The Maupin times., April 16, 1915, Image 3

WADOR'S
SDMmRCIAL
w Capital
GUAYAQUIL, the largest port
and the chief commercial city
of Ecuador, is located on the
west bank of the River Guayas,
about seventy miles from the
tea, In a splendid situation, at the end
of deep-water navigation, and at the
confluence of a number of rivers that
3pread over much of the country that
lies to the westward of the Andes,
says a writer in the Pan American
Magazine.
Rounding a bend in the river we
pass a number of shipbuilding yards
and factories, and then, as our steam
er slowly draws up to her anchorage,
the whole of the busy water front is
revealed to our view like the unrolling
of a scene in a panorama. Backed by
low hills, the city lies on a piece of
level ground in an open and beautiful
situation, stretching for several miles
by the side of the river, which is at
this point more than a mile wide and
deep enough for steamers of consider
able size. The whole of the water front
Is occupied by jetties and piers, where
craft of many different types load and
discharge their cargoes, the twin
spires of the cathedral and numerous
churches stand up, white and gleaming
above the roofs of the houses, fine
buildings face the water, and on a
wide thoroughfare between them and
the water streams of traffic pass to
and fro.
The first impression of Guayaquil
Is that it. is a large and busy place,
with considerable local and foreign
trade an impression that is fully con
firmed by closer acquaintance. The
city is laid out In squares with Btreets
running parallel to the river inter
sected by others at right angles to It,
buildings are large and in goo'd style,
and there is a general air of business
like activity. The streets, well cam
bered and paved with blocks of gray
stone, are remarkably wide, many of
them are lined with trees, and the
a height of about ten feet and then
spreading out into a thick, bushy top.
These tops have all been trimmed to
a cylindrical shape, and as the trees
are of very even growth the effect is
neat and regular to a degree. This is
not by any means the only avenue of
trees In Guayaquil, but it is the best
and most remarkable.
The chief business in Guayaquil is,
of course, the export of cacao, for
Ecuador is one of the greatest pro
ducers of this valuable food product
in the world, the welfare of the city,
and, Indeed, of the whole country de
pending almost entirely on the cacso
crop and the market, MoBt of the
firms engaged in this trade have their
offices and warehouses on or near the
Malecon above the Calle Nueve de Oc
tubre, conveniently situated for receiv
ing the product from the river craft
that bring It down from the interior
and for shipping It away to Europe
and America, while the broad streets
serve as drying grounds for the reddish-brown
beans.
Guayaquil is particularly well pro
vided with public squares and open
spaces such as the Plaza Bolivar, con
taining a fine bronze equestrian statue
of the great libertador, the Plaza Ped
ro Carbo, near the Merced church,
and the Plazas Montalvo, Rocafuerte,
and Sucre. AH of these are well kept
and bright with roses, many colored
crotons, and other tropical plants, be
sides having excellent bronze statues
of men celebrated In the history of
the country.
The city has an excellent street car
system, partially electrified, with lines
running across and from end to end
of the town through all the principal
streets. It is well worth the visitor's
while to make a trip along the Calle
Industrla, leading from the center of
the city southward to the district
where the chief local manufacturers
and shipbuilding yards are located, for
STORM SAVED BURNING SHIP
Waves, Breaking Over Abandoned
Craft, Extinguished the Blazing
Benzine.
A strange shipwreck story, unreport
ed by cable from the Azores, arrived
at New York from Horta, Fayal, by the
Holland-America freighter Zaandyk,
which was forced to put into this port
by heavy weather that reduced her
coal supply. Captain Barendsen says
be learned from the skipper of the
Norwegian tank steamship La Habra,
which arrived at Horta on February 7,
bound from Talara bay, Peru, by way
of the Panama canal, for London, that
her cargo of benzine caused an explo
sion aboard as she was nearing the
Azores to replenish her bunkers.
