Latitude, 4° 28' 30" south; longitude, 73° 21' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 2' east; thermometer, 80°; elevation above sea-level, 318 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2180 miles; current, 2 miles per hour; the width of the Ucayali at its mouth is half a mile.
Latitude, 6° 4' 45" south; longitude, 75° 1' west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 22' 10" east; thermometer, 79°; elevation above sea-level, 377 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2482 miles; current, 3 miles per hour.
Latitude, 6° 35' 15" south; longitude, 74° 58' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 52' 8" east; thermometer, 79°; elevation above sea-level, 410 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2578 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; depth of water, 20 feet.
The town of Sarayacu is situated on a small creek, about three miles from the place on the river which is called the Puerto del Sarayacu. Between Pucacura and Sarayacu is Esquina, a small settlement built on high land, which extends along the river for a mile or more. This place (Esquina) and Pucacura areabout the only places on the banks of the Ucayali, below Sarayacu, that are not overflowed at high water. The floods of the Ucayali, which regularly recur every year at certain seasons, render the banks of the river an undesirable, perhaps even an impracticable, location for an agricultural population. It is possible that a crop might be raised and gathered during the dry season, but the farms would have to be abandoned whenever the river rose to its maximum height. At Paca, about twelve miles above Sarayacu, the banks on both sides of the river are high; such places are much more frequently met with above than below Sarayacu, but still they are the exception to the general character of the country near the river, which continues to be low and subject to overflow until the highlands are reached near the confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba.
Latitude, 7° 53' 15" south; longitude, 74° 40' 45" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 51' 38" east; thermometer, 77°; elevation above sea-level, 435 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2733 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; width of the river, 600 yards.
Latitude, 8° 15' south; longitude, 74° 31' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 38' 30" east; thermometer, 79°; elevation above sea-level, 447 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2800 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; width of river, 1200 yards.
Latitude, 8° 43' 30" south; longitude, 74° 32' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 45' 40" east; thermometer, 75°; elevation above sea-level, 508 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2891 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; width of the river, 600 yards.
Distance from the Atlantic, 3091 miles. This strait is the first serious difficulty encountered in ascending the Ucayali; the current dashes with much violence against the trunks of large trees which lodge in, and almost block up, the passage.
Latitude, 10° 41' south; longitude, 73° 41' west of Greenwich; elevation above sea-level, 661 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 3142 miles; depth of water, 12 feet.
Esperanza is situated on the Perene river about 11 miles above the junction of the Ene and Perene, which form the Tambo. The navigation for steamers drawing 10 feet of water terminates at the junction of the Perene and Ene. From thence to Fort San Ramon, a distance of sixty miles, canoes could navigate, but with some difficulty, owing to the swiftness of the current, which at San Ramon runs at the rate of 6 miles per hour. Small stern-wheel, flat-bottomed steamers, such as are in use on the swift, narrow and shallow rivers west of the Mississippi, could probablybe employed with success in establishing communication between Fort San Ramon and the Ucayali.
Ucayali River. Miles.Atlantic ocean to mouth of the Ucayali(Amazon River.)2189Mouth of the Ucayali to Pucacura293Pucacura to Sarayacu96Sarayacu to Pacamashi155Pacamashi to Yarinacocha67Yarinacocha to mouth of the Pachitea river91Mouth of the Pachitea to Vuelta del Diablo200Vuelta del Diablo to confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba51Confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba to the Ucayali, source of the Urubamba river, a continuation of the Ucayali375Ucayali river, from its source to the Atlantic3517Distance from the Atlantic to the head of steamer navigation on the Ucayali3142
The banks of the Ucayali and Pachitea, at their confluence, are low, subject to overflow and unsuitable for settlement. About nine miles above its mouth we come to the first Indian village on the Pachitea, a male Conebo hamlet, with nothing to recommend it except that it is situated on ground a little higher than the flats which surround it. On the left bank of theUcayali a few miles below the mouth of the Pachitea, there is a place called Hoje, which is not subject to overflow at high water, but in other respects it is not an eligible position for a town or post. The Pachitea is navigable at low water for steamers drawing nine feet of water to the confluence of the Palcazu and Pichis rivers.
Latitude, 8° 43' 30" south; longitude, 74° 32' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 45' 40" east; thermometer, 75°; elevation above sea-level, 508 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2891 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; width of the Pachitea at its mouth, 400 yards.
Latitude, 9° 5' 52" south; longitude, 74° 48' 15" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 59' 26" east; elevation above sea-level, 557 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2951 miles; current, 2-1/2 miles per hour; width of the river, 400 yards.
Cuñuyacu means hot water, and is descriptive of the place, for there are here several thermal springs welling up from the sand beach. At Chunta Isla, between the mouth of the Pachitea and Cuñuyacu, the Cashibo Indians frequently attack from ambush strangers who are ascending the river.
Latitude, 9° 9' 4" south; longitude, 74° 55' 45" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 6' 26" east; distancefrom the Atlantic, 2963 miles; current, 2-1/2 miles per hour.
Inca Roca is a rocky beach overhung by sandstone cliffs sixty-five feet high; on the face of the cliffs are carved numerous figures, amongst them the figure of the sun and of the Llama are conspicuous, hence the place was named Inca Roca.
Latitude, 9° 54' 9" south; longitude, 74° 58' 45" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 34' 4" east; elevation above sea-level, 518 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 3082 miles; current, 2-3/4 miles per hour.
At the junction of the Palcazu and Pichis, the two rivers forming the Pachitea, there is high land suitable for a town or post.
