, 1885-09-23
All PUNTA ARENAS.
a TOWN WHICH IS THE ONLY SET,
ELEMENT IN PATAGONIA.
A Desoiate Looking village Full of HUI
man MISUNDERSTANDING Cnrlos-
tiles for saIe-ostrloh Feather
Isugs-%Throwing the BoIas.


N'NFH VI NAhf
One look at this place Is enough to con
vince the most incredulous that whoever
located the penal colony of Chill did not
intend the cOnyicts life should be a happy
one Ii lies on n long spit which stretches
out into the straits. and the English call
II sandy Point. but u better name would
be Cape Desolation. Convicts are sent
here no longer. but some Of those remain
who came when Chill kept the seeds and
har Of her revolutions here There
used TO be u military guard, but that was
Withdrawn during the war with Peru.
and all the prisoners who would consent
to enter the army got a ticket Of leave.
The governor resides in what was once
the barracks. and horses are kept In what
was used rs u stockRde. Hunger, decay,
and dreariness are inscribed upon every
thing. on the faces OF the men as well as
the houses they live In, and the people
look as discouraging as the mud
The town Is Interesting. because ii is
the only settlement in Patagonia, and of
course the only one In the straits. 1t is
about 4. 900 miles from the southernmost
town on the west coast of South America
TO the first port on the eastern coast, n
voyage which ordinarily requires fifteen
days, and, as Punta Arenas is about in
the middle OF the way, II possesses some
attractions. Spread out in the mud are
$50 houses, more or less, which shelter
from the ceaseless storms a community
Of 800 or 1000 people, representing all
sorts and conditions of men, from the
primeyal Indian type 10 the pure Cauca.
sian-convicts. traders. fugitlyes, wrecked
seamen. deserters from all the navies in
the world. Cinnamon. negroes. Poles,
Italians, Sandwich islanders. Portuguese,
men who have fled from Justice, wander
Inc Iauq and human JrfffuvAaA 80 aroru
tongue and cline cast up by the sea and
absorbed In u community scarcely one Of
which would be willing to tell why he
came here, or would they stay If they
could get away. Ii is said that in Punta
Arenas can be found an Interpreter for
every language known TO the modern
world, but, although the place belongs to
Chill, English is most generally spoken
There are some decent people here, ship
agents and traders, who came for bust.
ness reasons. II consul or two. and among
Others an Irish physician, DR.. Fenton,
who is the host and oracle sought by every
stranger who arrives. Occasionally some
yachting party stops here on a voyage
around the world, or a man.of war cruis-
ing from one ocean to the other. int
steamer bound from Europe to the South
/ aciic ports. or returning thence. pass
every day or two; so that communication
is kept up with the rest of the universe.
and the people who live at this antipodes,
where the sun is seen in the north aud the
Fourth of July comes In the depth of
winter are pretty well informed as to af.
fairs at the other end of the globe. The
latitude is about that of Greenland, and II
you tip the globe over you win see that it
is the southernmost town in the world.
further south thar the Cape of Good
Hope or any Of the inhabited islands.
Here are to be purchased many inter
esting relies. and passengers who arc
fortunate enough to get ashore 20 back
To their ship loaded down with Indian
tribe. shells and lying fish. tusks of sea
lions, serpent skins. agates from Cape
Horn, turtle shells. and the curious tails
of the armadillo. n which the Indians
carry their war paint But the prettiest
things to be bought at Punta Arenas are
the ostrich rugs, made of the breasts of
the young birds, as soft as down. and as
beautiful as plumage can be. The
plumes OF the ostrich are plucked from
the wings and tail while the bird /
alive, but TO make a rug the little ones
are killed and skinned. and the soft
fully breasts are sewed together until
they reach the size of Il blanket. Those
brown and those Of the purest white are
alternaied. and the combination produces
"a WY AAi AlAloAAI tAltlL lutN AIt NOO
dainty and beautiful TO be spread upon
the floor. but can be used as carriage
robes, or to throw over the back of a
couch or chair. Sometimes ladies' use
them as panels for the front Of dress
skirts. and thus they are more striking
than any fabric a loom can produce
pera cloaks have been made OF them
also. to the qualification of the aesthetic.
They are too rare to be common and too
beautiful TO ever tire the eye.
Guanaco skins are carried away from
Punta Arenas also. and are considered
very fine. These are the wearing apparel
Of the Indians, and with the ostrich rugs
the chief results Of their chase. In Pata-
gonna ostriches are not bred as at the Cape
Of Good Hope, but run wild, and are
rapidly getting exterminated. The In
dians chase them on horseback, and catch
them with bolas. two heavy balls upon
the end Of a rope. Grasping one ball in
the hand they gallop after the ostrich. and
whirling the other ball around their heads
like a coil Of lasso. they let go when near
enough to the bird. and the two balls.
still revolving in the air. II skillfully di-
rected will wind around the long legs of
the ostrich and send him turning somer-
saults upon the sand The Indians then
leap from the saddle, and. II they are out
OF meat. cut the throat of the bird aud
carry the carcass TO camp but If they
have no need Of food. they pull the long
plumes from his tail and wings, and let
him go again to gather fresh plumage for
the next season.