A Tour Through South America

by A. S. Forrest

Through this assistance they were able to carry on. They rented the island and kept the business going until 1881. In the following year the company of Lage Bros. was formed, and they came over to Vianna, their former quarry, and started operations. That was thirty years ago. At first the island was used as a coal depot and bonded warehouse, and although some changes were made, it was not until after the declaration of the republic that things began to move. The constitution of the United States of Brazil, in Article 13 of the first title, enacts that “the rights of legislation on the part of the Union and of the States in regard to railways and the navigation of inland waters shall be regulated by Federal enactment” and that “the coastwise trade shall be carried on in national bottoms only.” Lage Bros, entered into negotiations with Lamport and Holt, who at that time had a fleet of coastal steamers running in the Brazils, and purchased their steamers. A company was formed, which began navigating on a small scale. They started with four steamers, and when the revolution broke out in 1893 their fleet had increased to eighteen, two of which were express steamers, which ran between Rio and Rio Grande de Sul (Port Alegre), making the journey in forty-eight hours. The new line was hardly established when the political upheaval in 1893 disturbed all the commercial activities of the new republic. The first President, General Deodoro, was driven from power, and great unrest

AN OLD CHURCH NEAR RIO.

prevailed in Rio. The next President, Floriano Peixoto, was in his turn intrigued against, and the navy fell into the hands of the rebels, and poor Rio had to endure the ignominy of a six months’ intermittent bombardment. The Government, in order to prevent fresh sources of strength falling into the hands of the rebels, ordered one of the Lage express steamers, which was then lying in dry dock, to be burnt, and purchased the other for transport purposes. During this trying time the island of Vianna was not left unmolested by the rebel navy. They had been accustomed to go to Vianna for repairs, and they knew how well the warehouses upon it were stocked with stores and provisions for the coastal service. They were not long in taking possession of it, and were well set up with all they required to keep them going. The greatest difficulty the revolutionaries had to contend against was the dearth of fresh water. They were fortunate in getting possession of the water-boats, and with

THE SHORE, SANTA CRUZ.

these they stole up the bay, and refilled from the streams that trickle down from the mountains. They next captured all the Lages’ steamers that were in the bay, and found on them coal and further stores. In order to displace the rebels from the island, which was now their base, guns were taken up the heights of a mountain on the mainland opposite, and a fort was established, which bombarded Vianna for nearly three months, the rebels taking refuge behind the hill which stands upon the island. It was not until the Government succeeded in placing guns upon all the surrounding heights that the rebels were brought to bay in March, 1894. Vianna suffered severely during the long struggle, and its owner nearly as much, for it was not until September of the same year that he got possession of his wrecked island, and found the machine shops, stores, and dock smashed to pieces by shot and shell. He started immediately to repair his loss, and the only compensation he received was the loan of 7000 contas of reis at 7 per cent interest from the Government. For twelve months business had been at a standstill, and the fleet either in the hands of the rebels or held up in distant ports, the expense of paying the crews, port charges, running on all the time.

SANTA CRUZ.

Such was the stormy, troubled sea that the new shipping company had to weather. That they did so was due to the dogged persistence of Antonio Lage, whose enterprise and ability have brought about the present prosperity of the company. The line now possesses nineteen steamers, of which four carry passengers as well as cargo, eight are cargo boats only, while seven are new passenger boats of over 3000 tons, with all the latest improvements, twin screw, freezing chambers, and having a speed of over twelve knots. They are all fitted with Marconi apparatus, and the many comforts which passengers travelling upon modern vessels are accustomed to. Seven more ships of