Miles.Mouth of the Pachitea to Cuñuyacu60Cuñuyacu to Inca Roca12Inca Roca to confluence of the Pichis and Palacazu119From the confluence of the Pichis and Palacazu, forming the Pachitea river, to the Atlantic3082
The Palacazu is a somewhat narrow stream, with a current of 3-1/4 miles per hour and a depth which at low water will permit a steamer drawing seven feet of water to ascend to Puerto del Mairo.
Latitude, 9° 55' 22" south; longitude, 75° 17' 45" west of Greenwich; thermometer, 75°; elevation above sea-level, 795 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 3119 miles; current, 3-1/2 miles per hour.
Puerto del Mairo is 45 miles distant from the large city of Huanaco, which has constant communication and trade with Lima. At present the route between Huanaco and Puerto del Mairo is only a footpath through the forest, but it is probable that a good road for pack-mules could be constructed at little expense, and that a railway is not impracticable.
The Pichis is a branch of the Pachitea river. The Cashibos and Campas Indians inhabiting its banks are warlike tribes and fiercely oppose all attempts to examine their country. Nothing was known of the river, above its mouth, until it was explored and surveyed, in 1873, by the Peruvian Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon, accompanied by a military escort. It was necessary for the Commission to bestow names on notable places as they proceeded to discover them, and these names were afterwards used in making the chart of the river.
Latitude, 9° 54' 9" south; longitude, 74° 58' 45" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 34' 4" east; elevation above sea-level, 618 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 3082 miles; current, 2-1/2 miles per hour.
Latitude, 9° 57' 11" south; longitude, 75° 2' west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 35' 36" east; elevation above the sea-level, 630 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 3100 miles; current, 2-1/2 miles per hour.
Up to Rochelle Isla, named after the senior member of the Peruvian Hydrographical Commission, navigation is clear and unobstructed for any steamer that can ascend the Pachitea; that is, for any steamer not drawing more than nine feet of water. Beyond this island the navigation of the river becomes much more difficult, though not altogether impracticable. The River Trinidad, so named on account of its having been discovered on Trinity Sunday, empties itself into the Pichis ten miles above Rochelle Isla; it is a fine, large river, flowing from the eastward, with deep water and a current of 3 miles per hour at its mouth.
Latitude, 10° 5' 6" south; longitude, 74° 55' 45" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 46' east; distance from the Atlantic, 3123 miles. Tempestad Playa received its name in consequence of a violent tempest which was there encountered by the namers.
Latitude, 10° 20' 3" south; longitude, 74° 54' west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 59' 26" east; distance from the Atlantic, 3156 miles.
The Herrerayacu river was named after the major who commanded the escort of soldiers accompanyingthe Hydrographical Commission; it has a current of 3-1/2 miles per hour, and is navigable for canoes a distance of four or five miles, up to Terminacion Playa in latitude 10° 22' 33" south; longitude, 74° 54' west of Greenwich. Mountain ranges are plainly in sight from Terminacion Playa, which is 3160 miles distant from the Atlantic.
Latitude, 10° 22' 55" south; longitude, 74° 49' west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 9° 7' 30" east; elevation above sea-level, 700 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 3167 miles; current, 3-1/2 miles per hour.
Puerto Tucker was named after the President of the Hydrographical Commission. It is at the head of canoe navigation, not far from the source, of the Pichis river; from it a range of lofty mountains, distant some twenty or thirty miles, bears from S. to S.W. This range must be the eastern Cordillera of Peru.
Miles.Mouth of the Pichis to the Atlantic ocean3082Mouth of the Pichis to Rochelle Isla18Rochelle Isla to mouth of Trinidad river10Mouth of Trinidad river to Tempestad Playa13Tempestad Playa to mouth of the Herrerayacu33Mouth of the Herrerayacu to Puerto Tucker11Puerto Tucker to Atlantic ocean3167
[2]The latitudes, longitudes and other data given in these notes are taken from the journal of the Peruvian Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon. Some of them have been published, by permission, in the third edition of Professor Orton's "Andes and the Amazon."
[2]The latitudes, longitudes and other data given in these notes are taken from the journal of the Peruvian Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon. Some of them have been published, by permission, in the third edition of Professor Orton's "Andes and the Amazon."
The Upper Amazon river is destined to become much better known than it is at present; it cannot be long before commerce takes possession of such an inviting field. Ocean steamers run regularly to Mañaos, a thousand miles from the mouth of the river, and they might extend their voyage, certainly during nine months in the year, to Nauta at the mouth of the Ucayali; from Nauta smaller steamers could ascend the Amazon to Borja, the Huallaga to Yurimaguas, and the Ucayali to the confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba. A road is projected from Limon, near Borja, to Chachapoyas, where it would connect with the route to Lima. From Yurimaguas to Mayubamba, and thence on to Lima, there is already established a much traveled route. From Esperanza, near the confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba; it is probable that flat-bottomed, stern-wheel steamers, such as are used on the Nicaragua route across Central America, could ascend the Tambo to Fort San Ramon, a place which it is to be hoped will be connected by railway with Tarma and Lima. When this latter route is opened, as it is destined to be sooner or later, it will become the great artery of communication between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of South America.
Typographical errors corrected in text:Page 8: Explorarion replaced with ExplorationPage 26: V-shapped replaced with V-shapedPage 59: 'the Government should thing it necessary' replaced with 'the Government should think it necessary'Page 97: 'Brainha to Monte Alegre' replaced with 'Prainha to Monte Alegre'Page 98: Parinasi replaced with ParinariPage 98: Hullaga replaced with HuallagaPage 101: Huallagu replaced with HuallagaPage 108: Inco Roca replaced with Inca Roca
Typographical errors corrected in text: