"Legation of Peru."Washington, March 22d, 1877."John R. Tucker, Esq., Ex-President of the Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon."The box deposited by you with Consul Tracy has been received at this Legation, and contains the following charts, to wit:"1st. A chart of the Peruvian Amazon river, from the mouth of the River Yavari to Borja, the termination of steam navigation, drawn upon ten sheets, and on a scale of one inch to each two miles. The Rivers Itaya and Pastaza are included in this chart, which contains 848 miles of the Peruvian Amazon river, 45 miles of the Itaya river, and 7 miles of the Pastaza river."2d. A chart of the Yavari river from its mouth to the confluence of the Rivers Yacarana and Yavarasino, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart comprises 220 miles of the Yavari river."3d. A chart of the River Nanay from its mouth to the termination of navigation for steamers of lightdraught, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart contains 160 miles of the River Nanay."4th. A chart of the River Tigre-yacu, from its mouth to a point 111 miles above its mouth, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles."5th. A chart of the River Huallaga, from its mouth to Rumi-Callirina, the termination of steamer navigation, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart comprises 169 miles of the Huallaga river."6th. A chart of the River Morona, from its mouth to a point 37 miles above its mouth, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each two miles."7th. A chart of the River Patro, from its mouth to the termination of navigation for steamers of small draught, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart contains 64 miles of the Patro river."8th. A chart of the River Ucayali, from its mouth to the confluence of the Rivers Urubamba and Tambo, drawn upon nine sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. The Rivers Urubamba and Tambo, from their mouths to the highest point to which steamer navigation is practicable, are included in this chart, which contains 885 miles of the River Ucayali, 24 miles of the River Urubamba, and 53 miles of the River Tambo."9th. A chart of the River Pachitea, from its mouth to the confluence of the Rivers Palcazu and Pichis, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of oneinch for each two miles. This chart contains 191 miles of the River Pachitea."10th. A chart of the River Palcazu, from its mouth to Port Mairo, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch each for two miles. This chart contains 37 miles of the River Palcazu."11th. A chart of the Pechis river, from its mouth to the termination of canoe navigation, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. A part of the River Herrera-yacu, and also a part of the River Trinidad, are included in this chart, which contains 85 miles of the River Pichis, 4 miles of the River Trinidad, and 5 miles of the River Herrera-yacu."12th. A chart of the Peruvian Amazon river and its affluents, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each 15 miles. This chart contains 1661 miles of the Peruvian Amazon river and its affluents."13th. A chart of the River Ucayali and its affluents, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each 15 miles. This chart contains 1284 miles of the River Ucayali and its affluents."All the above mentioned charts are drawn upon 35 sheets, each sheet being 30 inches long and 15 inches broad."14th. A chart of the Peruvian Amazon river and its affluents, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each ten miles, the sheet being 5 feet long by 5 feet broad. This chart contains, on one single sheet, all the surveys made by the Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon. The other charts give the same surveys more in detail."15th. A plan of the town of Iquitos, drawn upon one sheet."May God guard you."Manl. Freyre."
"Legation of Peru."Washington, March 22d, 1877.
"John R. Tucker, Esq., Ex-President of the Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon.
"The box deposited by you with Consul Tracy has been received at this Legation, and contains the following charts, to wit:
"1st. A chart of the Peruvian Amazon river, from the mouth of the River Yavari to Borja, the termination of steam navigation, drawn upon ten sheets, and on a scale of one inch to each two miles. The Rivers Itaya and Pastaza are included in this chart, which contains 848 miles of the Peruvian Amazon river, 45 miles of the Itaya river, and 7 miles of the Pastaza river.
"2d. A chart of the Yavari river from its mouth to the confluence of the Rivers Yacarana and Yavarasino, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart comprises 220 miles of the Yavari river.
"3d. A chart of the River Nanay from its mouth to the termination of navigation for steamers of lightdraught, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart contains 160 miles of the River Nanay.
"4th. A chart of the River Tigre-yacu, from its mouth to a point 111 miles above its mouth, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles.
"5th. A chart of the River Huallaga, from its mouth to Rumi-Callirina, the termination of steamer navigation, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart comprises 169 miles of the Huallaga river.
"6th. A chart of the River Morona, from its mouth to a point 37 miles above its mouth, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each two miles.