La Habra was quickly ablaze from
Btem to stern. About half of the crew
were on the forward part of the tank
and the other half aft. Fearing that
the falls and other boat gear would
be burned, the tank's skipper ordered
all hands to leave her in lifeboats and
stand by. The engines had been
stopped and La Habra drifted Into the
trough and, as she was deeply laden,
the seas, which were very high, washed
over her.
The chief officer and five men were
in a boat towing astern when the
hatches of the tank were blown off and
cataracts of blazing benzine shot over
her sides and stern. The boat's painter
was burned off and the chief officer
and his men went drifting down the
blast, being without oars or sail, and
disappeared. The other boats were
threatened with destruction by the
burning benzine, which spread out all
around La Habra, making her look like
a fire ship in a lake of flame.
The skipper of the tank expected
her to be destroyed utterly before his
eyes. He was elated when a giant
comber broke around her, dousing the
fire almost completely. Other seas
helped in the work, and all hands ex
cept the chief officer and those in the
vanished boat went back on their ship,
They found that all charts, books and
Instruments of navigation had been de
stroyed.
EARN THEIR CROSSES
WRITER TELLS OF BRAVERY OF
GERMAN FIELD COOKS.
Are Held Responsible for Feeding the
Men In the Trenches, and Well
and Nobly They Are Doing
Their Duty.
"Ti- '
-IHU1-
London'i Treasure Guarded.
Extensive precautions have been
taken in London to guard art treaS'
ures against the menace of air raids.
The custodians of art galleries and
museums long ago removed to vaultB
or similar places the most precious
of their portable exhibits. At the
British museum a number of priceless
manuscripts, books, and other objects
have been stored away in safes. Some
measure of risk must, however, be
borne in a building which contains
40 miles of bookshelves and massive
pieces of sculpture. Visitors to the
National gallery find the major part
of the building closed. At the Guild
hall the most valuable pictures have
been placed in the basement. The
magnificent Gainsborough, "Fording
the River," has been removed from
the walla. In the corporation strong
room in the basement 1b stored what
Is probably the finest collection of
municipal records in the world.
Includes the charter of William the
Conqueror "to William, Bishop and
Gosfegdh, Portreeve, and all the bur
gesses within London," securing to
them their ancient liberties. Every
reign since the Conqueror Is repre-
sented in the charters.
STREET SCENE IN GUAYAQUIL
whole city has been laid out in accor
dance with modern ideas with decid
edly good effect.
Great Activity In Trade.
A walk through the busier streets
show that there is considerable activ
ity in the city in both wholesale and
retail trades. There are many large
offices and stores, the latter exhibiting
splendid stocks of goods behind their
big plate-glass windows. Commerce
and trade are chiefly located on the
water front and in the streets in that
vicinity. The Malecon, one side occu
pied by large commercial houses and
the other open to the river, though no
wider than other streets in the city,
has room for three street car lines
(one of them electric) and a double
railroad track without incommoding
the ordinary street traffic. All along
the river side piers are built out over
the green bank, connecting with float
ing landing stages where cargo Is
landed from all kinds of small craft,
river steamers, sailing vessels, light
ers, and cayucas, to be transferred to
the railroad for conveyance to me cu
tomhouse or carried to nearby ware
houses. Out on the river ocean steam
ers He at anchor, tuga and motor
launches race along close to the wa
ter's edee. steam ferryboats slowly
plow their way across the river from
Duran, the terminus ot tne wuuo ran
voad. and cayucas are dexterously pad
died in and out among the piers to
escape the effects .of the swift tide.
Life and movement are incessant, and
the busy scene, on water and on land,
well illustrates the commercial activ
ity of the city.
The three streets running parallel
to the Malecon are just as full of busi
ness as the water front, and here we
find the largest banks, many commer
cial houses, and large stores. These
thoroughfares for a great part of their
length are of even greater width than
the other streets in the city, compar
ing very favorably in this respect with
streets in the finest cities of Europe
and the United States. The Calle
Nueve de Octubre is rendered conspic
uous by Us long avenue of flcus
(called In Spanish "hlguera"), sturdy
trees, with gnarled stems, bare ud to
Guayaquil has many other Industries
besides those directly connected witn
the cacao trade.
