The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-01-02


Stanley There were the usual number Of cangrau,a.
tions and bridal gifts and farewells and just rs the
evening gun was fred, and the nass OF the
uonal airs OF the allies the mail steamer turned her head
10 the Pacific bearing General vickers and his lady on
bridal tour TO the States your correspondent 70 me
mining districts and crowd of travellers TO various re-
mote destinations concerning which the passenger list
Of the steamer will undoubtedly afford information 70
inquircrs.
coouIMBo
the principal port OF the copper region and province
OF the same name was reached the afternoon OF the
next day. This place ia town, having sprung up
within few years as port for shipping copper IL 10
perched upon the side OF rocky LEDGE and with the
exception Of the front towards the sea, surrounded
with unbroken waste of volcanic stone and sand.
telegraph connects II With Santiago railroad with
the immense copper smelling works OF Guayaon,
another with the copper mines Of the and the
third with the handsome city Of Serena capital OF the
hospitality OF the few Americans there lasts a long
time. and was not sorry 10 leave the miserable hotel
the next morning after my arrival for the famous mines
OF Tamaya.
The railroad runs out from the city across sandy
plain, and after winding round the base Of several
shaped moun'ans bearing nothing but cactus stuned
thorns and volcanic rock among which a few goats sus
tain miserable existence stretches far down parched
valley dreary the hills that overlook IT, The sta
tions consist Of house and water tank the latter sup
piled by pumps with bracksh water from deep wellsh
and dried up by the fierce that they TO
add to the loneliness and desolation of the desert
TOPOGRAPHY OF TIKI COUNTRY
Is peculiar Although the only rain that ever falls here
consists of two three light showers In the winter
months scarcely enough to mosten the thirsty earth,
or TO wash the thick deposit of sand from the
thorn bushes every hand are deep dry channels,
that at some previous time Of which we have neither
history tradition must have been the bedsof rivers
and round BY the action Of running water, and high
bluffs cut down straight into the sandstone only rivers
can cut them There are hollows with gravey banks,
that have been lakes steep descents where torrents
have hurled the rocks into heaps and scooped out smooth
places for the eddies whir and play and yet there
Is not record or the fainlest trace OF the period In
which such things existed. Mauy the intc-
or great ridges and hundreds Of feet above the
sea are heaps Of shs Just as they are found along the
beach, except that here they beachcd and by
the influence Of the sun and drifting sand.
PLAINS ROCKS.
In some districts Of the north Of Chile there vast
plains Of sand which IL heaped up by the wind into
great crescens and which travel the country
eac ne o. SION .0 r
has been rent asunde forming wide chasm whose two
sides exactly mach and in other places immense heaps
Of broken rocks, the fragments weighing from TO
i've TONS and piled up like the little heaps by the
side OF the tunpikes and in the city What adds
TO the strangeness of the phcnomeno Is the entire d
ference the OF the In these isolated
heaps from the rock which surrounds them We can
only attribute the appearance q such collections %
without being surrounded by indications Of lava
other volcanic matter.
At Las Cardas the railroad eavesths valley, and by
series OF wonderful curves climbs the mountains with
feet Deep and precpces that make one dizzy 10 look
over as the train sweeps round on their brink Beyond
the summit, and part way down the side Is Higuerita
the present terminus Of the road forty miles from Co.