"7th. A chart of the River Patro, from its mouth to the termination of navigation for steamers of small draught, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. This chart contains 64 miles of the Patro river.
"8th. A chart of the River Ucayali, from its mouth to the confluence of the Rivers Urubamba and Tambo, drawn upon nine sheets and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. The Rivers Urubamba and Tambo, from their mouths to the highest point to which steamer navigation is practicable, are included in this chart, which contains 885 miles of the River Ucayali, 24 miles of the River Urubamba, and 53 miles of the River Tambo.
"9th. A chart of the River Pachitea, from its mouth to the confluence of the Rivers Palcazu and Pichis, drawn upon two sheets and on a scale of oneinch for each two miles. This chart contains 191 miles of the River Pachitea.
"10th. A chart of the River Palcazu, from its mouth to Port Mairo, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch each for two miles. This chart contains 37 miles of the River Palcazu.
"11th. A chart of the Pechis river, from its mouth to the termination of canoe navigation, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each two miles. A part of the River Herrera-yacu, and also a part of the River Trinidad, are included in this chart, which contains 85 miles of the River Pichis, 4 miles of the River Trinidad, and 5 miles of the River Herrera-yacu.
"12th. A chart of the Peruvian Amazon river and its affluents, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each 15 miles. This chart contains 1661 miles of the Peruvian Amazon river and its affluents.
"13th. A chart of the River Ucayali and its affluents, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each 15 miles. This chart contains 1284 miles of the River Ucayali and its affluents.
"All the above mentioned charts are drawn upon 35 sheets, each sheet being 30 inches long and 15 inches broad.
"14th. A chart of the Peruvian Amazon river and its affluents, drawn upon one sheet and on a scale of one inch for each ten miles, the sheet being 5 feet long by 5 feet broad. This chart contains, on one single sheet, all the surveys made by the Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon. The other charts give the same surveys more in detail.
"15th. A plan of the town of Iquitos, drawn upon one sheet.
"May God guard you.
"Manl. Freyre."
Tucker was in the sixty-seventh year of his age when he retired to his home in the City of Petersburg, Virginia, where he had purchased a comfortable house with a lawn and garden attached. Here he passed the evening of an active life in the enjoyment of a private fortune, which, though not large, was sufficient to supply all his moderate wants and simple tastes. Relatives and friends frequently visited him; he read much, and books, especially the older English classics, were a source of much pleasure to him; the improvement of his lawn and garden was a pursuit which afforded him unfailing interest and occupation.
On the 12th of June, 1883, he was apparently in his usual good health. In the course of the morning a friend called on him, and they conversed together for some time, seated in the shade of a tree on the lawn. His friend having taken his departure, Tucker reseated himself for a few minutes in his chair, suddenly arose, straightened up his tall form to its full height, and fell forward—dead. Physicians were immediately summoned, but all the efforts to revive him were ineffectual. He had died from disease of the heart; passing away from this world without a struggle or a sigh, and going where souls as pure as his have nothing to fear.
His remains were taken to Norfolk, Virginia, where they were received by old friends and comrades, who knew and loved him well, and interredby the side of his wife's grave, in a beautiful private cemetery near the city.
Admiral Tucker possessed many of the qualities of a great commander. His judgment was excellent, and it was very rarely the case that he was mistaken as to what it was possible for the force at his disposal to accomplish. He always commanded the respect and confidence, as well as the good will, of his men. A strict disciplinarian, the prompt and unhesitating obedience to orders he exacted was cheerfully rendered by his subordinates. His plans were coolly and deliberately formed, and, having been once determined upon, were carried out with energy and resolution. In the ordinary intercourse of private life he was so gentle, generous and genial that his friends and associates felt for him a regard approaching affection. In youth he was an eminently handsome man and in maturer years his presence was imposing. Sailors and Indians are fond of giving personally descriptive names to those with whom they are thrown in contact; when Tucker was a lieutenant he was called "Handsome Jack" by the men-before-the-mast, and the warriors of the savage tribes that wander about the head waters of the Amazon knew him as the "Apo," the meaning of the word being "High Chief."
In concluding this sketch of the eventful life of John Randolph Tucker, it is but doing justice to his memory to say that the sea-service never produced a more thorough and accomplished sailor, and that there never was bred to the profession of arms a more honorable and gallant gentleman.
