THE CHILIAN COAST—ARICA TO VALPARAISO
=Arica.= Arriving at Arica by sea, or departing as well, one may
observe in great white letters on the rocky Morro, _Vive Battalion
No. 4_, commemorating the Chilian victory with its massacre of
Peruvians, June 7, 1880. The 1700 Peruvians here stationed, whose
cannon were directed towards the sea, suffered an assault in the
rear from 4000 Chilians who had landed at night several miles below.
Short of small arms and ammunition, after an heroic defense for one
hour, the commander, Col. Bolognesi, perished having used his last
cartridge, and many soldiers leaped to the rocks by the sea, who
preferred this death to having their throats cut by the Chilians.
Others were crowded off by Chilian bayonets, and for months the
bodies were seen below. No prisoners were taken, the entire garrison
of 1700 being slaughtered.
The harbor, one of the best south of Callao, is called by one writer
the emerald gem of the West Coast, on account of its green trees and
other verdure. The line of railway may be seen among the cliffs, and
a great cross on the highest hilltop. The town is called by one
writer very squalid, by another a neat, attractive place in
comparison with most of the port cities, the houses of various
colors, blue, green, orange, etc., many with arched entrances
affording pleasing views of an inner patio. On account of
earthquakes the buildings are chiefly of one story, many of
corrugated iron. The most noted of the ’quakes was that of 1868 when
two United States frigates were in the harbor. One of these, the
_Freedonia_, was lost with all on board; the other, the _Wateree_,
by a wave 60 feet high, was carried over houses a mile inland,
suffering a loss of half the crew. The ship there became the home of
several Indian families, until the next earthquake and wave carried
it back to the beach without doing injury to the occupants. Rarely
from the harbor may be had a beautiful sunset view of snow-crowned
Mt. Tacora, 19,000 feet, though other mountains are frequently seen.
In this port Hernando Pizarro built ships for the invasion of Chile.
On the broad beach is a prehistoric cemetery with embalmed mummies,
said to be equal to those of Egypt. Some of the eyes are translucent
with a rich amber tint, which scientists say are of squid or
cuttle-fish here numerous, substituted for the eyes of the dead. It
is said that when some of these were sent to Tiffany’s in New York
to be polished, the workmen suffered a violent irritation of the
eyes, lips, nostrils, and throat. Though all recovered, the work was
not resumed. An analysis showed animal matter with saltpeter and
unknown minerals.
It is believed that along here is a subterranean outlet of Lake
Poopo, as the fresh water fish of Lake Titicaca, peccajay, are
caught in the ocean, and driftwood of the mountain vegetation
appears. Formerly Arica was a great market for vicuña skins, which
were brought down from the interior, but their number has now
greatly diminished. A highway constructed by the Incas 1000 years
ago, called the _camino real_, has been in use ever since, the
Bolivians, even after the construction of the railroad to Mollendo,
still using it to bring down ore by means of llamas and burros and
to carry up supplies. The new railroad may not cause a complete
disuse of the old route, as the carriage of freight by a road of so
heavy grade is likely to be expensive.
=Tacna=, 38 miles distant, capital of the province, connected by
rail with Arica, is a pretty and a larger city, worthy a visit. The
prosperity of this section has been delayed by the friction and
hostile feeling between the Peruvian and Chilian Governments and
peoples, resulting from the unfortunate war 1879-1883, and the
unsettled conditions following. The Tacna-Arica question has been
one of greater bitterness than that of Alsace-Lorraine; the present
arrangement, to postpone the _plebiscite_ twenty-one years, will be
greatly to the advantage of both countries. On the desert between
the two cities is often an unusual effect of mirage, and from Tacna
there is a mountain view of much grandeur.
=Iquique.= The next important port south of Arica is Iquique, but
between the two is _Pisagua_ where many boats call, affording
opportunity for any who desire, to disembark and go 124 miles by
rail to Iquique, thus to see without loss of time something of the
rich nitrate lands of Tarapacá. This part of the coast may not look
very different from some of the Peruvian, yet it is still more of a
desert; for the Peruvian will blossom like a rose, with a sufficient
water supply, while this is less easily transformed. In Iquique,
gardens and plazas have been made by bringing from a distance
artificial soil for the trees, shrubs, and plants, which must be
carefully nurtured. The nitrate ports are said to look like western
mining towns, with wide streets, and one-story houses made from
Oregon lumber, with iron roofs. There are many shops selling much
liquor and canned stuffs. The streets were formerly dusty, the air
full of sand. Unnatural tastes were developed by the conditions. Two
miners in earlier days, wishing to enjoy a feast, sat down with two
cans of _pâté de foie gras_, a loaf of bread, a bottle of brandy,
and two cans of condensed milk, the last being eaten with spoons as
dessert.
Hotels, Phoenix 8 to 15 _pesos_, Europa 7 to 15, Grand, 6 to 10, all
A. P. _Iquique_, the principal Chilian port except Valparaiso, is
the most important center of the nitrate industry. With a population
of 50,000, called a fine city, it has an enormous commerce for its
size, not merely from the export of nitrates but because it is
unique in having all its supplies brought in by sea, food, fuel, and
formerly water. The port receives more than 1000 vessels a year. The
population is rather rough and hard to govern, though with a circle
of aristocratic society, with the usual accessories. The Arturo Prat
Plaza with a statue of the hero in the center is an attractive
place. One may here first observe women conductors on the street
cars, many of whom will be seen in other Chilian cities.
Water, formerly, when brought by sea, 10 cents a gallon and at times
$2.00 when the supply boat was overdue, now comes from the
mountains, a distance of 148 miles, by a 10 or 12-inch pipe, partly
on the surface of the desert, or buried two or three feet. To
Antofagasta water is brought 173 miles from a point 10,700 feet
above the sea; to Taltal, 102 miles. Though expensive, costing
millions, it has proved profitable. The streets of Iquique are now
piped, hydrants protect against fire, the dust is laid by
sprinklers, some people have bathrooms, a few, fountains in patios,
a costly luxury. It was once said that people drank champagne
because water was too expensive. It is an enterprising community
with a good portion of Anglo-Saxons; there are broad streets, fine
churches, schools, hospitals, a large theater, pleasant homes, and
good Clubs. Some of the people entertain sumptuously, with dinner
parties as in London. A broad driveway along the beach leads to
Cavancha, an attractive resort with a dancing pavilion, and a choice
flower garden tended with utmost care. Halfway is the Jockey
Club-house, with race track, tennis, and bowling.
A railway climbs the variously colored mountain back of Iquique to
the Pampa of Tamarugal, where it branches to various _officinas_,
interesting to visit if time allows. People who are born and have
lived in this section can hardly believe stories about grass that
has to be cut, and of trees and flowers. A girl of sixteen who had
visited Santiago on her return said, “Trees, trees, everywhere,
grass growing in a thick mat, and hundreds of flowers! A perfect
paradise!”
The valuable nitrate lands which, previous to the war, belonged to
Peru and Bolivia are now the chief source of Chile’s wealth. Yet it
is a curious fact that though Chile receives from her export tax on
nitrates the large sum of $13,700,000 annually, the finances of the
country, if they may be judged by the currency, are in a poorer
condition than those of Peru, where with a firm gold basis gold and
silver coins are used, while in Chile there is paper money of low
and fluctuating value.
The nitrate deposits are found in the three provinces of Tarapacá,
Antofagasta, and Atacama, along from Pisagua to Coquimbo, about 300
miles. The deposits with an average width of 2½ miles are between
the coast hills and the Andes, 10 to 80 miles from the sea, and from
2000 to 5000 or more feet above its level, covering a tract of about
250,000 acres. The deposits, sometimes on the surface, are oftener
overlaid with strata of earth varying in thickness and character,
occasionally with guano. They are not continuous, but separated by
other deposits, in some places salt. The raw material called
_caliche_ carries usually from 20 to 65 per cent of nitrate of soda.
It is pickled in tanks from eight to twelve hours, the sand and
refuse dropping to the bottom. The liquid called _calso_ runs off
into vats. The salt by-product is used or discarded. When treated
and ready for export the article carries 15 to 16 per cent of
nitrogen and 36 per cent of sodium. The amount of production is
regulated by a syndicate, according to the needs of the world. About
35,000 men are employed, the laborers earning from $1.00 to $2.00 a
day. These establishments, called _officinas_, are interesting to
visit, but it is a gloomy, depressing region for most persons. The
superintendents, doctors, and other officials receive good salaries
and are supplied with comfortable quarters. $100,000,000 or more of
British capital and some German, is invested here and large fortunes
have been made. New nitrate fields recently discovered are held at
$2000 an acre.
