Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-11
THE RICHEST OF ALL WOMEN.
she has Millions on MilIIons-The Won
drOus History of Mime. CouSino, of
santiago, Chill.
From "a ~ York Sc.

E&hkA0kUs GEnAAs
From tie Nsl5 York Sun.
SANTIAGO, CHILL, Oct. 25.-The Cr9sus
OF South America is a woman, Donna Is
adora Cousino of Santiago. Chill, and
there are few men or women in the world
richer than she. There is no end to her
money and no limit to her extravaganza,
and people call her the Countess OF
Monte CrIsto. She traces her ancestry
back to the days of the conquest, and has
the record of the first OF her fathers who
landed in the New World. His family
was already famous, for his uncles and
sire fought under the ensign OF the ARA
CONS before the alliance with CASTLE. But
the Spanish branch of the family were
lost in the worlds great shuttle two or
three centuries ago, and none OF them dis
tinguished themselves enough TO get
their portraits into the collection which
Sonora Couslno has made OF the lineage
she claims.
Like hers, the ancestors of her late hus-
band came over early, aud in the parti-
tion of the lands and spells Of the con-
quest both got large share, which they
kept and increased by adding the portions
given to their less thrifty and less enter.
prslng associates, until the two estates
became the largest, most productive, and
most valuable OF all the haciendas Of Chi
Ii, and were finally united into one by the
marriage, twenty-four years ago of the
late Don and bis surviving widow. While
he lived he was considered the richest man
IN Chilli and she the richest woman, for
their property was kept separate, the
husband managing his estates and the
wife her own, and people say she was al
together the better administrator of the
two. This fact he acknowledged in his
will, when he bequeathed all OF his pos
sessions to her, and piled his Pelion upon
her Ossa, so that she has millions ofacres
of land, millions of dollars in money,
flOcks and herds that are numbered by
the hundreds Of thousands, coal, copper,
and silver mines, acres of real estate in
the cities Of Santiago and Valparaiso, a
feet of iron steamships, smelling works.
q railroad, and various other tritles in the
way of productive property, which yield
her an income of several millions a year,
that she tries very hard to spend, and I'M
der the circumstances succeeds as well
as could be expected.
From the coal mines alone Sonora Cou-
elnO has an income of $4,000 a month,
and there is no reason why this should
not be perpetual, as they are the only
source from which fuel can be obtained
in all South America, and those who do
not buy of her have to import their coal
from Great Britain. lido not believe there
are any mines in the world which pay so
large a profit upon the capital invested
and the labor expended. They lie at the
extreme southern limit Of the populated
district OF Chilli, just above where the ar
chipelago that you will notice on the map
begins. Talcahuano is the nearest port
of Importance, but the towns at the mines
are LOta and Coronel. The coast is quite
abrupt here, and the mines are entered
by shafts that are Immediately over the
water Of Lota bay, so that the coal is
drawn on trucks to the mouth of the
mines and dumped into launches and
lighters which are towed out to the an
chOrage of ships. 1t is said that it costs
only 81 So ton to mine and deliver this
coal on shipboard, and she will not sell an
ounce OF it at price less than ST 90 ton,
Just shade lower than the cost OF i'm
ported Cardiff. AS the deposit is mex
naustible, and the widow has no.
nop0ly, 1t Will be surmised that this
portion of her property Will yield enough
revenue to keep the wolf from her
door.
She has fleet of eight iron steamships,
OF capacities varying from 1900 TO 5000
tons, built In England, and used to carry
the coal up the coast as far as Panama,
and around the Straits of Magellan to Blu
enos Ayres and MOntevide1 AT LOta she
has copper and silvA: smelling works, be-
sides the coal mines, and her coaling ships
bring ore down the coast as q return car
go from upper Chi, Peru, and Ecuador,
while those that 60 to Buenos Ayres
bring back beef and -four and merchan-
disc for the consumption of her people.
Nine. COusino owns every house in the
town of Lota, and every one of its six or
fnnnaQn1 N ha 70 fG
upon her for support. In Coronel her
proprietorship is not quite so complete,
but nine-tenths OF the people, and there
are s, GOO there, are on her pay rolls. She
has brick kilns and potteries, as well as
smelters, and makes all the tiles and
earthenware used on the west coast. 1t Is
said That she pays out from 100000 to
S120, 900 month as wages in these two
towns, most Of which comes back into
her pocket through the supply stores,
where she sells food and clothing to her
own people.
Although Lota is only a mining town,
as dirty and smoky as any of its counter
parts in Pennsylvania. it is the Widows
tavorite place OF residence, and she is now
building mansion that will cost a mil
lion dollars at least. The architect and
chief builder are Frenchmen whom she
imported from Paris, and much of the
material Is imported also. Not long ago
she shipped cargo Of hides and wool in
one OF her own steamers to Bordeaux, and
II Is to come back laden with building
supplies for this mansion. She has no
time to go across the sea herself, and the
captain Of her ship will bring with him
decorators and designers, and upholstery
men, who are TO take look at things and
finish the interior for her occupation, re.
gardless OF expense.
This mansion stands in the centre of
what is undoubtedly the finest private
park in the world, including $50 acres OF
land, laid out in the most elaborate man
ner, filled with statuary, fountains, grot-
tas, caves, cascades, and no end OF beau
fiful trees and plants. The Improvement
Of the natural beauty of the place is said
70 have cost Sonora Cousino nearly a mill
lion dollars, and she has force
OF thirty gardeners constantly at
work. The superintendent is a Scotch
man, and he told me his orders were TO
make the place paradise. without re-
gard TO cost. In this park there are many
wild animals and domesticated pets, not
only natives OF the country, but imported
from other lands, and the flowers are won-
derful.
At present the madam is living in a
temporary structure, but remains con-
stantly on the ground to superintend the
construction OF her new home. She has
another park and palace an hours drive
from Santiago--the finest ''estaneiav or
plantation in Chill, perhaps in all South
America, and ! do not know OF one in
North America or EuFOpB that will eOua nj