James Henry RochelleJames Henry Rochelle
James Henry Rochelle
Springing from Lake Laracocha, in the heart of the Andes, the Amazon winds its way through the eastern Cordillera of Peru, a rapid and turbulent stream, until, passing through a narrow gorge in the mountains at the pongo de Manseriche, it leaps into the lowlands and flows for two thousand six hundred and sixty miles in a direction nearly east through the vast plains of Peru and Brazil, fed on its way by tributaries which are themselves great rivers, and finally pouring its immense volume of water into the Atlantic ocean. From the Atlantic up to the Peruvian frontier the river is known as the Lower or Brazilian Amazon, and sometimes as the Solimoens; above the Brazilian frontier the river lies wholly in Peruvian territory and takes the name of the Peruvian Amazon or Marañon, but is commonly spoken of as the Upper Amazon. It is of the navigation of the Upper Amazon that these notes will treat.
The waters of the Upper Amazon and its tributaries begins to rise annually in October, remains stationary for a short time in December, then continues to rise until May, when it commences to fall. November, December, January, February, March andApril are considered the months of high water, and June, July, August and September comprise the low-water season. October and May are sometimes months of high and sometimes of low water.
During the season of low water a minimum depth of twenty-four feet is found in the channel of the Upper Amazon, from the Brazilian frontier to the mouth of the Ucayali river at Nanta, eighteen feet from the mouth of the Ucayali to the mouth of the Huallaga river, and twelve feet from the mouth of the Huallaga to Borja, where further navigation is rendered impracticable by the rapids and falls of the pongo de Manseriche.
From the Brazilian frontier to the mouth of the Ucayali river the current of the Amazon is three miles per hour; from the mouth of the Ucayali to the mouth of the Potro river three and one-fourth miles per hour; from the mouth of the Potro to the mouth of the Morona river three and a-half miles per hour; and from the mouth of the Morona to Borja, at the head of steamer navigation, the current is three and three-fourths miles per hour. This is the usual and average current to be met with, but it increases or diminishes with the rise and fall of the river and, also, with the narrowing or broadening of the channel.
In order to prevent running upon sand-bars, which are constantly forming and shifting and frequently changing the bed of the channel, the services of experienced pilots are indispensable to the safe navigation of the Upper Amazon and its tributaries. It is not difficult to obtain such pilots, and they are frequently expert hunters and fishermen as well as pilots.
When a steamer on the Upper Amazon runs aground, it is almost always in consequence either of the ignorance of the pilot or of the unskillful handling of the vessel. To get aground when the water is falling endangers the detention of the vessel until she is floated off by the next rise of the river, which may not occur for months; getting aground when the water is rising usually necessitates a delay of only a few hours, as the rising water soon floats the vessel off. Hence it is, of course, that the navigation of the Amazon is attended with much less difficulty when the waters of the river are rising than when they are falling.
Coal is not to be found on the Upper Amazon; the steamers burn wood, which is abundant, cheap and makes good fuel. Wood should be ordered in advance at certain points, but in case a steamer gives out of fuel all that has to be done is to haul in to thebank, send the crew on shore with axes, and cut as much wood as is required.
In the absence of wharves on the Upper Amazon and its tributaries, vessels lay alongside of the banks whilst discharging or receiving cargo. The banks at the usual stopping places afford good landings; wharves are not needed and it would be difficult to construct them so that they could be used at all stages of the water.
It may be well to say a word about the trade of the Upper Amazon. There are no import or export duties for this part of Peru, nor are any duties paid on goods passing up the Brazilian Amazon to Peru. Coarse cotton cloth is worn by nine-tenths of the inhabitants who are civilized enough to wear clothes at all. The demand for this cloth is large and will grow from year to year, and of all coarse cotton cloth in the market the American is preferred. The plantain is the native substitute for bread, but wheat flour is used by the mercantile and official classes; there is a steady demand for Baltimore and Richmond flour, which brands are supposed, probably with reason, to stand the climate better than flour manufactured elsewhere. Bacon hams sell for one dollar per pound, but the demand for them is small and the article is soon spoiled by the climate. Axes, hoes, spades and machettes are much in demand, and thereis a limited demand for improved firearms; ready made clothing, and articles of household furniture for the houses of the richer persons of the community, are usually imported from Europe.