The nitrate of commerce is a white cheese-like substance from which
the highest grade gunpowder is made; it is also used in chemical
works to produce nitric and sulphuric acid, etc., but the bulk of it
is employed as a fertilizer, doubling or tripling the harvest. A
mineral substance, it is distinguished from guano, the excrement of
birds. As to its origin there are various theories, but none is
generally accepted. A byproduct, a yellow liquor, which in its
preparation is drawn off from the nitrate into a crucible, is then
chemically treated, poured into smaller pans, and on cooling leaves
on the dish a blue crystal, the _iodine_ of commerce, which costs as
much per ounce as saltpetre per 100 lbs. The casks in which it is
placed are covered with green hides which shrink and keep out the
moisture. Worth $700 to $800 a cask, the iodine is shipped in the
treasure vaults with bullion. About 40 per cent of the nitrate goes
to Germany, 30 to the United States, 20 to France, the rest to Great
Britain and Belgium.
=Antofagasta.= The next port, 200 miles below Iquique, at which
express boats call, is Antofagasta, the terminus of the other
railway from Bolivia, _via_ Oruro. Here are sea-lions, diving birds,
and a considerable town, but no sheltered harbor, in spite of which
much commerce is carried on. This, with Iquique, as a poor port,
almost rivals Mollendo. One writer says it is an ugly dun-colored
place, another that it is the prettiest town since leaving Panama.
It has an air of prosperity with good shops and business houses, a
comfortable hotel, the Grand, A. P., 7 to 20 _pesos_, well furnished
rooms, and real milk; another says the hotel is very bad. Much
depends upon one’s disposition, point of view, what he expects, and
where he has come from; and you may read exactly opposite opinions
of many places and people, as happens even of cities in the United
States.
Some steamers call at Caldera, 207 miles south of Antofagasta, with
a sheltered harbor, and the oldest railway in South America
connecting it with the town of Copiapó; the express boats call only
at Coquimbo nearly 200 miles farther and 200 north of Valparaiso.
=Coquimbo=, at the end of the desert country, a busy port, shipping
more copper than any other in South America, is situated at the foot
and up the side of cliffs. The country around is very rich in
fossils. At Herradura on Horseshoe Bay was found a petrified
icthyosaurus 20 feet long, which visitors are taken to see; they are
informed that it is 12,000 years old. Above in the mountains, at an
altitude of 4000 feet, is a very sacred shrine, a Virgin of the
Rosary, at a small village called Andacollo. During Christmas week
pilgrims come by thousands from all parts of the country, even from
Peru and Argentina, some walking hundreds of miles. Precious gifts
and jewels valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars have been
presented at various times.
One day’s sail from Coquimbo is Valparaiso.
=Chile.= The country of Chile is very peculiar; let me hasten to
add, in nothing more serious than its shape. It is indeed
excessively long and narrow, its great extent from north to south,
18° to 56° S. Lat., a distance of nearly 3000 miles, giving it a
remarkable variety of productions and making it larger than any
European country except Russia, although it is only from 100 to 300
miles wide. It is peculiar also that in spite of its scanty width,
it is divided into three narrower strips, a low Coast Range, a
longitudinal valley or plateau, and the high range of the Andes.
With practically no rain in the north, it has a gradually increasing
rainfall towards the south, till near the extremity there is rather
too much. The northern part is the nitrate and mining section: the
central and larger part is an agricultural zone of great
possibilities, with good pasturage area; while farther south is an
excellent forest region. There must obviously be a great variety of
scenery as well as of climate, so that in one section or another all
tastes may be gratified.
Chile was first invaded by Europeans soon after the founding of
Lima in 1535. To Pizarro, Charles V, on hearing of the conquest,
had given the country seventy leagues south of that previously
bestowed; to Diego de Almagro the two hundred leagues beyond. In
which section lay Cuzco was a matter of dispute. Pending its
settlement Almagro decided to conquer the remainder of his
province. That this region was richer in gold and silver than
Peru was doubtless a tale of the Incas to distract the
conquerors for their own advantage. However, with an army of
Spaniards and some Indian captives, Almagro set out over the
Bolivian plateau to investigate and take possession of the
unknown country. On the barren heights they suffered hunger,
cold, and mountain sickness, the difficulties of this terrible
journey in many ways surpassing those of Hannibal and Napoleon
in crossing the Alps. Failure and disappointment were the only
results of the expedition, which was followed by the execution
of the gallant leader after his return to Cuzco.
In spite of Almagro’s disastrous experience, a second expedition
was inaugurated by Pedro de Valdivia, who proceeded along the
desert shore, instead of over the plateau, and after arriving at
Arica, there constructed vessels to pursue the journey. With no
great loss, in December, 1540, he reached the valley of the
Mapocho, and selecting a favorable site, on February 12, 1541,
he proclaimed a new city: _Santiago_, for Spain’s patron saint,
_de la Nueva Estremadura_, from his native province. On the
Plaza de Armas was built a small chapel and a _Cabildo_ or
Municipal Council Chamber, as well.
