The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-22
NITRATE OF SODA
Facts Concerning the Valuable
Commodity.
THE WORLDS PRINCIPAL PORT
Fannie B. Ward Makes Tour That is Very
Much Out of the Beaten Path
Her Experiences.


IoUIQUI, Chill, March l, 1S91.-TSpecial
correspondence of The HERALD. When
we first saw Iquiqui, little more than half
year ago, it was one of the most peaceful
and prosperous cities of Chili-a seaport
second only to Valparaiso in population and
commercial Importance, in wide contrast to
the burned and battered ruin the rebels
made of it on their recent raid. AS most of
my readers are aware, it has long been the
great shipping point of the world for nj
trate of Soda vast business, practically
controlled by English capital; and therefore
in the eyes of Englishmen,
IQU1QUI Is OF MORE CONSEQUENCE
than all the rest of Chill put together. By
the way, the queer name, which on foreign
tongues sounds like the quacking of duck,
Is Of AymGra Indian origin and should be
pronounced Exec kee, accented on the mid
die syllable.
On the 18th and Goth of last month there
was hard fighting in the streets of the
town, between the rebels and government
troops, being attacked by soldiers in the
rear and bombarded by the feet in the bay
both parties struggling to gain possession
of the Intendencia; and the doomed city suf-
fered little more from the foe than from the
friends who were trying to defend it.
Every building in the six principal squares
was completely destroyed. The insurgents
seized on the custom house, pillaged private
residences, and finally set fire to the bust
ness quarter and reduced it to ashes. The
terrified women and children, who were
hidden in the inner rooms of their houses
to escape bombs and flying bullets, had the
walls burned or pulled down over theil
heads during the sacking process, and il
this way several hundred defenceless crea
lures persisted like rats in hole.
Low-class Chilians are proverbially cruel
and the soldiers, having once had taste Of
blood,
ARE WORSE THAN so MANY sAyAGEs.
This was many times proved in the wal
with Peru. After one or two disastrous
battles, the Peruvians-knowingw what Il
expect if they fell into the hands Of the
merciless enemy when defeat was certain
leaped into the sea CT killed themselve!
with their own bayonets. There is small
need of hospital service on the part of al
army engaged against Chilli, for if the latter
y
never any wounded to be nursed. Disre
garding all rules of civilized warfare, al
well as the common instincts of humanity
the blood-thirsty wretches, assisted by tn,
rdbonds, degraded women who follow tht
army, make it point of duty to go owe
the field. rob the dead and murder thei
wounded enemies. The term ''cut-throat'
would apply to the Gillian soldier, TO
every one of them carries short. curves
knife-sharpened on the inner side Of tn
curve-that just fits human neck, and i
terribly expert in its use. Not long ag
we were entertained in the house of
wealthy citizen of Santiago, when b.
showed NE, with great pride and satisfao
ton, glass case ontaining upwards o
two hundred gold and silver medals, sue
as these southern governments delight t
BEsTow UPON THEIR SOLDIERS
for distinguished bravery, and related hoy
they were all torn from the breasts of dea
or wounded officers on the battle fields o
Peru.
To-day there is hardly family in Iquiqu
that is not mourning for some of its men
bers. The hospitals are crowded to thei
utmost capacity, and SO are all the churche
and houses that remain standing, for every
body in this hour of sorrow is doing all b
can to assist his fellow sufferers. A grea
many women and children, having los
their homes as well as their natural pro
tectors, are temporarily sheltered on boar
ships in the harbor, being still too fright
ened TO go ashore. Comparatively few c
the foreign residents were killed, thong
the loss of property among them, 1.-THE
being generally the wealthiest people in tn
place., was much greater than among th
native citizens.
For more than a year past the nitrat
people have been doing little prottabl
business, principally of account of the go'
eminent troubles and consequent strike
among laborers, and also because the En-,
hsh market is overstocked with the CON
modify, and therefore its price is CORES
pondingly low. From this
NITRATE INDUSTRY ALONE
the Gillian government has been collectin
a revenue of about twenty million dolla,
per annum, in export duties. Some e:gI
months ago, when workmen We're strikin
all over the country, on account of har
times, occssioned by the persistent refus
of congress to pass the appropriation bill
these Iquiqui laborers made great deal
trouble. They had no particular intere!
in the questions at issue, and were a.
fected by them only in the consequent Low
ness of exchange; but the latter phase
the middle was a serious matter especial
to those foreigners whose families tt
manned in the mother country and could r
ceiYe no support from the bread winners
Chill.
The workmen had been receiving fro
four to ten dollars day, in Gillian pap,
currency, (worth about one-third Il
amount in United States or English gold
and when exchange dropped lower CT
lower, they demanded to be paid in silve
instead OF in paper, as formerly, whiC
would in reality about double their wage
This the nitrate companies refused to d
because they were making no money then
selves, and the established rate of paymel
was exceptionally good-for Chill. Then
THE LABoRERs STRUCK, EN- MAssE,
and threatened to burn down the worl
and warehouses unless their demands we
acceded to. There was not sufficient mi
itary or police force at hand to afford Il
companies any protection, and after a fe
incendiary blazes, the managers-to say
3eir property from further damage, este
sibly gave in to the strikers. meanwhi
importuning the President to send troo,
Ap their assistance. But the governmel