JUDICIARY BUILDING, ROSARIO
RESIDENCE ON AN ARGENTINE ESTANCIA
Rosario is a great railway center, roads leading to Mendoza and the Trans-Andine, to Bolivia, of course to the Capital and to other cities; it is expected that a road soon will extend to the Amazon basin. Rosario compares with Buenos Aires somewhat as Chicago with New York; it may have a similar if less rapid development. On higher land, with wider streets than Buenos Aires, in other respects it is naturally inferior. There are several hotels, the Grand, Central, Royal, Britannia, and Frascati called comfortable, with prices more moderate, as they should be; the new Victoria Restaurant is good enough for any one. There are excellent public buildings, especially a magnificent Custom House, the Palace of Justice, a busy Bolsa (Exchange) on calle Córdoba, a handsome street with good shops; a beautiful park, boulevards, and fine dwellings. Electric cars supply adequate service. There are many English here, who have a pleasant Club; also there is a Strangers’ Club.
Paraná. Above Rosario a call on the other side is made at Diamante, then one at Paraná, capital of the Entre Rios Province, a pleasant town of 30,000, founded in 1730 by a colony from Santa Fé. On the Plaza de Mayo is an imposing Government Building, and a Cathedral whose twin white towers are seen afar. The Plaza Alvear near the river is more beautiful, with graceful palms and flowering trees, above which rise the towers of a fine church, the San Miguel. The Paseo Rivadavia, a broad, shaded promenade, conducts to the Urquiza Gardens. Here broad walks and stone stairways, among blossoming shrubs and flowers, and handsome trees, lead down to the river or to the top of gentle slopes, which afford a panorama of the winding river and of a broad expanse of rolling country, especially admirable after the flat plain. A large new theater offers entertainment. We have doubtless all heard that “If wishes were horses, beggars might ride,” and in Paraná they really do. The city has electric cars, the workshops of the Entre Rios railway, and is a distributing and shipping point of importance, also an educational center. One interested in this phase of Argentine life may visit the School Alberdi, seven miles distant, a Normal College of Agriculture, the only one in the Republic. It aims to furnish all the learning necessary for rural managers, the knowledge requisite for the administration of an estancia, both for cattle raising and agriculture, to give information as to suitable exploitation of especial sites, and, besides furnishing technical knowledge, to develop initiative, perseverance, and ability for direction and organization. The estate covers 1000 acres, cultivating wheat, flax, corn, oats, alfalfa, potatoes, besides 5000 trees of choice varieties.
Santa Fé. Opposite Paraná is Colastine, the port of Santa Fé, the former for ocean vessels, smaller river steamers only sailing up the tributary, Quiloaza, to the capital city, seven years older than Buenos Aires. This also was founded by Juan de Garay, a short distance from the larger river, as in those days of smaller vessels a quieter port was desirable than the unruly Paraná. Once a rival of Rosario, it has now with a population of 50,000 been left far in the rear.
One of the public buildings, the Casa de Senadores, is a historic place where in troublous times five National conventions have been held, 1828-31-53-60-66; many provincial assemblies have met here for constitutional reforms of the Province. From the lofty tower there is a fine view of the city and surrounding country. Among other important buildings are schools, a Public Asylum, and several churches, the Metropolitan erected 1741 originally with a single nave, two being added in 1834. Some historic relics within are four splendid marble basins for holy water, gift of the Tyrant Rosas, a chasuble of richly embroidered satin made at Misiones about the middle of the last century, a painting from Cuzco, of date 1751, representing the beheading of Saint Firmin, a Christ sculptured in relief on a block of fine white marble framed in Corinthian bronze, and a portrait of Saint Peter. The Church of St. Domingo, corner 3rd of February and 9th of July, commenced in 1786, now entirely renewed, contains a silver tabernacle with Byzantine design, a diadem of the patriarch Santo Domingo, and other valuable relics. San Francisco Church, Comercio and Ecuador streets, begun in 1652, completed 1680, has relics of the noted general, Stanislas Lopez, who is buried under the cupola, and a remarkable Jesus of Nazareth. La Merced, on Comercio and Gen. Lopez streets, built in 1728, contains a fine oil painting of the Virgin. The Cathedral now in construction, in the form of a Latin cross, will be a monumental work. A statue of San Martin, like the one in B. A., adorns the plaza of his name, the pedestal representing a condor, the symbol of strength and of the victories of the great General contributing to the Independence. A municipal theater which cost $125,000 has a handsomely decorated foyer. The hotels, Grand, Central, etc., are all rather poor.
Higher up the Paraná, towns are more scattered but calls are more frequent. Santa Elena is a town with a large saladero, a meat-curing factory. At La Paz wood and charcoal are an important element of trade. The scenery becomes more pleasing. A severe thunderstorm may afford temporary excitement. Crude native boats floating down stream are met, bamboo laden schooners, rafts of quebracho timber. These, too heavy to float, are supported by common wood placed beneath. The ports Bella Vista and Piraguacito are centers of the quebracho industry. This remarkable wood, the name meaning hatchet-breaker, one of the hardest known species, is largely used for railway ties throughout South America, and to some extent for furniture. From the red colored variety tannin is extracted, so valuable in the tanning of hides. This was first effected in France in 1874. In 1889 the first factory for tannin manufacture was erected at Puerto Casado, Paraguay, the country where it is most largely produced.
Corrientes, founded April 3, 1588, with 25,000 population, is an important and busy place, exporting rich woods for building and cabinet making, sugar, cotton, and tobacco, horses, sheep, and cattle. The city, three days from Buenos Aires, is 25 miles from the junction of the two great rivers, the Alto Paraná and the Paraguay, and from the frontier. To visit by this route Posadas and the Iguassú Falls one would here change to a boat of lighter draft, as rapids below Posadas allow passage in the dry season of steamers drawing no more than three feet.