User talk:174.7.23.169

Premier, British Columbia

Do you think the image on there is a little bit too large for our people to able to see? I'm having a bit of trouble paying attention to it.(MDesjardinss (talk) 17:53, 26 December 2009 (UTC))

my pupils are dialated from the rum last night....

working on sizing it

February 2010

Welcome to Wikipedia. The recent edit that you made to the page Steam shovel has been reverted, as it appears to be unconstructive. Please use the sandbox for testing any edits; if you believe the edit was constructive, please ensure that you provide an informative edit summary. You may also wish to read the introduction to editing for further information. Thank you. Tiderolls 16:33, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

Your recent edits

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October 2010

Please refrain from making unconstructive edits to Wikipedia, as you did at Horsepower. Your edits appear to constitute vandalism and have been reverted or removed. If you would like to experiment, please use the sandbox. Thank you. -- The High Fin Sperm Whale 02:58, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

If this is a shared IP address, and you didn't make the edit, consider creating an account for yourself so you can avoid further irrelevant notices.

Sorry, I have to deal with about fifty vandalisms a day so I do make mistakes. And don't worry, it is very easy to change back; I've already done it. Please keep your temper under control though. --The High Fin Sperm Whale 01:23, 7 October 2010 (UTC)

November 2010

Welcome to Wikipedia. Although everyone is welcome to contribute to Wikipedia, at least one of your recent edits did not appear to be constructive and has been reverted or removed. Please use the sandbox for any test edits you would like to make, and read the welcome page to learn more about contributing constructively to this encyclopedia. Thank you. ^Jguy_Talk^Done 02:50, 24 November 2010 (UTC)

If this is a shared IP address, and you didn't make the edit, consider creating an account for yourself so you can avoid further irrelevant notices.

hi. blanking sections of a page or an entire page, especially by an unregistered user is usually considered vandalism. this is probably why you are getting reverted all the time. Perhaps you should register an account? Also, please tone it down a notch. There is no need to get hostile. Thanks! ^Jguy_Talk^Done 02:59, 24 November 2010 (UTC)

PS: also, Wikipedia has a Sandbox that may help you for editing this page. ^Jguy_Talk^Done 02:59, 24 November 2010 (UTC)

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Thames steamboats

Please can you stop putting the Derain paintings on Thames steamboats. They may be colourful but it certainly not accurate and do not enhance understanding of the topic in hand. If you want to improve the article then it would be much more helpful to Wikipedia if you for example searched for citations for he many uncited "facts" or even better gave the whole thing a sorely needed rewrite so that it covers the topic in a more complete way. I did the best I could from the original but it is still pretty tragic, which is a shame as it is a really interesting topic. Best, nancy 09:24, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Nile

You just added a lot of text to Talk:Nile. That text looks like a copy of some information from somewhere else. Whether or not it is, though, you shouldn't just be putting so much raw information on talk. The point of the talk page is to discuss what should be added or changed to the article; to do that, you don't need to copy all sorts of primary information. Instead, state what you think should be changed or done, and, if necessary, provide links. Qwyrxian (talk) 03:35, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

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The Parana River is the second longest river in South America. Rising in Brazil, the river wends from the coastal mountains through tributaries and travels over Iguazu Falls 3000 miles into Paraguay, Argentina and the RiverPlate at Uruguay. The river allowed for transport and exploration of the continent. It also was the scene ofsome terrible wars, including naval.

The River Plate Republics arose from the fall of the Spanish Empire in South America after 1811. The devolution of the colony into smaller republics because of Napoleons conquest of Spain first allowed the Viceroyalty of New Spain into an autonomous country, and then it followed the trend that transpired over Latin America--dissolution into a patchwork of fractured republics. Part of this was the result of insular territories and regionalism owing to the great distances involved.

The arrival of the steamboat helped shorten those distances. The wars of independence and the intervention from European powers meant that the colonies were slow to modernize.

The Europeans had large steam merchant and naval ships became capable of sailing up rivers at a good speed and with a heavy load. Lord Palmerston was the first to propose the use of steamers for commerce along the internal waters of Argentina in 1841.[2] This technology allowed the British and French governments to avoid Argentine custom houses in Buenos Aires by sailing directly through the La Plata estuary and engaging in commerce directly with the Argentinian inland cities. This avoided taxation, guaranteed special rights for the Europeans and allowed them to export their products cheaply.

Rosas' government tried to stop this practice by declaring the Argentine rivers closed to foreign countries, barring access to Paraguay and other ports in the process. The British and French governments did not acknowledge this declaration and decided to defy Rosas by sailing upstream with a joint fleet, setting the stage for the battle.[1]

• battle of Vuelta de Obligado

The US sent a paddler gunboat USS Harriet Lane up the river to Ascencion in 1858 over a diplomatic incident. While Captain Sullivan RN, sounded and charted the river inthe 1840s up to Corrientes for the Royal Navy.

