Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-28
AT PUNTA ARENAS.
4 TOWN WHlC+ > THE OVLY SET
TLEME&T Tl pATlGJNlA
A Desolate J. '"Sin= Village FuII Of HUI
man Driftw ""d-Iutrrr-tin- Curi"--
tiles for sale -O>trich Feather
Rugs Throwing tn" E"Iss.

Rug. -Thro,,ipa The. E,I,.
>,' .u.
One look nj rhi- p.rcr i ruDu gL to con
vince the most IuCrr!upu~ that whOe. cr
located the peaal colony Of chill did not
intend the convict Ifc should br = happy
one 1t lie, on "A on spit which stretches
out into the straits. and the Eng I-h call
IL sandy PO Mt but a better name would
be ape DesJIatiun CouyiCts are sent
here 10 longer. but some of those remain
" hO came when lLili kept the seeds and
bar esls Of her revolutions here. There
used to be military guard. but that was
Withdrawn during the war with Peru.
and all the prisoners who would consent
to enter the army got ticket Of leave.
The governor resides in what was Olce
the barracks and horses are kept in what
was used n stockade Hunger. decay.
and dreariuess are inscribed upon every
thing on the faces OF the men a, we'll AS
the houses they live in. and the people
look rs Il scuuruging as the mud
The town l. interesting. because it Is
the only settlement in Iata -Onia and of
course the only one in the straits II is
about 4. 900 miles from the sOuthernmost
town on the west coast Of South America
to the first port ON the eastern coast. Il
voyage which ordinarily requires fifteen
days. and. as Punta Arenas Is about in
the middle OF the way. It possesses some
attractions Spread ont in the mud are
80 houses, more or less. which shelter
from the CeaSeless storms a community
of $40 or 900 people. representing all
sorts and conditions of men. from the
primeval Indian type TO the pure { auCa-
slan-COnvICts. traders. iugitiy es wrecked
seamen, drserters from all the navies in
the world { hinamen, negroes Po'es.
Italians, SandwiCh islanders. Portuguese
men who have led from Justice. wander
ing Jews and human driftwoOd Of every
tongue and cline cast up by the sea and
absorbed in q community scarcely one Of
which would be wiring to tell why he
came here. or would they STAY if they
could get away 1t i said that in Puuta
Arenas can be found an interpreter for
every language known TO the modern
world, but, although the place belongs to
Chilli. English Is most generally spoken
There are some decent people here ship
agents and traders who came for busi-
ness reasons. a consul or two. and among
others an Irish physician DR. entOn,
who is the host and OraC e sought by every
stranger who arrives. CcasiOually some
yachting party stops here on VOYAGE
around the world. or a man IF war cruis-
ing from one ocean to the other. and
steamers bound from Furope to the South
aCinC ports. or returning thence. pass
every day or two. so that communi alton
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 and the
Fourth OF u.y comes in the depth Of
winter are pretty well informed as TO af-
fairs at the her end OF the globe. The
latitude is about that Of Green and. and II
you tip the globe over you viii see that It
is the sOuthernmOst town in the world.
further south than the ape Of Good
Hope or any Of the Inhabited islands
Here are TO be purchased many inter
esting relics. and passengers who are
fortunate enough 10 get ashore go back
To their ship loa!ed down with Indian
trihe, shells and ying fish, tuSks of sea
lions. serpent skins, agates from Cape
Horn, turtle shells. and the curious tails
of the armadlIlo in which the Indians
carry their war paint But the pret;lest
things to be bought at Puata Arenas are
the ostrich rugs. made Of the breasts OF
the young bIrds. as s"tt as down. and as
beautiful as plumagc can be- lhe
pIumes OF the ostrich are pIucked from
the wings and tail while the bird Is
alive, but TO mabe rug the little ones
are killed and skinned. and the soft
fully breasts are sewed tose her until
they reach the size OF blanket Those
brown and those Of the purcst white are
alternated. and the combination produces
very fine artistic effect They are too
dainty and beautiful 10 be spread upon
the floor, but can be used as carriage
robes. or 10 throw over the back OF
couch or chair. Sometimes ladies use
them as panels for the front "t dress
skirts, ana mus they are more strlAInS 3