SANTIAGO TO BUENOS AIRES BY SEA
=Southern Chile and the Straits of Magellan.= The great majority of
tourists will proceed from Santiago by rail over mountains and
plains to Buenos Aires, being influenced thereto by several
considerations. Of these the strongest may be the fact that the
journey thus made occupies only 48 hours (the return 38), while by
sea it requires twelve days, an important consideration in a brief
tour. Also in view of the several weeks already spent on the ocean
and the several more to come, all but the real lover of steamboat
travel will prefer the land for a change, especially with the
prospect of the fine mountain scenery always visible on the
Trans-Andine journey and the possibility of a glimpse of mighty
Aconcagua, which still claims pre-eminence as the culminating point
of the Western Hemisphere.
On the other hand the route across the Andes, formerly blocked to
general traffic for half the year by reason of the winter snows, may
yet be impassable for a week or two, even longer, by reason of the
great avalanches which on the Chilian side of the tunnel are liable
in winter or spring to obstruct the track. When such a condition
prevails, the longer way around may (rarely) become the shorter in
time. A few will at any period prefer the Magellan route from
inability to endure the 10,000 feet altitude of the mountain
journey, from affection for the sea, or from an especial desire to
traverse the famous Straits, discovered by Magellan in 1520 on the
first around-the-world voyage, and to pass the southern continental
limit of the main land if not the dreaded Cape Horn.
The leisurely tourist who desires to see everything of importance
may enjoy the chief pleasures of both routes: going by rail to
Puente del Inca on the east side of the mountain, or better, on to
Mendoza on the edge of the great Argentine plain, returning to Chile
by the old route, the splendid horse back and former diligence trail
from Las Cuevas over the once frequented pass. Thus he may delight
in near and distant views of splendid cliffs and mountains, and
pause to contemplate among the everlasting hills the impressive
image of a colossal Christ standing on the frontier of two great
countries, an emblem of the eternal peace and friendship to which
these nations have sworn.
The tourist who always prefers to travel by sea may at Valparaiso
take a P.S.N. steamer (they sail once in two weeks) for Montevideo,
where he must change for the short run to Buenos Aires. All of these
boats call on the way at Coronel (or Lota) and Punta Arenas, every
other one also at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, the voyage
occupying 11 or 12 days to Montevideo. A boat of the Kosmos Line may
be taken, although they no longer as formerly go through Smyth
Channel, all now missing the fine scenery of the _fjords_. Persons
desiring to see more of Chile may go by rail down the famed Central
Valley, the wonderful fruit and agricultural section, and through
the beautiful lake region, taking the steamer at Coronel. A
peculiarity of this longitudinal valley extending several hundred
miles between two ranges of mountains parallel to the sea is that
instead of being watered by a single stream running lengthwise, it
is crossed by a number of rivers flowing west into the ocean. The
railroad is now opened to the south for a distance of 400 miles to
Puerto Montt on the Gulf of Ancud. Although sleeping cars are
provided, the journey should be made by day for the enjoyment of the
scenery.
For a considerable distance south of Santiago towns and villages are
numerous, some of them especially frequented in the summer. Almost
all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and cereals are raised to
perfection in various parts of the valley. In the earlier part of
the journey there are views of lofty Andean peaks; farther south the
range is lower, but with a multitude of lakes and dense virgin
forests, the scenery is no less beautiful. From _Talca_, a
prosperous town of 45,000 on the Maule River, 50 miles south of
Santiago, a branch line runs to the small but pleasant town of
_Constitución_. It was in Talca, which was founded in 1692 and
partly destroyed by a terrible earthquake in 1835, that Director
O’Higgins signed the Declaration of Independence. The city has a
pretty plaza with a fine Government House, theater, church, and
other handsome edifices.
=Chillan=, 100 miles farther, is a modern city famous for its fine
horses and cattle. It affords an unusual opportunity to see the
country people, who come in to the market place on the outskirts of
the city, two or three times a week, especially Saturdays. Wares are
well displayed in booths, gay with _mantas_, gorgeous ribbons and
lace, equestrian outfits, pottery, baskets, and horn ornaments.
Street cars run to the historic ruins of old Chillan, the birthplace
of Don Bernardo O’Higgins. The famous baths and hot springs of
Chillan are beautifully situated among the mountains about 60 miles
distant at an altitude of nearly 8000 feet.