The exports of the region of the Upper Amazon are not as valuable as they are destined to become when the productions of the rich valleys of eastern Peru find an outlet to market by way of the river. Among the principal articles of export may be enumerated, hats, from Mayubamba (Panama hats); rum, made from the sugar cane (cachaça); dried fish (payshi); and Indian rubber (jebe). The Indian-rubber tree abounds in the forests of the Upper Amazon, and the gathering of the gum is a profitable industry. Specimens of gold have been obtained from the natives about the pongo de Manseriche, and rich deposits of the precious metal will without doubt be discovered at some future time, but no search even can be made for it until the fierce and cruel savages, who have undisputed possession of the country beyond Borja, shall have been subdued.
Commencing at the Yavari river, which forms the boundary between Peru and Brazil on the south side of the Amazon river, and following the Upper Amazon and its principal tributaries up to the head of navigation, the first place to be noted is the mouth ofthe Yavari river:[2]Latitude 4° 18' 45" south; longitude, 69° 53' 10" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 5° 38' 54" east; thermometer (Fahrenheit), 76°; elevation above sea-level, 266 feet; distance from the Atlantic ocean, following the course of the river, 1811 miles; current, in the Amazon, 4-1/2 miles per hour; width of the Yavari river at its mouth, 500 yards; width of the Amazon, 1200 yards; depth of water in the channel of the Amazon, 36 feet. As the Yavari river marks the boundary between Peru and Brazil on the south side of the Amazon, special pains were taken to ascertain correctly the latitude and longitude of its mouth; the observations for the latitude and longitude were taken on a small islet, probably overflowed at high water, in the middle of the lower mouth of the river.
It was said in Iquitos that, in 1874, Captain Guillermo Black, President of the Peruvian Boundary Commission, ascended the Yavari in a small steamer a distance of 500 miles from its mouth, and 300 miles farther in canoes to a point where there was barely two feet of water in the channel, at which point the latitude was determined to be 7° 1' 22" south, and the longitude 74° 8' 25" west of Greenwich; elevation above the sea-level, 800 feet.
Distance from the Atlantic, 1825 miles; current, 4-1/2 miles per hour; depth of water, 36 feet; width of river, 800 yards.
Tabatinga is the Brazilian frontier post on the north side of the Amazon. Captain Azevedo, of the Brazilian Navy, gives the latitude of this place as 4° 14' 30" south; longitude, 70° 2' 24" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 6° 35' 10" east.
Latitude, 4° 10' 57" south; longitude, 69° 59' 21" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 5° 57' 40" east; elevation above sea-level, 274 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 1828 miles.
Letitia is the Peruvian frontier post on the north bank of the Amazon. A fort, intended to command the passage of the river, was projected but not erected at this point. It is probable that the passage of steamers up the Amazon cannot be stopped by forts and batteries at any point on the river below Tamshiyacu.
Latitude, 3° 54' 20" south; longitude, 70° 7' 45" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 5° 11' 24" east; thermometer, 78°; elevation above sea-level, 286 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 1865 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; width of river, 1300 yards.
Loreto is the most eastern Peruvian town of any importance on the Amazon. It is situated on thenorth or left bank of the river. Near it resides a tribe of Indians, partly civilized, called the Ticunas.
Situated on the right or south bank of the river; current 2-1/4 miles per hour; width of river, 1800 yards.
Situated on the right or south bank of the river; width of river, 2500 yards.
One mile from the Amazon, on the left or north bank, and one mile up the River Ambiyacu. The current of the Amazon at Pebas is 2-1/2 miles per hour; distance from the Atlantic, 2009 miles.
On south or right bank of the river; current, 2-1/2 miles per hour; width of river, 1000 yards; depth of water, 36 feet.
Latitude, 3° 44' 15" south; longitude, 73° 7' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 5° 55' east; thermometer, 78°; elevation above sea-level, 295 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2126 miles; current, 3 miles per hour; depth of water, 36 feet.