quimba The town consists Of three -four mud houses
occupied by very dark skinned peons whose children
the most part, have remarkably light complications Il
has boom observed through tut South America that whcr
over railroads. OF any other great i0ternai
have been introduced the country people, a. vel Is the
generations become lighter colored This change 10
sometimes quite marked, and s not uncommon FOR
nearly ali the children born In tho neghb0rhood OF these
works during the rs year Or Two Of thor construction
70 have blue eyes. light hair, and much farer
in explanation OF this phcnoEsnon have Been advanced
by medical and other scientific men, the generally
ceptod theory being that the bleaching Of the crcn
attributable the long service in this climate OF tho
families Ia washing the linen Of Foreigners connected
with the railroads. &C. Az HgncritA coaches were wait
ing for passengers rayengin the direction Of the mnes
and After lunch on boiled beef tongue bread and
he extent Of tho hotel bill Of fsre Entrusted myself
with wstful eye as Il ccmmis.ratine tbs mmfortunes
that should havo led me Into that region he cheerully
h nna me h van SIX nv
rocky beds Of dried up rvcrs and across very weary
distance Of sand and intoerabe heat TO the beautiful val
TIE VALLEY or ovAILA
The change from the whitening atmosphere Of tho
table land to this little strip OF fertility like
waking from nightmare The town was tidy, full Of
shade trees and Of pure water from the springs
above and the air laden with the fragrance Of flowers
and clover Here took horses and rode 70 the
rancho OF hcssrs. Hill Rofe, American railroad
tractors the mountain sIde, fifteen miles distant
arriving just at dusk, time for excellent dinner In
aud evening after the fashion OF Rocky
Mountain scenes whereof we read in popular romanccs
the sr West Tive dy, ,s,.s sDs.: IL riding sS0r
being regarded Is fun Tor Chile horse. Among
rides won't part Of the line Of the remarkable
railroad being built from Tongoy 70 the summit Of
Tamsya Mountain four thousand hundred feet hgh
details Of which win be given hereafter
THE COPPER
The whole range Of the Andes known 70 be filled
with precious metals OF ncalculablc wealth. All along
the coast for four thousand miles, mineral indications
visible ~ the naked and In some places the tourist
sails many days past bufs deeply stained with the de-
posts Of copper. A. every port mineral specimens
explorations; and small smcltng works dot the shores
from Peru TO far south Valparaiso. The traditions
Of the Indians whom the spaniards fosnd here nearly
and silver mines and from that time 70 the present day
now discoveries have followed each other with almost
fabulous apidity. II would be impossible 70 give all
the traditions that still exist respecting mines that have
been worked by Indians on small scale and
unknown The authenticated accounts OF accidental
discoveries Of silver By poems who either parted with
their acquisitions for triIe or suddenly amassed
immense fortunes would Ill volumes In tho coal mines
OF tho south or Chile men working with the pick
who owned portions Of the coal district and many
OF the copper and silver mines now In operation have
labores employed In them who knew Of the existence OF
the mines long before they were opened. few LUCKY
dscoverers turned their good fortune 70 account sud
y wS. s owner o. ns S sns
and who nov has an annual income o. e2oo,ooo
from the Isthmus OF Panama 70 tho Straits Of Magellan
The silver mines Of Peru have long been well Known,
discovery OF Cnuc 0nte8 Dack 70 very
carry period Gold Is found In many parts OF this
try, and has been worked some but not
with satisfactory results II Is believed that the
extreme Southern districts OF Chile, occupied By
Indians, has very rich gold mines Az considerable
quantities Of that metal reach the coast through the
hands Of Traders with the various tribes. Near vApa
several attempts have been made TO got gold
and two parties did toerably well for tims but
the project was npaliy abandoned Immenso mines Of
silver copper found In Bolivia and the north or
Chile; and farther south are nch and extensive oosl
fields, descriptions Of which sent 70 the HEsSp
time since Mines Of cobalt, zinc lead, &c We also
boon discovered, and being worked succeed My In
addition TO these mnse riches portion Of The coast
yields many tons Of sAHpetre annually.
In the cordilieras have been found Indications Of
petroleum Bkc those In the oil region PennsyIv
Travellers betwcep Chile and the Argentine Republic ~
port the existence Of large pssof petroleum the
slope Of the Andes, and there doubs that time
will develop oil region In this part OF the world
pared with which that OF Pennsylvania will sink into
insiguincance. The only question when and how
thesc ricncs 70 be developedf
THE Dir7CuIrfs
Most Of the mines m well o. the oil regions, are
many leagues in the Interior far up almost inacccssi
BILE mountains, and distant from water and vegetation
hund of mill tn han In uocaoo m