The rivalry between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay in the 1840s meant that Argentina closed the river to international trade, bottling up Paraguay.

The first steamers on the Parana River were around 1840 with naval vessels. The Argentine navy built the PS Merced in 1849. The abililty of vessels to go upstream was an asset. It allowed the supply of inland Republics like Paraguay.

Paraguay has had an interesting history, insular and isolated, and sometimes warring with its neighbours. Strangly, small seagoing vessels can clear the Parana River into the Free Port of Ascension. Because of this Paraguay is a smuggler's paradise moving cigarettes, alcohol, and high value consumer goods through its port, and then smuggling them into Brazil or Argentina where the products are tarriff controlled.

War of the Triple Alliance

This murderous, pointless war lasted 1864-1870 was just after the US Civil war. The dictator of Paraguay, Lopez, inherited his position from his father, who together with the former leader, left Paraguay in a strong position. Lopez fancied himself as a Southern Napoleon and wanted to enlarge his empire in the River Plate area. To this end he built up an army and a navy. Unfortunately he declared war on his much larger neighbours at the same time. Lopez built ironclads, copied from the US Civil War, at a shipyard in Ascuncion. He then lost the naval conflict and then the war. Triple Alliance When attacked by Brazil, the Uruguayan Blancos asked for help from Solano López, but Paraguay did not directly come to their ally's aid. Instead, on November 12, 1864, the Paraguayan ship Tacuarí captured the Brazilian ship Marquês de Olinda which had sailed up the Río Paraguay to the province of Mato Grosso.[19] Paraguay declared war on Brazil on December 13 and on Argentina three months later, on March 18, 1865. Uruguay, already governed by Venancio Flores, aligned itself with Brazil and Argentina. The murderous war had begun.

The steamers in the Buenos Aires- Asuncion service leave Buenos Aires on Sundays and Thursdays and Asuncion on the same days. Four steamers are employed on this run. The upriver trip requires a little over four days and the return about three days. The fares for passage between the two cities are as follows: First class, one way, 110 Argentine pesos ($46.76) ; round trip, 192.60 pesos ($81.76) ; second class, one way, 66 pesos ($23.36) ; round trip, 96.26 pesos ($40.90). The round-trip tickets are valid for three months. The

122 PARAGUAY: A COMMERCIAL HANDBOOK.

baggage allowance is 50 kilos (110 pounds), but this maximum is liberally interpreted. Acconmiodations are very comfortable, and in general the trip is one of the most pleasant that can be made in South America.

On the lines north of Asuncion fares are higher and accommoda- tions for travelers are poorer. Between Asuncion and Buenos Aires the Mihanovich steamers are forced to compete with the international train, but in the Alto Paraguay there is no competition whatever. Stops are more frequent, as the steamers heave to at any estancia house on^he banks where a signal gun is fired or for which there happens to be cargo or passengers. Moreover, the steamers tie up at the shore for two or three hours each day, while enough firev^ood is taken on to stoke the boilers imtil another woodpile is reached the next day. This wood costs the company at the rate of 3 centavos gold per stick.

Although the service is much inferior to that on the larger Buenos Aires- Asuncion steamers, the boats themselves are comfortable and the scenery is more picturesque than in the more low-lying country through which the river flows to the south. The time ordinarily re- quired for the trip between Asuncion and some of the more important points on the upper river is as follows : To Concepcion, 40 hours up- stream, 27 hours downstream; Puerto Pinasco, 54 and 33 hours; Bahia Negra, 84 and 77 hours; Porto Esperanga, 90 and 81 hours; Corumba, 96 and 85 hours.

The fare to Corumba is 90 gold pesos, or at the rate of over 11 cents per mile. A ticket purchased in Corumba for Asuncion costs 495 milreis, which is equivalent to approximately $125, or nearly 17 cents per mile.

FBEIGHT SERVICE OF THE MIHANOVICH LINK.

For fast freight the Mihanovich Co. uses its regular passenger

Jackets, but for most of the ordinary heavy freight it operates a eet of special cargo steamers, besides tugs for drawing lighters.

• Platine War
• Cisplatine War
• War of the Triple Alliance

Nietsche's sister took a steamer ride up the river to establish a Germanic colony in Paraguay in the 1880s.

• USS Water Witch

Che wife took a river cruise. SS Royal Alice

Commercial Handbook of Paraguay. US Dept commerce 1920

The natural characteristics of these rivers have been 

described in the introductory chapter.

THE PARAGUAY RIVER.