Iquitos is on the north bank of the Amazon, at a point where the river is divided by an island into two channels; from the town to the island the river is 1800 yards wide, and the channel on the other side of theisland has about the same width. The Government buildings and works are situated at this place, and it is the largest and most important town on the Upper Amazon. It is a place of considerable trade, and in it are established several mercantile houses which import their goods directly from Europe and the United States by way of Para. The anchorage is good at all times, and vessels, whilst discharging or receiving cargo, can lay in security alongside the high bank that lines the whole front of the town. This is an advantage not to be underrated when it is remembered that there are no wharves on the Upper Amazon.
Situated on a high bank on the south side of the river, distant 2146 miles from the Atlantic; thermometer, 76°. At this place the river is narrow, has only one channel, and the current is strong. It is probably the only position on the Amazon, below the mouth of the Ucayali, where vessels could be prevented from passing, up or down, by heavy guns mounted in forts or batteries.
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, 2189 miles; current in the Amazon, 3 miles per hour; depth of water in the channel of the Amazon, 30 feet; width of the Amazon, 1300 yards. Unfortunately, immediately at the month of the Ucayali neither the banks of that rivernor those of the Amazon afford a place suitable for the location of a town. Nauta, on the north bank of the Amazon, seven miles above the mouth of the Ucayali, is the nearest place at which it is practicable to build houses not liable to be swept away by the annual floods.
Latitude, 4° 31' 30" south; longitude, 73° 27' west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 2' east; thermometer, 78°; elevation above sea-level, 320 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2195 miles; current 3-1/4 miles per hour; depth of water, 30 feet; width of river, 1200 yards. Situated on the north bank of the Amazon, near the confluence of that river and the Ucayali, Nauta is well located for grasping the trade of both rivers, and ought to become a place of importance. Of course, the six or seven miles that vessels have to ascend the Amazon to reach the place after leaving the Ucayali constitutes a drawback, especially in the case of vessels not propelled by steam; but no desirable place can be found below and near the mouth of the Ucayali where buildings could be erected and vessels could load and unload with facility at the season of high water. Below and adjoining Nauta the banks are high and present a better site for a town than the one on which it stands.
Distant from the Atlantic 2230 miles; current, 3-1/3 miles per hour; average current between Nauta and San Regis, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2245 miles; current, 3-1/2 miles per hour; average current between San Regis and the mouth of the Tigreyacu, 3-1/4 miles per hour. The Tigreyacu can be navigated by steamers of considerable size for some distance; its waters are dark and clear, and those tributaries of the Amazon having dark and clear waters are usually unhealthy, whilst those having muddy and discolored waters have always been found to be healthy.
Latitude, 4° 36' 30" south; longitude 74° 6' 30" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 27' 20" east; thermometer, 78°; elevation above sea-level, 351 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2273 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2293 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2334 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2352 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2393 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2408 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2430 miles; current in Amazon, 3-1/4 miles per hour. One hundred and twenty-three miles up the Huallaga is the town of Yurimaguas, a centre of trade, to which steamers from Para frequently ascend.
Distant from the Atlantic 2445 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2514 miles; current in the Amazon, 3-1/4 miles per hour. The Pastaga has a rapid current and is full of obstructions to navigation; it is with much difficulty that canoes even can be forced up the river for any distance. On its head waters the Indians wash a considerable quantity of gold from the sand of the bed of the channel.
Latitude, 4° 59' 53" south; longitude, 76° 38' 38" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 46' 26" east; thermometer, 78°; elevation above sea-level, 453 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2545 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour. Barranca is situated on a red clay bluff, about seventy feet high, on the north or left bank of the river, which is here narrow.Communication is kept up between Barranca and Moyabamba by way of the Aypena river to its head and thence by land. Barranca has been used as, but is not well adapted to be, a military post; gunboats could lay out of sight below, around a bend of the river, and shell it without being themselves exposed to its fire.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2564 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour. The Potro is navigable for small steamers a distance of sixty miles from its mouth, and is of importance as a link in the projected route from Chachapoyas to Limon on the Amazon.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2576 miles; current, 3-1/2 miles per hour. Steamers ascend the Morona 300 miles, and at some stages of the water a greater distance.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2588 miles; current, 3-3/4 miles per hour. Limon is the terminus of a projected route from Chachapoyas to the Amazon; it is a place of no importance whatever in any other respect.