Close to Equator But Cool.
Although Guayaquil is only about
two degrees south of the equator the
climate is very much cooler than
might be expected, the dry season.
lasting from May to December, being
the best part of the year. Visiting the
city during the month of August the
writer found the days agreeably cool
and the nights almost cold; even dur
ing the hottest part of the day, from
noon to four o'clock, a cloth suit
could be worn without any discomfort
This surprising coolness is due to the
effect of the Humboldt current, a
stream of cold water from the Ant
arctic regions that, flowing northward
along the west coast of South Ameri
ca, makes a considerable reduction In
the temperature. .
As an example of the progressive
spirit of the Ecuadorians nothing
could be more illustrative than the
scheme for augmenting the city water
supply, laying down a modern system
of drainage and Bewerage, Improving
the sanitary arrangements in general,
and for street paving that is now be
ing put into execution. When the en
tire project has been carried out Guay
aquil will be one of the healthiest,
most beautiful, and attractive cities on
the west coast of South America.
The coolness of the summer monthB,
the open position of the city, and the
plentiful supplies of excellent nsn,
fruit, and vegetables to be obtained,
go far toward making life in Guaya
quil pleasant and enjoyable.
Most advantageously situated for
both Interior and exterior commerce,
with a large area of fertile country
behind it and a deep, wide river lead
ing to the open sea In front, Guaya
quil is a city to be reckoned with In
South American commerce, while Its
wide streets, fine buildings, and dis
tinctive air cannot fail to make a fav
orable impression on the visitor. It
is not only a city with a great future
but also a city with a well developed
and very decided present, all ready
and fully prepared for vast Increases
In its trade.
AERIAL TOY QUITE AMUSING I STILL IN STONE AGE
The Latest War Story.
Soldier's Unmarried Wife (who has
been living with her man for eleven
years, to charming and aristocratic
widow, the local representative of the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' asso
ciation) Well, ma'am, I'm going to be
married next week, and I want you to
come to the wedding. You've been so
kind it would not be right without
you.
Fair Widow I shall be delighted to
come, Mrs. Brown. What day is it?
Mrs. Brown On Thursday, ma'am.
Fair Widow That is very unfor
tunate. I am afraid I cannot go, as I
have another Important engagement.
Mrs. Brown Is it very important,
ma'am? Can't you put it off?
Fair Widow Well, the truth is, I
am going to be married myself.
Mrs. Brown Ah, I quite understand.
It doesn't do to miss the chance of
getting married when you gets the
opportunity! London Tit-Bits.
There isn't anything herolo about
cooks," writes Herbert Corey to the
New York Globe, "and when things go
wrong one either apprehends a cook
as chasing a waiter with a bread knife
or giving way to tears." Yet the Ger
man army contains many a cook whose
expansive apron is decorated with the
ron cross. "And the iron cross," Mr.
Corey reminds us, "is conferred for
one thing only for 100 per cent cour
age." The writer tells an Interesting
tale:
'They've earned it,' said the man
who had seen them. 'They are the
bravest men in the kaiser's four mil
lions. I've seen generals salute greasy,
paunchy, sour-looking army cooks.'
"The cook's job is to feed the men
of his company. Each German com
pany Is followed or preceded by a field
kitchen on wheels. Sometimes the fires
are kept going while the device
trundles along. The cook stands on
the footboards and thumps his bread.
He is always the first man up in the
morning and the last to Bleep at night.
The Teuton believes In plenty of food
of a sort. A well-fed soldier will
fight. A hungry one may not.
When the company gets into camp
at night,' said the man who knows,
the cook Is there before it, swearing
at his fires and the second cook, and
turning out quantities of a depressing
looking veal stew, which is, neverthe
less, very good to eat.'
When that company goes into the
trenches the cook stays behind. There
Is no place for a field kitchen in a four
foot trench. But these men in the
trench must be fed. The Teuton in-
sists that all soldiers must be fed
but especially the men in a trench,
The others may go hungry, but these
must have tight belts. Upon their
staying power may depend the safety
of an army.