The Paraguay, which constitutes the principal commercial artery of the Republic, has few equals among the navigable streams of the world. At present 1,000-ton vessels operate to Corumba, 1,800 miles above Buenos Aires, for most of the year, while smaller steamers

118 pabaguay: a commercial handbook.

ascend several hundred miles farther to Cuyaba, the capital of the Brazilian State of Matto Grosso.

Though the limit for navigation by ocean-going steamers is gen- erally placed at Parana- Santa Fe, during about three months of the year ships of this type could reach Asuncion without difficulty. With the dredging of a few short stretches of the river's course vessels of 2,000 tons draft should be able to reach Asuncion through- out the year, except in seasons of unsually low water. At present the ordinary type of river steamer plying to Asuncion draws between 6 and 8 feet when loaded.^ The time of lowest water is during the months of November, December, and January, and the highest stage is reached in April, may, and June. Ehiring the former season the river may fall so low that the regular Buenos Aires- Asuncion packets are forced to transfer cargo and passengers at one of the " passes " to vessels of lighter draft. This not only results in delay, but mer- chandise shipped at such times is obliged to pay an additional 20 per cent over the regular freight rates.

The principal "passes " below Asuncion in the Paraguay are those at Angostura, between San Antonio and Villeta, where the channel is narrow and the bottom sandy, and that of the Tres Bocas, at the confluence of the Parana and the Paraguay. During a season of low water pilots can not count on more than 5^ or 6 feet of water at these points. There have been several projects before the Paraguayan Congress for dredging the " passes " in cooperation with the Argen- tine Government, but nothing has yet been done in this direction. Except for these few short stretches, the remainder of the course of the Paraguay-Parana is wide and deep.

The Mihanovich Line transships freight at Asuncion to its smaller steamers which ply on the Alto Paraguay, as the river is known above Asuncion. However, the Brazilian boats between Montevideo and Corumba do not break their voyage between these two points. On this section of the river there are a number of " passes " which impede navigation during times of low water. The first of these is at Romanso Castillo, a short distance above Asuncion. Others are at Pedernal, above Villa Eosario; the narrows at Concepcion; the bad Ita-Curubi pass, a short distance above Concepcion; the rocky passage directly below San Salvador, known as the " Paso Pena " ; the dangerous Arrecif e, or " reef," pass a few miles above this point, where vessels are compelled to make an S curve at times of low water in order to keep clear of the rocks ; and the passes of Palacios- cue and Itapucu, the last near the Brazilian border.

In nearly all these passes the obstacles consist of rocks in the channel, instead of sandbars, as in the lower river. At low water there is only 4 to 5^ feet in the channel at these points, and at Puerto Fonciere there is a large rock in mid-channel about 3 feet below the surface. However, these passes of the Alto Paraguay are generally short, and the obstructions could be removed by blasting.

oauirstoMAtioir Aitt> eoMMttNtoAiioit.

119

Approximate distance between Asuncion and the principal points on the upper and the lower river are as follows :

Upper River (Alto Paraguay) : Miles.

Concepcion 250

San Salvador 279

Puerto Plnasco 328

Puerto Sastre 400

Puerto Guarani 476

Fuerte Ollmpo 504

Bahia Negra 607

Porto Esperanca 685

Oorumba 765

Lower River (Paraguay-Parana- Plata) :

Pilcomayo, Argentina

San Antonio

VUleta

Formosa, Argentina

Pilar

Humaita 219

Tres Bocas 232

Oorrientes, Argentina 270

Santa Fe 650

Rosario 760

Buenos Aires 1,023

Miles.

16

20

29

120

194

For its course between the mouth of the Pilcomayo and Puerto Sastre the Paraguay is an exclusively Paraguayan river. Between Pilcomayo and the Tres Bocas the right bank is Argentine territory, and the left bank above Puerto Sastre is Brazilian. This long ex- tent of river frontier makes contraband operations very easy.

FOBT OF ASUNCION.

The present port facilities of Asuncion are inadequate to the needs of the country's commerce, and such as exist have laUen into a state of deterioration. The wharves consist of a long embankment which is faced and paved with stone, and of two wooden piers which extend out, respectively, about 40 feet and 250 feet from the embankment proper. The wharves are supplied with steam cranes and with tracks for carrying goods into the customhouse. Some of the beams and piling oi the piers show signs of weakening and the flooring is in urgent need or renewal. In some places, where the planking has rot- ted, there are holes large enough for a man to fall through.

Most of the steamers which regularly make this port load and unload at the wharves, but some boats lie out in the bay and are loaded and unloaded by means of lighters. Vessels of the large com- panies which have fixed schedules of sailings are generally able to clear on time, but the slowness of stevedoring operations and the lack of space at the wharves are liable to hold a boat in port several days longer than should be necessary. " Slingage " charges, amounting to 1.50 gold pesos per toi>, are also levied on all merchandise which passes through the port.

