Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-01
CULTURED CHIIi.
Described by Ensign Hugh RodmSas of
Kentucky, on the United States Flag
ship Hartford.

Extract from Letter.
The first sight that one gets Of the San
tlago valley, in Chilli, is one to be long re-
membered. Imagine perfectly level fiat
plain, as green and luXuriant as nature
can make il, extending as far as the eye
can reach, dotted here and there with lit
tie villages and farm houses. groups of
trees, streams like silver threads winding
in every direction for irrigating the land,
long lines of straight, tall trees bounding
the haciendas, and this, with a back
I ground of the SnOw-cOVered Andes. makes
the most beautiful picture that l have
ever seen.
The valley extends down from Santiago
/ toward the south for 800 miles, and is one
OF the richest pieces of land on this CONT
nent.
Santiago is built on this plain, at the
/ foot of the mountains and on the banks of
| the MaipOchO river, and had its founders
/ looked the world over they could not have
found site more beautifully situated or
better adapted for city as large as San
tiagois to-day.
This city, like others built in countries
subject to earthquakes, is made of adotR
1 bricks, and covered with red tile roofs;
! but here there is a better finish and more
! artistic arrangement in the general con-
stTuctiOn than in other countries of South
( America. You can see in the residence
] duN business part VI OdHIldGO HOUSES IudL
/ are as elegant, both inside and outside. as
you viii see in any Of our large cities, and
! but few residences in the States have gar
/ dens or surroundings that can begin to
compare with some Of these in Santiago.
One reason why the city IS so full OF ele-
] CANT residences is because nearly every
rich man in Chill builds house in San
! tiagO, so as to be there during the season
/ Of gayety and pleasure in winter, and
! Chilli has a Orpat MANY rich mon
There are many attractions IN Santiago
/ for stranger beside staring at new and
/ curious scenes. which one can see at eY-
cry crook and turn. The city has the
most magnificent and beautifully equipped
theatre in America, including New York
city, and it suIpasses the majority of
/ theatres IN Europe in elegance and COM
/ pleteness. 1t is a State institution, ana
offers very liberal inducements to the
best artists, but only the best can succeed
/ in getting it.
The building will long be remembered
! by me for the reason that last Sunday
about noon / went around with two other
officers from our ship bent on sight see
/ ing, and while we were sitting in one Of
the rear seats in the lower floor Of the
house a man suddenly rushed across the
! stage III a frantic manner and diSap-
peared; at the same time all Of the globes
on the chandeliers began trembling, and
! q low rumbling noise, like a carriage on
a paved road was heard.
One OF the officers had just remarked
! that they were shifting scenery and get
ting ready for the nights play, when
| there cane two or three sudden jerks-I
| don't know what to call them-Which
! shook the whole building, and threw one
| OF us down in the aisle as
we arose and started to leave. The
shock was so great that | was sure the
1,Efr. hill III IL 4
me before l could get twenty feet from my
seat, but fortunately the building was not
damaged. When we reached the street
( / think 1t took us nearly a tenth Of a Sec
Ond to cover about fifty yards in getting
out we found it full Of people, the women
kneeling and pray log, the men with heads
uncovered and boating their breasts and
chanting some rubbish, could not under
stand what. l saw one woman rush out
of her house and fall in the middle of the
street completely exhausted, bowling,
/ screaming, and making an awful row, but
no one offered to help her up until l gave
| her my assistance.
In several of the cathedrals there was
/ stampede, but no damage done. Some
! American ladies here told me that they
! were in the Presbyterian church at the
/ time, and that the minister was Just serV-
! ing the cup OF Wine when the shock came.
! He dropped it and made tracks for all he
was worth, and didn't stop to ask bene-
| dictiOn, for if he had he would have had
an empty church, since every one else
had left for parts unknown rather sud-
| denly. No serious damage was done in
| the city, and it is wonderful, since the
shock was very heavy one. Earth
/ quakes are well enough for once in a life
/ time, but one will last Il long time to those
| unaCcustOmed to the dreadful experience.
| Just off from the business part of the
/ PitV iS the mark T11afa i'm,
mense rOckery made into one OF the finest
/ and most picturesque parks that have
/ ever seen. 1t is full of walks, drives.
/ fountains, flowers, sbrubbery, statuary
! and rustic seats, and commands view
| of the whole country for miles around.
! The city surrounds il on all Sides YOU
! can trace out the streets and alamadas.
! its parks and plaZas, and beyond the
/ loVeliest stretch of county imaginable.
/ To the westward the plain extends as far
| as the eye can reach, but to the eastward
! the view is ObstTucted by the snOW-clad
| Andes. One would think that an hours
| walk would bring him to snow on the
mountain side, but IN truth it was about
| fifteen miles away. 1t is hard to realize
| that the two extremes are so close to-
| getheT, the luXUriant green of early
summer on the one hand and the cold.
/ snOw-clad hills seemingly just over head.
We took our lunch on the top OF Santa
] LUCIA. ana lIuuRQ II IS december. tue
/ only thing we had to remind US of it was
! the snow and ice on the mountains, for
| surely Strawberries and ice cream in the
! shade of green trees would not have done
/ it. And such Strawberries as they were!
| Not one of them smaller than bantaln's
/ egg, and most Of them were larger.
The fruit here is delicious and abund-
ant, and for 20 cents-amOUnting to about
/ u cents United States gOld-yOu can get
] 81 cnIpn1i1 assortment n G troy bap-iDc
| apricOts, plums and several other fruits.
The climate Of Santiago is as near per-
| lection as a climate could be, at all times
delightfully."- cool. and the nights cold
enough to require blankets for comfort.
1t is seldom cold enough tor an OYercoat,
/ except during winter months, and then
/ at night only, and is never too warm for
our fall or spring clothes. One thing i'm
| pressed me here, and that was that ladies
/ carried neither fans nor parasOls. The
/ alamada. which is an immense avenue,
is about $50 feet wide, and has four rows
! of trees, one on each side of the side
walk and one on each side of the pave
ment i'll the middle. Fresh water streams
| run on either side Of the middle walk,
and add freshness that is hard to appre-
| ciate until you have seen it. Thousands
/ of dollars have been expended in placing
! statuary in the ALAMEDA and in beautify-
! ing it in hundreds of different ways.
| IL IS mere during Tue evening mat pGO-
! pie come for a stroll and TO listen 20 the
/ band that plays every evening; and an ex-
( cellent band it is, far better than our mil
itary bands in the States.
/ The city is lighted by electric lights, and
the scene with everybody coming and go
/ ing, some driving, some walking, others
on horseback, all talking, laughing and
making merry, lends an enchantment TO
it that makes one wish thatit might never
| cease.
During our stay we were continually
on the 20 from early morning until late at
! night, and what with seeing the city,
driving through the country and going to
| different places of interest, we managed
| to pass q week very pleasantly.
Speaking of Ice.
Nelo York Tribune.
| 1t happened at the Fifth Avenue HOTEL
| Thursday evening. Something was said
| of the severity Of the weather. ''WeD. it
/ is the kind Of weather" observed the Op-
/ tlmist of the party, that makes glad the
! heart of the ice-man." There was no dis
sent from this proposition, and the con-
! vnreati0n WOuld doubtless have taken an