So, as the company cannot go to
the cook, the cook goes to the com
pany. When meal hour comes he puts
a yoke on his shoulders and a cook's
cap on his head and, warning the sec
ond cook as to what will happen If he
lets the fires go out, puts a bucketful
of the veal stew on either end of the
yoke and goes to his men. Maybe the
trench is under fire. No matter. His
men are in that trench and must be
fed.
" 'Sometimes the second cook gets his
step right here. Sometimes the ap
prentice cook the dish washer is
summoned to pick up the cook's yoke
and refill the spilled buckets and tramp
steadily forward to the line. Some
times the supply of assistant cooks,
even, runs short. But the men In the
trenches always get their food.
" 'That's why so many cooks In the
German army have Iron crosses dan
gling from their breasts,' said the man
who knows. 'No braver men ever lived,
The man in the trench can duck his
head and light his pipe and be rela
tively safe. No fat cook yoked to two
buckets of veal stew ever can be safe
as he marches down the trench under
fire. But he always marches. His men
are always fed, and fed on time. The
hero of the German campaign Is the
fat cook of the field kitchen.' "
Whirls Into Space When the Wirt
Holder I Rotated Any Handy
Boy Can Construct One.
A simple aerial toy that any boy
can make for himself has been pat
ented by an Illinois man. Take a
piece ot stout cardboard and cut out
of It a propeller shaped like that In
the illustration. Bend the outward
end of the propeller in different direc
tions, slightly. Not up or down from
Its horizontal plant, but tip each a
little to one side. Take a piece of wire
and bend a triangular portion at the
top. Cut a slot through the center of
the propeller and thrust the point of
the triangle through the slot. Then
hold the lower end of the wire be
tween the palms and cause It to rotate
Real Sanitation In Air Towel,
An "air towel" used in the large
public lavatory In the District build
ing at Washington, D. C, is the inven
tion of J. M. Ward, superintendent of
the District building. In appearance
It resembles a rectangular box eleven
Inches by three, set In a sanitary base
having twelve-Inch legs, with an open
ing in the top of the case In which
the wet hands are held while being
dried. The device consists of a blow
er that forces air through an electrlo
heating element to ducts and deflectors
suitably placed for distributing the
warmed air to all parts of the hands
at the same time, and Is operated by
a foot lever or pedal, which in turn
operates a quick-acting switch, there
by setting the blower In motion. By
removing the foot the device is put
out of operation. The hands come in
contact with no part of the device,
thus assuring a perfectly sanitary op
eration.
Unusual Business Happening,
Through the transfer of a lease re
cently In New York, what is believed
to be the most unusual trinity of busi
ness interests In the history of the
country has developed. For a hundred
years the same family has retained the
ownership of the property, which has
been occupied In part by the same firm
for that length ot time, leasing through
the same real estate brokerage firm.
The property In question is a section
ot the four-story building at the cor
ner of Front and Fulton streets, which
has come down through three genera
tions of the Peter Schermerhorn fam
ily. The original lease made to Sam
uel G. Smith has been renewed from
year to year for the past century by
the brokerage firm ot William Crulk
shank's Sons.
Point of View.
The pretty plaintiff had testified for
three solid hours. She had talked
and talked and talked.
"That Is all, madam," said the law
yer. "You may leave the witness
box."
"Chatterbox," grunted the lawyer
for the defense, for he was married
and had suffered. Philadelphia Pub
lic Ledger
REMARKABLE NATIVES OF THE
CAROLINE ISLANDS.
Amusing Aerial Toy.
rapidly. The result will be that the
propeller will go whirling off through
space and will remain in the air for a
considerable time, owing to the motion
imparted by Its bent ends.
MILITARY TRAINING OF BOYS
At the Age of Twelve Australian Lad
Begins to Learn Warfare Pen
alties for Evasion.
Australian lads ot twelve years be-
jgin a more or less voluntary form of
'military training. It Is an indulgent,
Ibappy go lucky Bort of thing, designed
primarily to be of physical advantage,
writes Norman Duncan in Harper'!