In October, 1916, the Paraguayan Government granted a conces- sion for the construction of a new system of port works to a New York engineering firm. "The Construction & Engineering Fi- nance Co.," in whose name the concession was held, was created by the former corporation for the express purpose of building the port of Asuncion. The concessionaire company drew up plans for a sys- tem of docks to parallel the shore of the bay for about 500 meters, with a total area of about 15,000 square meters. These docks were to have accommodations for 13 vessels at once, of which 5 could be 80 meters in length and the rest of the size used in the up-river serv- ice. The company promised facilities for discharging 1,400 tons of cargo and takmg on an equal amount within 12 hours, and was also

120

PARAGUAY t A COMMERCIAL HANDBOOK*

to provide ample warehouse accommodations for th^ storage of freight. All the equipment of the port was to be of the most modern type. The concession also provided for the dredging of the harbor to admit larger vessels to the wharves and for the administration of the port by the company for a period of 99 j^ears.

No serious work was done on the project within the time limit set in the concession, the concessionaires later invoking the circumstances of the war as constituting force majeure in justification of their delay in taking up the work. Five successive extensions of time were granted to the company, but the Government finally refused to rec- ognize the requests of the concessionaires for further prorogation. On February 21, 1918, the President of the Republic issued a decree to the effect that the concession would be held as annulled after June 18 of that year. The company later protested against the action of the Government and took up negotiations for a reconfirmation of its concession, but was unable to secure a renewal.

At the public landing place at Concepcion vessels are tied up to the shore for loading and unloading. A wall which was built several years ago to serve as a port for the city proved too high when com- pleted, except for operations at times of high water. The larger pri- vate companies with establishments on the river, such as the f rigori- ficos, quebracho plants, and sawmills, have their own wharves, made by driving a few dozen piles into the river and flooring them over. The native woods close at hand make excellent materials for piers, yet the most important of the minor towns on the river do not have even the most rudimentary wharf.

The number of vessels entering and clearing from the port of Asun- cion during 1918 was as follows :

Flag.

STEAM.

Paraguayan

Argentine

Uruguayan

Brazilian

Bolivian

SAILING.

Paraguayan

Argentine

Uruguayan

Brazilian

Entered.

Number.

1,439

321

17

29

7

1,751

102

12

27

Tonnage.

96,387

172,163

4,927

5,216

974

97,912

29,919

2,152

7,597

Cleared.

Number.

1,443

312

17

30

8

1,746

110

11

28

Tonnage.

97,733

169,802

4,788

4,784

1,000

96,371

30,726

2,035

6,919

companIa aegentina de navegaci6n (MIHANOVICH).

This company dominates the commerce of the great fluvial system which terminates in the River Plate, but its control over the foreign trade of Paraguay is naore complete than over those parts of Argen- tina and Uruguay, which are naturally tributary to the rivers. Its boats, with the characteristic letter "M" on the funnels, are seen as high as Corumba on the Alto Paraguay, Posadas on the Alto Parana, and Salto on the Uruguay.

This navigation company, whicn is still known by his name, was built up by Nicolas Mihanovich, a Dalmatian, who went out to

Montevideo in 1866 as a common sailor. He later passed through the rank of captain of a river boat to the position of an independent operator, meanwhile gradually extending the sphere of his activities and increasing his fleet of vessels.

In 1903 he founded a joint-stock company, with a capital of 6,000,000 gold pesos, which was raised to 7,000,000 pesos in 1908. The next year there was constituted the Compania Argentina de Navegacion (Nicolas Mihanovich, Ltda.), with a capital stock of £2.600,000 ($12,653,000). Since then the Mihanovich Co. has com- pleted its ascendency on the Parana-Paraguay by the purchase of one after the other of the competing^ lines, with the exception of the Brazilian company, which has maintained a rather fitful service between Montevideo and Corumba. In 1917 it absorbed the fleet of the Marina Mercantil Argentina for the consideration of £650,000 ($3,163,225). The next year it purchased the passenger boats of the Domingo Barthe Co. for £122,150 ($596,150). which, with its acqui- sition of the vessels of the Vierci Hermanos Co., gave it a monopoly of the passenger service between Buenos Aires and Asuncion.

The home offices of the company are now located at 41 Thread- needle Street, London, E. C. 2, but the administration is centered at Calle 25 de Mayo 199, Buenos Aires. The board of directors in London is constituted as follows: President, Sir Owen Phillips; vice president, John C. Gibson; directors, T. H. Carlton-Levick, Hubert Giraud, Arthur Cook, and Gaston Breton; secretary, H. Grugeon. The local Buenos Aires directorate consists of the follow- ing members : President, Alberto A. Dodero ; vice president, Jose A, Dodero ; directors, Hilary Howard Leng, Luis Dodero, F. L'Estrange Wallace, Pedro Mihanovich: secretary, Luis Lavarello. The actual management of the companv s lines is m the hands of Luis Dodero.