Latitude, 4° 15' 27" south; longitude 77° 1' 28" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 18' 18" east; thermometer, 80°; elevation above sea-level, 509 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2612 miles; current, 3-3/4 miles per hour. Two miles above Punta Achual, at the Vuelta Calentura, or Calenturapassage, the first serious difficulty is encountered in navigating the Upper Amazon; the difficulty there encountered is a strong current combined with a whirlpool in the channel of the river, but, with full heads of steam on, steamers are able to pass the vuelta and proceed on to Borja. At Vuelta Calentura the course of the river is from N.N.W. to S.S.E.
Latitude, 4° 31' 37" south; longitude, 77° 29' 43" west of Greenwich; thermometer, 76°; elevation above sea-level, 516 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2660 miles; current, 3-3/4 miles per hour. At Borja the navigation of the Upper Amazon ends; the river in its whole course from Laracocha to Borja, a distance of 500 miles, is a mountain torrent, impracticable for navigation even by canoes. The length of the Amazon, from its source at Laracocha to the Atlantic ocean, is 3160 miles, but the distance from the Atlantic to the source of the Ucayali is still greater. It usually takes a steamer 69 steaming hours to ascend the river from Iquitos to Borja, and 35 steaming hours to descend from Borja to Iquitos.
In the following list of distances between places on the Amazon, from its mouth to its source in Lake Laracocha, the distances for the Lower Amazon are taken from the best Brazilian authorities that could be consulted; the distances for the Upper Amazon, from the Brazilian frontier to the head of steamer navigation at Borja, were measured by the PeruvianHydrographical Commission of the Amazon; and the distance from Borja, the head of navigation, to the source of the river in Lake Laracocha, is given as estimated by the best Peruvian authorities.
Lower Amazon. Miles.Atlantic ocean to Para75Para to Breves146Breves to Garupa123Garupa to Porto de Moz48Porto de Moz to Prainha96Prainha to Monte Alegre44Monte Alegre to Santarem60Santarem to Obidos68Obidos to Villa Bella95Villa Bella to Serpa137Serpa to ManaosFrom the Atlantic to Manaos, 1002 miles.110Manaos to Cudajos155Cudajos to Coary84Coary to Tefé (Ega)107Tefé (Ega) to Fonte Boa133Fonte Boa to Tonantius140Tonantius to San Paulo95San Paulo, mouth of the Yavari riverThe mouth of the Yavari marks the boundary line between Peru and Brazil on the south side of the Amazon.90Mouth of the Yavari to TabatingaBrazilian frontier port on the north side of the Amazon. From the Atlantic to Tabatinga, 1825 miles.14Tabatinga to LetitiaPeruvian frontier post.3
From the Atlantic to Manaos, 1002 miles.
The mouth of the Yavari marks the boundary line between Peru and Brazil on the south side of the Amazon.
Brazilian frontier port on the north side of the Amazon. From the Atlantic to Tabatinga, 1825 miles.
Peruvian frontier post.
Upper Amazon. Miles.Letitia to Loreto37Loreto to Pebas144Pebas to Iquitos117Iquitos to Tamshiyacu20Tamshiyacu to mouth of the Ucayali river43Mouth of the Ucayali river to Nauta6Nauta to San Regis50San Regis to Santa Cruz de Parinari28Santa Cruz de Parinari to Parinari20Parinari to Vaca Marina41Vaca Marina to Elvira18Elvira to San Pedro41San Pedro to Fontevera15Fontevera to mouth of the Huallaga river22Mouth of the Huallaga river to Cedro Isla15Cedro Isla to mouth of the Pastaza river69Mouth of the Pastaza river to Barranca31Barranca to Mouth of the Potro river19Mouth of the Potro river to mouth of the Morona river12Mouth of the Morona river to Limon12Limon to Punta Achual24Punta Achual to BorjaFrom the Atlantic to Borja, the head of navigation, 2660 miles.48Borja to Lake LaracochaSource of the Amazon.Length of the Amazon river from its source to its mouth, 3160 miles.500
From the Atlantic to Borja, the head of navigation, 2660 miles.
Source of the Amazon.
Length of the Amazon river from its source to its mouth, 3160 miles.