.Magazine. When lads are fourteen
years old, a limited military service if
severely compulsory, with penalties
for evasion, and fines laid upon em
ployers and parents who Interfere,
and thus continues, with physical ex
ercises, drill, parades and rifle prac
tice, for four years, whereupon these
cadets are passed Into the citizen
.forces. Four whole day drills are re
quired each year, and 12 half-day
drills and 24 night drills. A perfunc
tory attendance upon these grave obli
gations Inapt, sullen, frivolous be
havior counts for nothing at all.
the cadet falls to be marked efficient
by his battalion officers he must per
jform his service all over again. In
Kalgoorlle of western Australia a
great duststorm blowing that night
,we watched a column of these "little
iconscrlpts" march past with rifles and
'bugles and drums; and they were
smart to see brown uniforms, with
tricks of green, and wide-brimmed Aus
tralian hats caught up at the side In
'the Australian way. It 1b no farcical
affair. When we were in Brisbane ol
(Queensland, a score of truant young
sters were packed off to the military
barracks for ten days of close confine
ment and drill; and away they went,
in a big cape wagon, in charge of a
'sergeant-major, and under escort of
some brilliant artillerymen a melan
choly little crew, these truants, then,
facing ten days of absence from borne,
with six hours of drill on the hot pa
rade ground, under an officer who knew
how to Improve the patriotism of small
culprits, and would do It with a Bwltch.
One of Their Most Striking Peculiari
ties Is Their Use of Grindstone
as What Might Be Called a
Form of Currency.
When the Japanese conquered Yap
capital of the Caroline islands, they
found a good many things there to
surprise them, for there is no quainter
spot on the face ot the globe, no place
where the customs are more strange
and more delightfully humorous from
the point of view of the western world.
Some time ago Dr. William Henry
Furness III, the distinguished scientist
of Philadelphia, made a visit to the
Islands and studied the character and
customs of the Inhabitants probably
the first time such a thing was ever
done. He brought home with him a
large collection of ethnological speci
mens, which he presented to the Uni
versity museum, which is a depart
ment of the University of Pennsylva
nia. The moBt remarkable of the
pecimens are what appear to be a lot
of grindstones. These are coin of the
realm in the Caroline islands ana
nothing else Is used except a few clam
shells for very small change.
Now, In the Caroline islands nature
provides the people with everything
that most men work hard to get food,
shelter and clothing. The food Is
abundant, the shelter easy to make
and the amount of clothing depends
entirely upon the style and not com
fort. The only thing the people need
money for Is to get ornaments of vari
ous sorts, and so It came about that
grindstones became the currency of
the realm. It may be noted that when
the first white people reached Yap
there was not In any of the Caroline
Islands anything resembling metal.
These people were still In the stone
age, and there they are for the most
part today.
The grindstones are not for use, lor
they have no need for axes or scythes.
They come from the Pellew Islands,
many miles away, and are fetched on
rafts with sails and paddles, although
In modern times prosaic steamships
sometimes perform the service. A
chicken can be bought with a grind
stone weighing 100 pounds, a pig for
600 pounds and a wife for half a ton.
Some of these stoneB are 12 feet in
diameter and weigh five tons. They
are only rudely circular and have a
hole In the center proportioned to the
size.
The owner of the money does not
consider that possession is even one
point in the law. Generally he does
not take his stone with him.
The richest family in the islands,
the one which may be called the Rock
efeller outfit of Yap, is In what would
be by most persons looked upon as In
a sad condition. It owns by far the
largest grindstone ever mined In the
Pellew Islands. Figures as to Its size
vary, but there Is no doubt that It Is
enormous nor that it is owned by the
multimillionaire family of Yap. The
Beemlngly unfortunate thing Is that it
Is at the bottom of the Pacific ocean,
having fallen off the raft In transporta
tion. That, however, does not mean
anything to the people of Yap. They
are not ostentatious of their wealth.
They own that stone and that la all
there is to It.
