The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-11-28
NEWS FROM CHILL
The Prosperity of a Convict
Colony.
GOODBYE TO THE ANDES
In the Straits of Magellan-The Southern
most Town on the Globe
Some Strange Sights.

PUNTA ARENAS, Patagonia. Oct 25 1891.
SPECIAL correspondence of The HERALD.
When we rounded Cape Froward-
which, as every school boy knows, is the
southernmost point of the Western Henri
sphere, Cape Horn being on tiny island
200 miles further south-the usual snow
storm prevailed, for we are months too
early in these waters for pleasure trip,
which should only be made during their
brief summer time, in December, January
or February. On the right cleaned a
stupenduous blue green glacier, shining
like glass between snowy mountains; on
the left a line of wonderful craqgy peaks,
snowcrested, all looked like stucco-work
against the wintry sky, or a series of
gigantic images done in plaster. just
ahead dark mass of rock doomed up from
the waters edge to height of 200 feet,
joined to the range by low strip of land;
and that dark mass is Cape Froward, the
tip end Of the southern continent, place
familiar enough in school-day annals, but
which few Of US expected to behold with
our mortal eyes. Directly south of it Mt.
Sarmiento-the most striking island noun
tain of the whole acknowledgements its
almost perfect pyramid 1900 feet into the
blue. A little farther eastward is Mount
Darwin-a peak as lofty if not SO famous :;
and south of both runs
DARWIN SOUND,
on whose southern shore, in an English
mission station, a few devoted men and
women are striving (buu without pro
nounced success) to Christianize the be
nighted Terra del Fuegoans At dinner
that day the captain happened to remark
that this was our very last night within
sight of the Andes, for the ships course
would change during the night so that
| those mountains would no longer be visible.
| We felt as if he had said that some old
| time friends were about to bid US a final
adieu; and though snow was falling and d
bitter wind coating every thing with ice,
stole out alone from the well-warmed cabin
where others were Waiting to the music of
either and guitar, for last half hour with
those glorious heights which for two years
have been present companions-a perpetual
delight and inseparating, and an unfailing
solace when dangers or home sickness as
sailed.
From sailing due southwark we had
turned to the northeast, so that the sun
appeared to have sunk in our wake, while
| a halo of crimson and gold jet fingered on
the distant Andes-transfigured mountains
now, no longer barren and icy, but clothed
in rosy tints ike true ''laud of the sky
But not for long. In less time than it takes
to tell it the brilliant colors faded and they
became mere ghosts of mountains
shadowy and pale, wrapped in misty
shrouds. In the deepening twilight they
seemed to be keeping tryst with
ONE WHO LOVED THEM WELL,
standing on tip-toe and peering one ove1
the shoulders Of another, to return my
mute farewell-Lill darkness hid them from
view. The following morning we founC
ourselves at anchor of the coast of thi
nineteenth province of Chilli, opposite Pun
ia Arenas, the southernmost city on tn
} face of the earth-the home of the penguin
the sea lion and the guanaco, where wine
and storm and cold prevail during tn
greater part of the year. And here we dis
en- parked, armed and equipped with sun
dry letters of Introduction to the consul
5 the governor and other persons in author
a ity purposing to spend three or four week
(until the next steamer of the line come
along and picks US uD) in exploring VIVA
Z we can of Southern Patagonia and tn
a islands of Terra del Fuego. The site 0
a Punta Arenss-which is Spanish 70
q SANDY Point''-was certainly not chose
a | for its beauty. II occupies a long spit, ex
n tending out into the strait, backed b
!. messy fields and low hills covered wit
y chsrred timber, and behind these rises
q range Of loftier hills, covered with perpet
:, ual snow, though their altitude is barrel
. 1000 feet. Looking on map OF the worl
: you will see that the town is considerable
II nearer to the South Pole than any other O
r the globe-nearer even than the Cape c
= Good Hope or any inhabited island-altC
a. gether too near for any sort of comfort, fo
9 when it is not showing in the strait it
a always raining, high winds
d NEVER CEASE THEIR HowLING,
. and a raging surf in the shallow bay pre-
= vents boats from landing about five day
L out of every seven. The captains log boo
says that squalls off the land are so yer
:, strong here as almost to lay ships on the
y u beam ends" and are known to seamen
u the Patagopian name of williwauas Soc
. as the locality is approached sails al
y closely reefed and all light gear mac
y secure, for the williwauas usually come {
-. y, without the slightest warning and for u
y moment blow with the fury of hurricau
How did 1t happen that town ever gre
in so distant and desolate spot? Near
half a century ago, in 1s43, l think, n
al Chilian government, looking around for Il
70 human beings could possibly exist to whi(
they might Danish certain political offenr
CT ers chose this remote corner of Patagoni
10 because from it there seemed no way
10 escape but in speedy death; and inmed
ately afterwards the penal colony of Pc
40 Famine-which had long occupied the 81
81 of San Felipe, the old Spanish town whi
Sarmiento founded-was removed to u
point When the prisoners, most of who
were men of intelligence and educatio
We were driven from their northern homes,
he thousand miles away, they left behind
n traces of civilization, as well as all hop
-, of return. Here they had no neighbC
~ but
THE WILD AND wAR-LIKE TRIBES OF PAT
COMA
and the savages of TERRA del Fuego. VIII
er on the west and south the dreary wastes
ra the Pacific stretched away half the wid
.. of the world; on the north great, untrC
VI den wilderness, and on the east an impas
by bic wall of snow clad mountains.
ed The history of their early hardshlps a
er- struggles for existence will never
by known. Nobody dreamed that they woJ
81. survive generation after generation, mu
! less that they could elbow their W
through such q sea of oiscouragements a
nv and by compel the mother country
lat acknowledge her castaways as valued CT
rsr zens. Naturally their first care was to c.
rat struct homes of some sort, for many
an them had been accompanied into exile
Iav their tenderly reared wives and famili
he Except for the lack of tools, they had
gh great difficulty in building houses from
the trees OF the surrounding forest. Shell
lid are abundant hereaoouts, ana they lot
OF the finest celery and mushrooms grow
re- spontaneously.
Ugh . UrNDs OF VEGETABLES CAN RE GRO,
be ALL
Wv U.