Correspondence
A LETTER FROM BRAZIL.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR, We have just had occasion to welcome the airmen who made an astonishing non-stop flight from Rome to Brazil in an Italian machine. But hardly had the cheers died down before we were overwhelmed with grief at the sacrifice of the life of one of those responsible for the wonderful achieve- ment. After Ferrarin and Del Prete arrived on the coast of Northern Brazil, after their non-stop flight from Italy, misfortune dogged their footsteps. Their original machine, which had been damaged in landing on the sandy beach was again damaged upon taking off to resume the flight to Rio. So the attempt to bring the original aeroplane through to the Federal Capital was abandoned and the journey continued in a passenger-carrying commercial machine. At Bahia a further accident occurred and the journey thence was com- pleted in still another machine. In order, however, to enable visits to be paid by air to the Italian colonies of other cities a second machine of the original make and type, Savoia- Marchetti, was sent to Rio for the aviators' use and assembled here in readiness.
It was immediately after the official luncheon of welcome that Ferrarin decided to make a trial flight in the newly assembled plane and Del Prete insisted upon accompanying him. The machine had barely left the surface of the water when, on a steep climbing turn, they failed to maintain flying speed and dropped into the Bay. The ensuing scene was one of indescribable dismay to the onlookers. The water in the vicinity just revealed one of the party, caught by a foot in entangled wreckage, up to his mouth in blood-stained water, in peril of complete submersion at any moment that the aeroplane might sink. A native sailor in a small boat close by dived repeatedly with splendid contempt of his own risk, until he succeeded in releasing the threatened man and bringing him to the boat.
While Ferrarin escaped with slight injuries, his companion, suffering from severe shock, loss of blood, and hopelessly fractured thigh, hung for three days between life and death, supporting excruciating pain through many surgical operations and finally the amputation of a leg, only to succumb to the effects of the shock.
Turning to another side of our sub-tropical life, the Courts have closed our wonderful CaSino. Set in the centre of a two- mile semicircular sweep of a Southern Atlantic Bay, the splendid " Green Room " and " Blue Room," the Grill Room with its dancing floor of opaque glass through which the coloured lighting effects were produced, and the dainty little Casino Theatre formed a centre of brilliance, delicacy, beauty, and elegance which was the pride of Brazilians and the prin. cipal attraction of the millionaire class of all other South American countries. The dresses, jewels, and the light-hearted enjoyment of those who could gamble for pure pleasure and lose without hardship accentuated the complete absence of any of the sordid features of other gaining centres. But it has fallen a victim to an inglorious campaign of petty jealousy, and Rio has lost an exhibition of splendour which brought the most delightful and desirable people here from neighbouring countries annually for the winter season.
Following up his avowed policy of endowing the country during his administration with good trunk roads, the President of the Republic has just inaugurated the road from Rio de Janeiro to the hill city of Petropolis. During the hot season the President and all diplomatic representatives spend three to four months in this resort, which, lying on the hills at a height of 2,600 feet, is yet only some forty miles from Rio de Janeiro. Access was formerly by launch up the bay to the foot of the hills, where a cogwheel railway awaited us. An unofficial curb market in stocks and bonds was a characteristic feature of the morning and evening journey on the launch. Later the cogwheel railway was connected by an ordinary land line to the city of Rio itself and the " curb market " disappeared. Now we have a first-class road of forty miles of which two-thirds is level beside the bay, and the remainder takes us to the cooler regions of 2,600 feet by a road the grade of which never exceeds one in seventeen through indescribable mountain scenery to the City of Wild Hortensias.—I am,
Sir, dre., YOUR RIO DE JANEIRO CORRESPONDENT.
Previous page