The present capital stock of the company amounts to £2,000,000 ($9,733,000). About half of the stock is held by the Eoyal Mail Steamship Co., about 22 per cent by Dodero Hnos., Ltda. (Lloyd Americano), and the remainder is owned by Lamport & Holt, Nelson & Co., the Compania Transatlantica Italiana, and the three French companies — ^Transports Maritimes, Sud Atlantique, and Chargeurs Eeunis.

MIHANOVICH PASSENGEB SEBVICE.

The Mihanovich Co. maintains five passenger lines on the Para- guay, as follows: Buenos Aires to Asuncion, biweekly; Asuncion to Corumba bimonthly; Asuncion to Bahia Negra, bimonthly; Asuncion to Concepcion to Puerto Max, weekly ; Asuncion to Pilar to Humaita, biweekly. There are two sailings per week between Posadas? and Corrientes, at which point connection is made with the boats from Buenos Aires.

The steamers in the Buenos Aires- Asuncion service leave Buenos Aires on Sundays and Thursdays and Asuncion on the same days. Four steamers are employed on this run. The upriver trip requires a little over four days and the return about three days. The fares for passage between the two cities are as follows: First class, one way, 110 Argentine pesos ($46.76) ; round trip, 192.60 pesos ($81.76) ; second class, one way, 66 pesos ($23.36) ; round trip, 96.26 pesos ($40.90). The round-trip tickets are valid for three months. The

122 PARAGUAY: A COMMERCIAL HANDBOOK.

baggage allowance is 50 kilos (110 pounds), but this maximum is liberally interpreted. Acconmiodations are very comfortable, and in general the trip is one of the most pleasant that can be made in South America.

On the lines north of Asuncion fares are higher and accommoda- tions for travelers are poorer. Between Asuncion and Buenos Aires the Mihanovich steamers are forced to compete with the international train, but in the Alto Paraguay there is no competition whatever. Stops are more frequent, as the steamers heave to at any estancia house on^he banks where a signal gun is fired or for which there happens to be cargo or passengers. Moreover, the steamers tie up at the shore for two or three hours each day, while enough firev^ood is taken on to stoke the boilers imtil another woodpile is reached the next day. This wood costs the company at the rate of 3 centavos gold per stick.

Although the service is much inferior to that on the larger Buenos Aires- Asuncion steamers, the boats themselves are comfortable and the scenery is more picturesque than in the more low-lying country through which the river flows to the south. The time ordinarily re- quired for the trip between Asuncion and some of the more important points on the upper river is as follows : To Concepcion, 40 hours up- stream, 27 hours downstream; Puerto Pinasco, 54 and 33 hours; Bahia Negra, 84 and 77 hours; Porto Esperanga, 90 and 81 hours; Corumba, 96 and 85 hours.

The fare to Corumba is 90 gold pesos, or at the rate of over 11 cents per mile. A ticket purchased in Corumba for Asuncion costs 495 milreis, which is equivalent to approximately $125, or nearly 17 cents per mile.

FBEIGHT SERVICE OF THE MIHANOVICH LINK.

For fast freight the Mihanovich Co. uses its regular passenger

Jackets, but for most of the ordinary heavy freight it operates a eet of special cargo steamers, besides tugs for drawing lighters. Though its hold on freight traffic has not l^n so complete as in the case of passenger traffic, yet most of the carrying business of the river is still m its hands. Such competition as existed until recently was not serious enough to affect the scale of freights maintained by the all-powerful "Mihanovich." During the period of the war these schedules rose to a point where in many lines they threatened to be prohibitive, and in fact amounted to more than the freights from jDuenos Aires to Europe or the United States. They constituted an intolerable burden on the foreign trade of the country, and local business interests were loud in their complaints against "the mo- nopoly of the Mihanovich."

Inducements were offered to foreign capital to introduce a com- petitive service on a scale sufficient to free Paraguayan comimerce from its dependence on the Mihanovich tariffs — an attempt that would probaWy require the investment of $5,000,000 to make it more than temporarily effective. Projects were also introduced into Con- gress for the establishment of a Government-owned fleet of tugs and lighters, which would put local business in a position to boycott the Mihanovich Line. However, nothing came of these proposals and protests, and the extreme war-time scale of rates remained in force

TRANSPOKTATION AND OOMMUKICATIOK. 123

until the Brazilian Companhia Mfnas e Viacao de Matto Grosso begaCn operations during the winter of 1919. But^ in recognition of the usual dependability of the Mihanovich service, local interests were slow to transfer their patronage to another company that would not assure them equal efficiency.

