Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South AmericaRay, George Whitfield
Religion
Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America
Ray, George Whitfield
Ray, George Whitfield, 1868- -- Travel -- South America; South America -- Description and travel
Perhaps no city of the world has grown and progressed more during this
last decade than the city of Buenos Ayres. To-day passengers land in
the centre of the city and step on "the most expensive system of
artificial docks in all America, representing an expenditure of seventy
million dollars."
To this city there is a large emigration. It has grown at the rate of
4,000 adults a week, with a birthrate of 1,000 a week added. The
population is now fast climbing up to 1 1-2 millions of inhabitants.
There are 300,000 Italians, 100,000 Spaniards, a colony of 20,000
Britishers, and, of course, Jews and other foreigners in proportion.
"Buenos Ayres is one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the world.
There are 189 newspapers, printed in almost every language of the
globe. Probably the only Syrian newspaper in America, _The Assudk_, is
issued in this city." To keep pace with the rush of newcomers has
necessitated the building of 30,000 houses every year. There is here
"the finest and costliest structure ever built, used exclusively by one
newspaper, the home of _La Prensa_; the most magnificent opera house of
the western hemisphere, erected by the government at the cost of ten
million dollars; one of the largest banks in the world, and the
handsomest and largest clubhouse in the world." [Footnote: John
Barrett, In Munsey's Magazine.] The entrance fee to this club is
$1,500. The Y.M.C.A. is now erecting a commodious building, for which
$200,000 has already been raised, and there is a Y.W.C.A., with a
membership of five hundred. Dr. Clark, in "The Continent of
Opportunity," says, "More millionaires live in Buenos Ayres than in any
other city of the world of its size. The proportion of well-clothed,
well-fed people is greater than in American cities, the slums are
smaller, and the submerged classes less in proportion. The constant
movement of carriages and automobiles here quite surpasses that of
Fifth Avenue." The street cars are of the latest and most improved
electric types, equal to any seen in New York or London, and seat one
hundred people, inside and out. Besides these there is an excellent
service of motor cabs, and _tubes_ are being commenced. Level crossings
for the steam roads are not permitted in the city limits, so all trains
run over or under the streets.
"The Post Office handles 40,000,000 pieces of mail and 125,000 parcel
post packages a month. The city has 1,209 automobiles, 27 theatres and
50 moving picture shows. Five thousand vessels enter the port of Buenos
Ayres every year, and the export of meat in 1910 was valued at
$31,000,000. No other section of the world shows such growth."
[Footnote: C. H. Furlong, in The World's Work.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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