador, $50 is here charged for one visit.
In Peru no license is required for commercial travelers, but there are certain regulations as to samples. If they are such as would enter free of duty no charge is made. If the articles are dutiable, one of each kind and variety is permitted free entry, providing the importer presents in duplicate an itemized description of packages and articles, pays the duty in cash or with bank draft, and within three months exports these samples, thereupon receiving back the cash or bank draft which he has deposited. Should there be any deficiency or substitution of articles, double duty will be exacted and the article substituted will be confiscated.
If samples enter Peru by Mollendo to go to Bolivia, not to return by the same route, they are dutiable, unless the Peruvian Consul in La Paz sends a certificate that the samples have entered Bolivia. The duty previously paid is then refunded. A fee of $12.50, U. S. gold, is charged by the city of Arequipa as a license in that particular section.
Bolivia is a more expensive country to visit and for that reason is omitted from the itinerary of many travelers. The policy of the Government seems particularly injudicious in view of the fact that their country is out of the way, that it has no great cities, and that large sales are required to cover the additional time and cost of the journey even without the considerable fee exacted.
Further, each municipality collects a fee for itself; there is no general tax. The fee varies according to the class of goods but in general for La Paz, the chief city (pop. 80,000), is 300 bol. or $116.70 U. S. gold; never more. The authorities of Cochabamba are said to charge 1000 bol. for the privilege of selling in their pretty city, while Oruro demands but 100 bol. As to other cities inquiry must be made in the country. There is talk of reducing the Cochabamba fee and perhaps the Bolivian Government will soon realize that the country will do better to adopt the more liberal policy of her neighbors, Peru and Chile. It should be added that if two persons go together as representatives of the same house each one is obliged to pay the tax.
Chile, like Peru, is extremely favorable to the commercial traveler, requiring no permits and no duty on the samples, unless in whole pieces of stuff or in complete sets of objects. Six months are allowed in which to reship samples free of duty.
The sections of the East Coast are much more exacting.
Argentina, noted for high prices generally, also has large license fees; these not for the country as a whole, but for each individual State or Province. A license covering the Federal Capital, Buenos Aires, costs 500 Arg. pesos, paper, $212.30 U. S. gold, and is good for one year. Each State has its own additional charge, mainly good for a whole year, though a few have half rates for six months and one or two, monthly licenses. These permit either selling goods, or showing samples and taking orders.
Not to enumerate all of the various districts it may be said that the fees vary from nothing in Neuquen to 1680 pesos, about $700 U. S. gold, in Salta; all of the remaining fees except those of Tucumán, Entre Rios, and Mendoza, which are 600 pesos ($255), being less than that of Santa Fé, which is 400 pesos, about $170, per annum. Samples of no value pay no duty; on others the duty which is paid is refunded if the samples are exported within six months. In some places a difference is made in the license fee if but one line of samples is offered.
In Paraguay license fees are charged in each of the five chief cities, varying, according to the importance of the firm represented, from $84 gold to $385. At other points, the license is one-third the amount in these cities. An advisory board of merchants fixes the class to which each traveler belongs, five classes altogether. No extra charge for representing more than one firm. No distinction for selling without samples. No tax for samples if taken out within six months.
Uruguay is said to charge 100 pesos or $103.42 U. S. gold, for the calendar year, the license expiring December 31. Application to the Chief of Police of Montevideo on paper with a 50 cent stamp being made, the certificate issued must be presented to the Director-General of Indirect Taxes to obtain the required license. Samples entered under bond are not subject to duty. According to the Consul General of Uruguay a license for the city of Montevideo only, all that most persons care for, is issued for ten pesos, $10.35.
Brazil requires no federal tax of commercial travelers but the States and cities more than make up this deficiency. As a milreis is practically 33 cents, or three milreis about one dollar, only one figure need be given.
Pará charges 300$ (i.e., milreis) as a State tax per annum, and 365$ for the city on each visit. If goods are actually sold, trader’s or hawker’s license is also required.
In Pernambuco there is no State tax, and but 53$ for the city of Fortalezain Ceará.
Bahia charges 100$ for a yearly license, but it must be renewed if one leaves the country and returns.