In August, 1919, the Mihanovich Co. announced a reduction in their tariffs on practically every class of freight, except quebracho extract and cereals, in order to meet the Brazilian company's offer of a 25 per cent lower scale than was in force at the time on the Mihanovich lines. It, moreover, offered a rebate amoimting to be- tween 5 and 14 per cent to shippers who would use its boats or those of the Barthe Co. exclusively for a year.

The cut in the Mihanovich freight rates per metric ton, with equivalent rates in United States currency per 100 pounds, is indi- cated by the following: Tobacco, from 62 Argentina pesos per ton ($1.20 per 100 pounds) to 45 pesos per ton ($0.87 per 100 pounds) ; yerba, ground, from 50 pesos. ($0.97) to 45 pesos ($0.87) ; yerba. un- ground, from 75 pesos ($1.45) to 65 pesos ($1.25) ; dry hides, irom 90 pesos ($1.73) to 70 pesos ($1.35).

The Brazilian company's rate* on dry hides from Asuncion to Montevideo is 0.30 Uruguayan gold peso ($0.31) per hide, and on salted hides is 18 Uruguayan gold pesos per metric ton ($0.85 per 100 pounds) .

The rates on general cargo shipments from the River Plate to Asuncion by the different rail and river lines is as follows (Novem- ber, 1919) :

Mihanovich Line. — Montevideo to Asuncion, by cargo boat, 31 Ar- gentina pesos per metric ton ($0.60 per 100 pounds) ; by packet, 35 pesos per ton ($0.68 per 100 pounds) ; Buenos Aires to Asuncion, by cargo boat, 26 pesos per ton ($0.50 per 100 pounds; by packet, 30 pesos per ton ($0.58 per 100 pounds).

Companhia Minas e Viacao. — Montevideo to Asuncion, 13 Uru- guayan gold pesos per ton ($0.61 per 100 pounds).

Central Paraguay Railway. — Buenos Aires (Lacroze station) to Asuncion, 20 tons minimum, 25.50 pesos per ton ($0.48 per 100 pounds) ; 10 tons minimum, 31 pesos per ton ($0.60 per 100 pounds) ; 100 kilos minimum, 48 pesos per ton ($0.93 per 100 pounds).

COMPANHIA MINAS E VIACAO DE MATTO GBOSSO.

As its name" expresses, this is a mining and transportation com- pany. Its mining properties consist of vast deposits of manganese ore located near Corumba, in the Brazilian State of Matto Grosso. As a transportation company it operates a short railroad connec^ng its mines at Urucum with the river at Ladario and a fleet of vessels for service on the Paraguay-Parana. During 1920 it has planned to send out 10,000 tons of ore a month by these steamers to Montevideo, where it will be transshipped to the llnited States.

The share stock of tne company amounts to 4,000,000 milreis, equivalent to about $1,000,000 United States currency, and the cap- ital obtained by loans amounts to 3,000,000 milreis, or $750,000. The fleet which the company controls represents a further value of over 10,000 contos of milreis, or about $2,500,000. The president of the company is Dr. A, Lisboa, formerly director of the Central Railway

124 j^akaguay: a oommehoial handbook.

of Brazil. The central offices are in Rio de Janeiro. There are also agencies in Montevideo, Asuncion^ and Corumba. The actual ad- ministration of the company's tramc department is centered at Mon- tevideo.

The present fleet of the company consists of four steamers of 150 to 370 tons, two of 600 tons each, and two of 1.000 tons. The latter, the Cdcerea and the Miranda^ are the largest Doats using the Para- guay River. In addition to these, there are 36 lighters, three of which are of 700 tons burden each, representing a total tonnage of 8,165. There are also eight tugs in the fleet. Twenty oil-burning steamers have been contracted for construction in the United States, to be employed in the company service.

Most of the vessels in the existing fleet have been rented from the Lloyd Brasileiro, which before the war maintained a naviga- tion service on the Paraguay-Parana. In factj a very close relation exists between the two companies. The Brazilian Government exer- cises a large measure of control over the operations of the new com- pany's transportation service and the officers of the company's boats are at the same time officers in the national navy. The Llovd's schedule was too intermittent to Be relied upon and its operations were in general too leisurely, but its successor has promised local shippers the same facilities offered by the Mihanovich Co.

The Companhia Minas e Viacao plans to operate at least one boat a week between Corumba and Montevideo. The only Argentine port of call is Rosario, as the Argentine law prohibits foreign-owned ship companies from carrying on a coastwise trade between Argen- tine ports. In Paraguay its vessels call at Asuncion, Concepcion, and other river ports. The company has promised to facilitate the transshipment or merchandise at Mx)ntevideo between ships plying from the United States and Europe arid its own river boats. As the expense and delays occasioned by transshipment at River Plate ports have been one of the greatest obstacles to Paraguay's foreign commerce, any attempt to relieve this condition and establish more direct and expeditious connections with the outside world is heartily welcomed by Paraguayan commercial interests.