Still unsatisfied Valdivia pursued his explorations southward,
beyond the Bio-Bio River. In his absence the small garrison he
had left behind barely escaped destruction, being saved only by
the valor and boldness of the solitary woman in the party, Doña
Ines de Suarez. The Araucanians, the most powerful tribe in this
section, were of different caliber from the Quichuas, and long
and fiercely they continued the struggle against the invaders,
who treated them with barbarous severity. After the founding of
Concepción, Imperial, Villa Rica, and Valdivia, and the settling
of the conqueror himself at the town of Concepción, the Indians
under the command of Lautaro, who as a servant of Valdivia had
learned something of Spanish methods, attacked and defeated the
Spaniards, capturing Valdivia and putting him to death with
tortures. After long-continued warfare a truce was established,
with the Bio-Bio River as the boundary line, but for two hundred
and fifty years the contest went on for the subjugation of the
natives. At last, when the Chilians rose against Spain, the
Araucanians lent assistance, and friendliness was established.
As in other lands, however, civilization of a sort proved too
much for the Indians and few of pure blood remain.
On the 16th of June, 1810, the movement for independence began
with the abdication of the Governor, Carrasco, on account of
difficulty between himself and the _Real Audiencia_. September
18, 1810, the _Cabildo_ or City Council in open session elected
a _Junta_ to govern until a National Congress should be
convoked, ostensibly for the purpose of holding the dominion for
King Ferdinand, deposed by Napoleon. The people regarding this
as the birth of their independence were filled with joy. An army
subsequently sent from Spain landed at Concepción, marched
northward recruiting royalists, and after several engagements
finally put to rout the patriots, who were commanded by Bernardo
O’Higgins assisted by Colonel Juan Mackenna. October 16, 1814,
General Osorio with the Spanish army entered Santiago and there
maintained Spanish rule for three years longer. General
O’Higgins meanwhile fled to Mendoza in Argentina to join the
army which was being organized in that city by General San
Martin for the expulsion of the Spanish power from the entire
continent. Three years were required for this work. In January,
1817, the invasion of Chile from Argentina was begun by a
well-drilled army of 5000 men, 1600 horses, and many pack mules.
One division came by the Uspallata Pass, along the coach route
across the Cordilleras, and the one followed by Almagro almost
three centuries earlier. A second division under San Martin came
by the lower Los Patos Pass. The two divisions, having united on
February 12, gained a complete victory over the royalists in the
famous battle of Chacabuco, and February 14 entered Santiago.
The enthusiastic and grateful Chilians now offered to San Martin
the governorship of the country. This unselfish patriot
declining the honor, an assembly, February 17, appointed General
O’Higgins Dictator, thus concluding the so-called Reconquista or
Reconquest of Chile. However, troubles were not over. The
Viceroy of Peru sent General Osorio again to Chile. Landing at
Talcahuano in the south he was able to advance with his army,
after defeating O’Higgins, until he approached Santiago; but on
the plain of Maipo, April 5, 1818, San Martin again gained a
decisive victory. Meanwhile on the anniversary of the battle of
Chacabuco the Act of Independence was read in the Plaza of
Santiago, and the oath was taken by the leaders. The United
States was the first nation to recognize the Republic. A navy
was soon formed and with the aid of Admiral Lord Cochrane, a
squadron of eight warships and sixteen transports in 1820
carried north the army of San Martin for the conquest of Peru.
In 1823 General O’Higgins was obliged to resign his Dictatorship
and a period of confusion followed. In 1833 a constitution was
adopted. In the administration of Manuel Montt in the fifties
railway construction was inaugurated. In that of President Pinto
occurred the War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia, 1879-81,
though the treaty of peace was not signed till 1883, when the
province of Tarapacá was ceded to Chile, and occupation for ten
years was arranged for Tacna and Arica. About the same time a
boundary treaty was concluded with Argentina, with which nation
Chile had been on the verge of war. Balmaceda, elected President
in 1886, instituted many reforms but by his arbitrary methods
brought on civil war. A victory by the constitutional party was
followed by Balmaceda’s suicide.
The unfortunate death of the able President Montt in 1910 was
succeeded by the election of the present incumbent, Ramon Bárros
Luco. Among the prominent Chilian families (it has been said
that one hundred of these govern the country), are many British
names, the forbears of these having married into the best
Spanish American families and become patriotic citizens of their
adopted country.
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