No license is required in Rio unless goods are sold, when a trader’s license is necessary.
São Paulo State has no tax but the city has a fee of 1000$ and the city of Santos 500$.
The State of Rio Grande do Sul has a tax of 150$ for selling in cities, 100$ for towns, 80$ for other places. The cities of Porto Alegre, Pelotas, and São Gabriel exact each a license fee of 200$, Uruguayana 300$, Bage 800$, São Borga 60$.
A power of attorney is generally necessary if agents are to receive money, this to be filed with a notary public who supplies copies in Portuguese on request.
Samples of no value pay no duty, but if worth more than one milreis duty is levied. The amount is deposited in the Custom House and if the goods are checked and sent out from the same port the duty will be returned.
The Central Railway has a mileage book and the Leopoldina Railway gives a discount of 20 per cent on samples and on fares of travelers.
Information on various matters may be found in the latest Exporters’ Encyclopædia; and is furnished to members by the Pan American States Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Manufacturers Export Association.
As to the resources of the South American countries and the variety of goods which may be exported thither to advantage, these things are set forth in detail in many books, in consular reports, and in back numbers of the Pan American Bulletin, to be found in our large libraries. I have here space for a few remarks only. Since the continent as a whole is still thinly settled and largely undeveloped, its productions and exports are chiefly mineral and agricultural, its imports manufactured goods, as is the case generally with young countries. Conditions in some respects resemble those in the United States half a century ago. Everywhere railways are being laid, and bridges built; towns are needing sewers, electric lights, street cars, and all modern improvements. The great cities are for the most part supplied with these, but many smaller ones are thinking about them or have merely made a beginning.
Material and equipment for the building and operation of railroads are needed in every country, bridge building material as well. Our steel men, our locomotive and car builders have been wide awake to such matters and are doing excellent business in some of the countries. Where, as in Argentina, most of the railways are financed with British capital, Americans have less chance in proportion than in those countries where American capital is considerably employed, as in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Agricultural machinery of almost every kind and agricultural tools are in great demand on the East Coast, on the vast estates of Argentina, to some extent in Uruguay and Brazil. They have a smaller sale on the West Coast, where mining machinery is one of the prime necessities. Electrical apparatus of all kinds is everywhere needed and is largely supplied by the General Electric and other companies.
Although most of the countries have coal, the mines are not greatly developed except in Chile; hence much is imported; a good deal of lumber also, in spite of immense forests, as yet unavailable save in a few localities.
In all of the countries the chief import is textiles, principally from Europe, though the United States furnishes a good deal of the coarse grades of cotton, canvas, etc. Industrial machinery, automobiles and other vehicles, utensils, hardware, corrugated iron, sewing machines, paper of various kinds, motors, scales and balances, surgical and mathematical instruments, pianos and piano players, petroleum, gasoline, etc., lubricating oils, typewriting machines; canned goods, particularly on the West Coast, including milk, meat, and salmon, especially for miners, also used in the rubber country; leather goods, boots and shoes, watches, soap, druggists’ supplies and medicines, lard, twine, motors, dynamite, arms and ammunition, fence wire, pumps, pipings and fittings, tin plate, glass, porcelain, watches, phonographs, photographic material, and all kinds of novelties and general merchandise are among the articles imported; a few animals, chiefly blooded stock from Europe.
Should one desire to engage in business for himself in any of the Republics, there are good openings for persons with capital who speak the language. Persons without money are warned by our consuls not to go, unless they have a definite engagement or are specialists in certain lines where experts are pretty sure to be desired.
It is unwise to trust implicitly the stories about wonderful mines, though these doubtless exist. If genuine, they are often impossible to exploit without an enormous outlay of capital as was the case with the Cerro de Pasco mines; moreover, as thousands if not millions of people have been deceived about mines in the United States and in regard to many other money-making schemes, it is still more foolish to give credence to tales promising untold wealth in those distant countries. With the best of intentions the enthusiast is liable to be mistaken and deliberate fraud is common; therefore, caution is ever needed. Yet with careful investigation opportunities in almost any line may be found in some one of these rapidly developing countries, superior to those afforded in more thickly settled regions of the earth.