OTHEB NAVIGATION COMPANIES.

Among other freight services offered to Paraguayan shippers are those maintained by the Domingo Barthe Co. and Augusto Bisso. Though the Barthe interests are largely confined to the Alto Parana region, this company still operates freight boats between Asuncion and Buenos Aires. By an agreement with the Mihanovich Co., they offer the same scale of freights as are in force on the former line. Augusto Bisso has chartered a number of freighters and is now con- ducting a general shipping business between Puerto Max, Concep- cion, Asuncion, and the River Plate. Among shipping agents m Buenos Aires who represent minor independent freight services be- tween that port and Asuncion is Carlos Montaldo, Calle Cangallo

382. . . . . .

Several of the large commercial and industrial companies oper- ating in Paraguay have a transportation department exclusively for their own carrying business. The traffic department of the Central

TRANSPORTATIOK AND COMMUNICATION. 125

Products Co. (American) employs six tugs and a fleet of lighters between Puerto Pinasco and San Antonio and Buenos Aires. The finn of Rius y Jprba ship tobacco and hides to Buenos Aires in their own boats and brin^ back merchandise to their stores. The mercantile house of Gaudmo, Salsa y Cia. runs boats up the Alto Paraguay as far as Bahia Negra. Uther companies which possess their own facilities for shipping are the Societe Francaise d'Exporta- tion, the Companla Comercial y Industrial Norte del Paraguay, and the quebracho company of Carlos Casado.

ALTO PARANA RIVER.

The Alto Parana is of much less importance in the industrial life of the Republic than is the Paraguay. Also, for most of its length it is much less suited for purposes of navigation.

The towns of Encarnacion and Posadas, which lie opposite each other, one on the Paraguayan side and the other on the Argentine side, mark a clearly defined stage in the commercial geography of the Alto Parana. It is the point where the railway connection is made between the two countries, and it is the point of transshipment for all freight destined for the regions along the upper reaches of the river. Between these towns and the junction with the Paraguay the country is largely ^iven up to cattle raising and agriculture. On one side is the Argentine Province of Corrientes and on the other the lower end of the Paraguayan Misiones. The principal point for shipments on the Paraguayan side is the town of Ayolas.

The river is wide, with low banks, and its course is much like that of the lower Parana.* The most serious obstacle to navigation is the Salto, or Bapids, of Apipe, which forces the transshipment of goods at Corrientes to smaller steamers capable of clearing this pass. The upriver time between Corrientes and Encamacion-Posadas is 36 hours. The carrying business of this section of the river is almost entirely divided between the Mihanovich and Barthe companies.

The upper section of the river comprises the 500 kilometers be- tween Encarnacion-Posadas and the limit of navigation at Porto Mendez. From the latter point the Larangeira yerba company oper- ates a short railway around the Falls of the Guayra to Porto Mojoli. This zone of the river is in a more undeveloped state than is the country which borders the lower section. It is given up to lumbering and the exploitation of verbales and to a few agricultural colonies like that of Hohenau. Population is very sparse, and on the Para- guayan side there are no settlements that could be classed as towns. The most considerable place on the river is the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguazu.

The " ports " along the river are merely places for loading lumber or yerba or other products of the region, and usually consist of a few rough buildings on the high bank and a long chute for lowering these products to the landing place. The most important of these are Can- tera, Guarapay, Nacunday, Villa Azara, Embalse, Tacurupucu, and Adela. The land adjoining the river is held in vast tracts by a few large companies, among wnich are those of Barthe, comprising 412 leagues (1,125 square miles) ; Herrera Vegas; Nuiiez, Gibaja y Mar-

126 PARAGUAY: A COMMEECIAL HANDBOOK.

tinez ; and La Industrial Paraguaya, with 1,160 leagues (3,130 square miles).

A short distance above Encarnacion-Posadas the river becoiij^es narrower and swifter, flowing between high, wooded banks that ^ow increasingly picturesque as the boat ascends higher up the river. Navigation is made difficult by reefs and swirling currents, and in the winter by fogs that settle over the river at night, forcing steamers to tie up until the fog lifts the next morning. Three different com-

Sanies operate steamers on this stretch of the Parana, those of ►arthe; Nunez, Gibaja y Martinez; and Juan B. Mola. These boats carry out the products of the properties belonging to their owners and do a general freight and passenger business. Four or five steamers are employed in this service, with sailings about every two days from Posadas. Passenger traffic^ for which very fair accommo- dations are provided, is confined mainly to tourists bound for the Falls of the Iguazu, and in the second class, to peons on their way to the lumber camps. The timiB required for the trip to Puerto Aguirre or to Foz do Iguazu, where passengers leave the steamer for the cataracts, is about 70 hours.