The railroad crosses many rivers on some fine bridges, one nearly ¼
of a mile long and 300 feet above the Malleco River at Collipulli. A
bridge ¾ of a mile long crosses the _Bio-Bio_, along the boundary
line between the Spanish American settlements and the country of the
fierce Araucanians. From Rosendo a branch line leads to the cities
near the sea, _Concepción_, and its seaport _Talcahuano_ 240 miles
from Valparaiso, a port both of commercial and military importance
on a large bay in which a dry dock has been arranged for the repair
and the cleaning of naval vessels. Concepción, which was founded by
Valdivia, but has been several times destroyed both by Araucanians
and by earthquakes, is now a substantial modern city of 50,000
inhabitants, the third in size in the Republic.
=Coronel= and =Lota=, five miles apart on the Bay of Arauco, 40
miles south of Talcahuano, are, one or the other, regular ports of
call for all the steamships, and the only one below Valparaiso for
the P.S.N. boats before Punta Arenas. Hence one going by rail to
Puerto Montt would be obliged to return to this point for his
steamer; unless possibly the Kosmos boats call farther down. The
boats call at Coronel or Lota to procure a supply of coal. This is
pre-eminently _the_ coal region of Chile, of which Lota is the
center. In 1852 a property was purchased here by Don Matias Cousiño
who explored for coal with success. His son Luis, in 1862 inheriting
the property, in 1869 formed a company, keeping most of the shares.
His widow later becoming sole owner of the company was called the
richest woman in the world, with a property of at least $70,000,000.
She died in 1898 leaving six children. Hers was the greatest
financial enterprise then carried on by a Chilian. The capital of
the Company is now $20,000,000. Half a million tons of coal are
annually produced, 1/10 of which is used by the Company for smelters
and their own steamships, the rest being sold.
To visit the mines there is a drop in an electric car of nearly ¼ of
a mile. There are streets, shops, offices, restaurants, stalls for
horses, black-smiths’ shop, etc., down below; and the workings go
far under the deep sea where ships are sailing above. There is good
rock and no drip. The Company owns copper mines, smelting works,
pottery and brick works, glass and bottle factories, etc., with a
fleet of steamers and sailing vessels. Five thousand workmen are
employed here, for whom houses are supplied, free schools, church,
medical attendance, free coal, asylum for aged, etc.
The Señora spent money lavishly at home and in Paris, where she was
well known. Lota Park was laid out by the most skillful landscape
gardeners with artistic design and picturesque effects. Stately
trees, flower beds, all plants of temperate climes here flourished
in a state of the highest cultivation. On a bluff above the town, it
has wonderful sylvan beauty; with grottoes, bridges, fountains,
cascades, etc., marble and bronze monuments, deer and other animals
in the woods, an aviary with birds; near the center of the park, a
fine marble statue by the noted artist Caupolican. A palace fit for
royalty, not quite completed, it is falling to decay. Superb
wainscoting, gold and white frescoing, exquisite parquetry, carved
mantels and sideboards, priceless curios and paintings, treasures of
all kinds were brought from Europe, many never unpacked. The Park at
times is open by courtesy to strangers, a spectacle of great beauty,
though perhaps of melancholy. The Company owning 200,000 acres of
farming land has many sheep and cattle and has planted more than
10,000,000 trees.
=Valdivia.= Still farther south in a picturesque site on the
Calle-Calle River is the town of Valdivia (pop. 12,000), the fifth
city founded by Pedro de Valdivia, in 1552. It was too far from his
base for that period, and much slaughter followed in fierce battles
with the natives. Near its port, Corral, at the mouth of the river
15 miles away, in 1820 occurred the victory of Lord Cochrane’s fleet
over the Spanish. For several years the railroad halted at Osorno a
little farther on. Its recent extension to _Puerto Montt_ on the
north shore of the Gulf of Reloncavi, about 100 miles beyond, will
greatly enhance the prosperity of a rich and beautiful section
already sprinkled with thriving German colonists. One of the lakes
near by, Llanquihue, with an area of nearly 300 square miles is
served with steam navigation.
The boats of the P.S.N. Company running from Callao to Liverpool
reach Lota or Coronel the day after leaving Valparaiso. Five days
later they arrive at Punta Arenas; in five or six more at
Montevideo.