The Huallaga has its source in Lake Chiquicoba, flows by the important central city of Huanaco, and thence in a direction nearly north, for 450 miles, until its confluence with the Amazon. The mouth of the Huallaga is 2430 miles distant from the Atlantic, and its current is about 3 miles per hour. Eighteen feet of water can usually be carried up to Yurimaguas, and steamers ascend 40 miles higher to a place called Rumicallarina; above Rumicallarina the river is navigable for a great distance by canoes. About 8 miles below Yurimaguas the river is divided by an island, on each side of which there are sand-bars that steamers drawing more than 11 feet of water are sometimes unable to pass during the months of June, July and August.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2447 miles; current, 3 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2473 miles; current, 3 miles per hour.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2528 miles; current, 3 miles per hour.
Latitude, 5° 5' 55" south; longitude, 75° 59' 58" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 7° 47' east;thermometer, 77°; elevation above sea-level, 440 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2554 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
The advantage which Yurimaguas possesses over all the other river ports on the Upper Amazon is that of its being the point where travelers from Lima and articles of export from Moyubamba, a city of 10,000 inhabitants, meet the steamers from Para. Canoes ascend the Huallaga from Yurimaguas to Chasuta in eight days and make the return trip in three; from Chasuta there is a mule road to Moyubamba, Chachapoyas and Cajamarca, and from the latter place a railway runs to Lima. This is the best route from the Amazon to the Pacific coast, and the only one which does not involve long marches on foot. Steamers drawing five or six feet of water could make regular trips to Chasuta at any season of the year, even at lowest water, and meeting larger steamers at Yurimaguas would establish better communication with the rich country of the interior. On the Huallaga, above Yurimaguas and a little back from the river, are to be found the best locations for colonies. Thirty miles above Yurimaguas, on the right bank of the river, is situated Shucushiyacu, a place well known as commanding a fine view of mountain and river scenery.
Distance from the Atlantic, 2592 miles; current, 3-1/4 miles per hour.
Latitude, 5° 58' 32" south; longitude, 75° 47' 32" west of Greenwich; magnetic variation, 8° 8' 10" east; thermometer, 77°; elevation above sea-level, 486 feet; distance from the Atlantic, 2600 miles; current, 3-1/2 miles per hour; depth of water, 36 feet; width of river, 200 yards.
Rumicallarina is at the head of navigation for steamers on the Huallaga. Any steamer which can ascend the river to Yurimaguas can continue on to Rumicallarina, beyond which place only five or six feet, at the season of low water, can be carried to Chasuta.
Atlantic ocean to mouth of the Huallaga, 2430 miles By the Amazon river.
Huallaga River. Miles.Mouth of the Huallaga to Laguna17Laguna to Santa Lucia26Santa Lucia to Santa Maria55Santa Maria to Yurimaguas26Yurimaguas to Cainarachi38Cainarachi to Rumicallarina8Rumicallarina to Chasuta50Chasuta to Lake Chiquicoba300——Length of the Huallaga river520Distance from the source of the Huallaga to the mouth of the Amazon2950
The Ucayali river has its origin in the Andean region, about Lake Titicaca, and flows, under various names, in a direction nearly north until it mingles its waters with those of the Amazon, to which river it bears the same relation that the Missouri does to the Mississippi; that is to say, like the Missouri, its length and volume of water entitles it to be considered a continuation and not a tributary of the main river. During the season of low water 24 feet can be carried from Nauta, at the mouth of the river, to Sarayacu; 18 feet from Sarayacu to the mouth of the Pachitea river; and 12 feet from the mouth of the Pachitea to the confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba. The average current from the mouth of the river to Pucacura is 2 miles per hour, and from Pucacura to the confluence of the Tambo and Urubamba 3 miles per hour. The Tambo is probably navigable for steamers drawing eight or ten feet of water to the confluence of the Ene and Perene, and thence the Perene would afford communication, at least by canoes, to San Ramon, a Peruvian military post; from San Ramon to Tarma, and from Tarma to Lima, would, of course, be the continuation of the route to the Pacific slope. The first step towards the opening of this most desirable of all the routes between the Pacific coast and the Amazon would be the establishment of a battalion post at the confluence of the Ene and Perene, communicating at regular and stated intervals with San Ramon. The distance between thetwo posts would be about 60 miles of canoe navigation, and would soon become a traveled route forming the connecting link between eastern and western Peru.