Triple Alliance...

'S6S FROM HUMAITA TO GUARDIA TACUARA.

six oxen. There is no sign of fortification. The main features of the interior are a church dedicated to the Virgin of El Pilar^ an elemental square, and a long grass-grown street^ the Calle del catorce de Maio^ running parallel with the barranca. It is backed by orange groves, with sweet fruit. In the stream lie two wrecks, and one Brazilian cannoniere rides at anchor.

Resuming our way from El Pilar of the Oranges, we passed on the left bank the Arroyo Neembucii and the Laguna de Oro. About four miles above the town, and thirty below our destination, was the bad bend, the Cancha de Gadea. Here, on September 4, the Linnet ran aground in a falling river, and narrowly escaped detention during the dry season. A cold south wind set in, and before night we anchored off the Guardia Tacuara — '^ the bamboo,^^ which Lieutenant Day corrupts to " Tacuava.^^ The port did not look so busy as that of Humaita, but the appearance of the craft was much more business-like. Here lay the mass of armoured fleet, fourteen in number. Five ironclads and floating batteries anchored up stream, looking much like dredges, with all but the central bit of bulwark cut away. From afar they resembled coffins or hearses upon gondolas or half-swamped barges. There were two double- turret ships, with 150-pounder Whit worths, and the rest were monitors. Battered chimneys, deeply-pitted towers, and bows pierced by steel-pointed cones, told the staunchness of the Paraguayan gunners; whilst the strong boarding-nets spoke volumes for the valour of the enemy. The flanks of the Brazil had been severely peppered by the shot of Curupaity, while the Lima Barros had her bulwarks converted into lace-work by the grape of her consort, which relieved her of Paraguayan boarders. Higher up the river were steamers embarking the wounded for the several hospitals down stream ; and the proveduria or

brazil battleships Barrozo 1864 scrapped 1885 Brasil Le Seyne 1864 Scrapped 1905 Tamandare 1865 Scrapped 1885 Rio de Janeiro Sunk after hitting mine 2nd September 1866 during the war with Paraguay Lima Barros Laird 21st December 1865 Scrapped 1905 Bahia Laird 6th October 1865 Scrapped 1895 Silvado

That Paraguay's naval squadron consisted of 23 steamboats and five ships that could navigate the river ... The Paraguayans passed in a line parallel to the Brazilian fleet and continued down the stream. Upon Captain Meza's order, the entire fleet opened fire on the docked Brazilian steamers.[3] The land troops hastily, upon realization that they were under attacked, boarded their own ships and began returning fire. One of the Paraguayan steamers was hit in the boiler and one of the "chatas" was damaged as well. Once out of range, they turned upstream and anchored the chatas, forming a line in a very narrow part of the river. This was intended to trap the Brazilian fleet.

Admiral Barroso noticed the Paraguayan tactic and turned down the stream to go after the Paraguayans. However, the Paraguayans started to fire from the shore into the lead ship, Belmonte. The second ship in the line, Jequitinhonha, inadvertently turned upstream and was followed by the whole fleet, thus leaving Belmonte alone to receive the full firepower of the Paraguayan fleet—it was soon put out of action. Jequitinhonha ran aground after the turn, becoming an easy prey for the Paraguayans.

Admiral Barroso, on board of the steamer Amazonas, trying to avoid chaos and reorganize the Brazilian fleet, decided to lead the fleet down the stream again and fight the Paraguayans in order to prevent their escape, rather than save Amazonas.

Battle of Riachuelo.Four steamers (Beberibe, Iguatemi, Mearim and Araguari) followed Amazonas. The Paraguayan admiral (Meza) left his position and attacked the Brazilian line, sending three ships after Araguari. Parnaíba remained near Jequitinhonha and was also attacked by three ships that were trying to board it. The Brazilian line was effectively cut in two. Inside Parnaíba a ferocious battle was taking place when the Marquez de Olinda joined the attackers.

Barroso, at this time heading upstream, decided to turn the tide of the battle with a desperate measure. The first ship that faced Amazonas was the Paraguarí which was rammed and put out of action.[4] Then he rammed Marquez de Olinda and Salto, and sank a "chata". At this point Paraguari was already out of action. Therefore, the Paraguayans tried to disengage. Beberibe and Araguari pursued the Paraguayans, heavily damaging Tacuary and the Pirabebé, but the nightfall prevented the sinking of these ships.

Jequitinhonha had to be put afire by Paraguari and Marquez de Olinda. In the end, the Paraguayans lost four steamers and all of the "chatas", while the Brazilians only lost the Jequitinhonha

• British invasions of the Río de la Plata 1807
• French blockade of the Río de la Plata 1838
• Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata 1845 Argie control rio

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