Sailing towards the South Pole, the coldest region on earth, the
winds naturally become more chill, especially if it is their winter
season. By a natural perversity of fate, it is said that the finest
scenery is usually passed at night, also it is often foggy or it
snows, so little may be seen. After several days with no land in
view, the sight of _Cape Pillar_, rising 1395 feet above the sea,
the western extremity of Desolation Island, and on the south side,
the western outpost of the Straits, gives a thrill of pleasure. On
the northwest side of this entrance from the Pacific are the three
Evangelists and the Sugar Loaf, columnar rock, more impressive than
many mountains. From Cape Pillar to Cape Virgenes at the eastern
entrance of the Straits it is 240 miles as the crow flies but
between 300 and 400 by the channel which must be followed. As the
prevailing winds are west, sailing ships between October and March
sometimes go through from the Pacific, a fair passage occupying 80
days, but they more generally prefer the passing around Cape Horn,
100 miles south, where jagged boulders rise to a height of 1391 feet
in the midst of a turbulent sea; for despite the 500 additional
miles of open water it is open with less danger from fogs, cross
currents, etc., and time is usually saved. Storms are frequent in
this region, but if the weather favors, the fine scenery including
glacier-covered mountains, deep bays, grim cliffs, gray moss, and
sparse vegetation, picturesque icebergs, the multitude of penguins,
sea-gulls, an occasional albatross, seals and whales, the tints of
sea and glaciers, of clouds and crags, forms a picture which some
persons think is unequaled in Norway or Alaska.
Tourists sailing on a special cruise may have the pleasure of a
detour to the south to obtain a finer view of the splendid mountain
_Sarmiento_; not so high as many others, but with its 7330 feet of
altitude in this latitude presenting an imposing spectacle, at the
base dusky woods for one-eighth of the height, then 6000 feet of
snow and glaciers, two of the latter indeed reaching down to the
sea.
[Illustration:
TIERRA DEL FUEGO
]
[Illustration:
ENTRANCE TO ANDINE TUNNEL, CHILIAN SIDE
]
=Punta Arenas.= After sailing through Magdalena Channel southeast to
Cape Froward, the most southern point of the continental mainland,
the ship turns almost north, a trifle to the east, and in a few
hours comes to anchor in Lat. 53° off Punta Arenas, the most
southern city in the world, 900 miles nearer the South Pole than
Christ Church, New Zealand, and 1600 nearer than Cape Town. From
Cape Froward west, the British Pilot Book says the weather averages
11 hours daily of rain, hail, or snow. There is none worse in any
inhabited part of the globe: but the region is not unhealthy. The
city of about 12,000 people is a flourishing place with wide
streets, good water works and electric lights, a handsome cathedral,
appropriate public buildings, and many fine residences. A museum in
charge of some Catholic priests has a collection of the fauna of the
country, birds, snakes, fish, animals including a woolly horse, a
unique specimen with wool a foot long. Also pottery, weapons, and
utensils of the Fuegian tribes are exhibited. In the town, furs,
fine guanaco skins, ostrich feathers, Indian baskets, etc., are for
sale, and most persons buy souvenirs. A penal colony was first
established by the Chilians in 1843 at Port Famine not far away, but
after a revolt of the convicts the town was established here; when
the place became a regular port as a coaling station for steamships
the criminals were removed. It was soon discovered that sheep would
thrive in this locality: many large ranches have been established in
the back country, so that 16,000,000 pounds have been shipped in a
year. The Indians, formerly numerous, are now almost exterminated,
though some Yahgans and Onas still wander in the wilds of _Tierra
del Fuego_. As usual most of the white invaders of whatever
nationality have united in their destruction, to which the diseases
of the white man have also contributed.
A settlement still farther south on _Beagle Channel_ in the
Argentine dominion is a village inhabited only by criminals and
their guards, few of the latter being needed, as escape is
impossible except by sea. On this side of Cape Froward the ground is
flatter, the air dryer, the country treeless and of small interest.
Nine hours from Punta Arenas the lighthouse on _Cape Virgenes_, 135
feet high, is passed and a three days’ sail on the Atlantic in a
direct voyage brings one to Montevideo.
=Port Stanley= on the Falkland Islands, a genuine English town of
2000 people, has a fine harbor with supplies for ships and
facilities for repairs; no trees, but a sedgy grass, called tussac,
7 feet high, excellent for horses and cattle, and with roots
something like celery, edible for man. The weather is never very
cold but the average temperature is low.
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