The university museum has other
specimens from Yap which make one
think that Alice In Wonderland was
not wholly a figment of the Imagina
tion. It may be that Lewis Carroll
had been to the Caroline islands.
Will Create Precedent.
The first Instance in Europe ot the
use of a submarine cable for the trans
portation of high voltage electric pow
er current will be In connection with
the project for supplying practically
all of Denmark with cheap electricity
for both light and power, generated by
waterpower In Sweden. When com
pleted, power sufficient to provide for
an area of 500 square miles will be
brought across three high-pressure
cables laid under "the sound" at the
entrance of the Baltic sea. The elec
tricity is to be generated with power
from the Swedish river Lagan, supple
mented with the use of low-grade coal
ELABORATE TOYS FOR CHILD
May Abandon Seal Hunting.
Unless some plan can be devised
within a month whereby the skins and
oil of the hair seal can be utilized by
the British government for war sup
plies, there Is a strong possibility that
the seal hunt, which has been an Im
portant factor in the commerce of
Newfoundland for many years, will be
abandoned for the coming season. Be
cause ot Industrial depression and the
war, none of last year's catch ot 283,
000 has been disposed of, and about
half of the great catch of 872,000 skins
in 1913 remains in the hands of brokers
la London and New York.
Interesting Article In Magazine on the
Medieval Boy Playthings Met
With Same Treatment.
In these days of elaborate toys for
children it is Interesting to read In
Blackwood's Magazine, In an article on
the "Medieval Boy," by L. F. Cala
mann, of a present "of a little gayly
painted croBS-bow" to Alphonso, son
of Edward I.
"Alphonso's elder brother Henry,"
continues the article, "was given a 110
tie cart, costing seven pence, to play
with, and also a model of a plow,
which cost four pence. Even allowing
for the difference In the value and
purchasing power of money at that
time, the four pence being equivalent
to something like five shillings, the
expense of the toys used In the royal
nursery compares favorably with the
cost of those expected by the ordinary
modern child, as any Christmas-ridden
father or conscientious uncle will ad
mit.
"That the toys were strongly made
we may assume, but It Is clear that
they met with much the same treat
ment then as now, for It was not long
before Prince Henry's cart was broken
and required mending, at a cost of two
pence. His mug also had to be re
paired and regllded."
Delayed "Last Moments."
In the battle of Frledland, on June
14, 1807, there was a young lieuten
ant In Napoleon's army named
Schramm. When the victorious gen
eral was riding over the battlefield
that evening he came upon the
eighteen-year-old officer lying on the
ground, mortally wounded, and weep
ing bitterly.
"Why do you weep?" asked napo
leon as he rode by.
'Because I must die before I can
become a captain," the youth com
plained.
The words of the eying lieutenant
softened the emperor's heart. "My
son, I shall gladly fulfill your wish,"
he said. "I hereby advance you to
the rank of captain."
The unexpected promotion actually
saved the boy's life; he recovered.
Later on he fought most valiantly for
the cause of Napoleon, and by the
time of the battle of Waterloo he had
already become a general. He out
lived his "last moments" on the field
of Friedland by more than soventy
years. Youth's Companion.
Doubtful Compliment.
Little Johnny Mrs. Talkendown
paid you a big compliment.
Mother Did she, reallyT Well
there's no denying that woman has
tense. What did she say?
Little Johnny She said she didn't
ee how you came to lure such Aloe
little boy as I was. . i
At the Telephone.
A convenient telephone Index U
made to slip over the mouthpiece ot
rather under It, for the mouthpiece
must be unscrewed to put the Index
on. It Is circular In form, and th
little Index flaps, of green leather let
tered In gold, radiate from the center.
They push in and out, behind and in
front of each other, to expose the little
wedge-shaped sections on which the
numbers are written. There is on
division headed "Emergencies," on
which the police and Are numbers, th
doctor's number and any frequently
called numbers may be written.
How It Hurts.
Clerk Yes, miss, all face powdeil
have gone up In price on account ol
the war.
Young Lady Oh, isn't war just hor
rid! Judge.