Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-12-21
Countess of Monte Cristo


Aa the Osiris was compelled TO coal mere,
W. dlaembarked at Coronel and went oy
rail to Lota, another famous place for coal
and copper. only about four miles dlstant'
but fronting little bay Of iss own. Hlgo
bluffs surround Its rosds;ead. except in one
level corner where the town has bsen set,
containing two enormous smelting-Works, q
bottle factory, the works, coal otnoes ana
workmen's houses.
The most interesting thing atcut the
place Ia that the mines and emeters, the
msnuiactorles, the pier. the shipping, evary
house In the village and all the land in sight
is The cole property OF wonar-tte cele-
hrated widow, Sonora IsAdora Cous'no tpro-
nonounce Cow-seen.yo,) who ia about the
wealthies. Individual In the world. She can
efford to be eccentric, and there bsiag no
end TO her money and nc limit TO her eX-
travegsnce, the people delight to call her
the "Countess of Monte Cristo."
Bsaides very extensive and valuable minse
of silver, copper and coal, ehe possesses mil
lions OF money, millions OF aores CT lard,
fl loks and herds that are numbered By MIL
lione, whole blocks OF real estate In ssntisgo,
Valparaiso and other citiee, whose rentals
amount to several hundred thousand dollars
per anuum. She Ia the principal stoekhc!d-
er in the largest bank OF Chill, she owns
| railroad, feet ofiron Steamship and other
odds end ends in the way Of productive
property, which bring In, all told, pitlsnce
OF many millions year.
From her coal mines alone che realizes
not less than $50 900 month. Her steam
ships, eight in number, esch OF 500 tons
capacity. were bnilt In Eogland and are
used TO carry the coal north ward of Chilli,
as far as Panama, and southwerd through
the Strait of Magellan to BueDcs Ayres and
Montevdeo. As return cargo, these coai'
ing vessels bring down ore from upper Chill,
Peru and Ecuador. for smelling In her silver
and copper works at Lots, while those that
90 around to the eastern side come back
with beef -four, coffee and merchandise for
the oousump ption Of her people.
Lota contains $500 inhabitants, ard
among them che distributes Ia wages over
500 600 per mcnth. Though tt is only
mining village, as smoky and dirty "a any
in the coal regions Of Pennsylvania, the sen-
ora prefsr5 living there to any place this sids
OF Paris. She has q magnificent palace In
the most aristocratio quarter OF Santiago
In the Gale de Diez y Ocbo-which is
splendldly furnished, and is the show place
Of that city Of palacee.
We went TO see 1t, as oil travellers do who
can obtain the necessary permission, snd
spent hours In its countless, luxurious apart.
ments. liz well.appointed picture galleries
and mushrooms and libraries, its gardene.
beausfed by etstuary, fountains and flow
els, msrveling how its owner could bear to
see 1t ehut up year after year, while she
spent most Of her time in stuffy European
5otes. She owns another estate an hours
dive from Santiago, named Macul (pro-
| nouuced Mstcooie which is eald to be the
6oest estanca 10 ell South America.
Is boundaries stretch from the Chilian
capital far iuto the Cordileras, whose gilt.
teripg osps of eternal snow mark the limits
of her land. Her orchards, vineyards ard
fields OF grain are In Its valleys. and her
hocks aud herds feed on the foot bills. The
Mscul vineyards supply nearly ali the mar
kets Of Chilli with claret and sherry, and the
cellar of the place-sn enormous structure,
500 feet long by 100 feet wide-is kept COZ
! antly filed. All the wine bottles, as we'll
as those for the celebrated Couslno beer, are
| manufactured in the glass works at Lota,
bur he labels are mostly made 10 France.
On this farm the Sonora keeps some valuabls
horses and cattle and hor racing stable 10 one o.
the most extensive on the continent. She taxes
| as much interest 10 the turf ss any English wom-
| an, and it is said that when in Chilli she never
fails to attend every racing meeting, ard bets
heavily On her own horses. am told that at the
Diez Ocho races Just preceding her lest depsrt
ure for Errope her winnings exceeded S1OO,UOO,
not counting the purses won by her horses, which
are always divided among the employees of the
stables.
Ab ut three hundred men are given employ
ment at Mscu all organized under superin-
tendents, most Of whom are scotchmen, and it is
asserted that in case of need Mrs. ecu ,ino could
| marshal thousand men from her farms alone,
who are all in her employ. few years ago she
presented to the people Of Santiago o beautiful
| ark Of one hundred scres and race-cour,e ad.
joining it, all within the city linits-Fsnnie B
| Ward.