Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-20
LIFE IN SANTIAGO.
A Delightful Climate, Attractive Sit
uation and Grand Scenery.
IT'S PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS
Rambles About tho Chilian CapitAl-Romance
OF Its Founding -Discomforts OF the Rainy
Season-Its Beautiful Public walks. Botan-
ical and Geological Gardens.
From The Stars Travelling Correspondents.

scenery than this. Though barely 1.sOO feet
above the sea, it is far enough from the equator
to escape excessive heat, yet not so distant as
to be subject to extreme cold. Set in the midst
OF a great green valley, the mighty Andes, that
stretch away to the horizon on every side,
inclose it as within walls from 5000 to q. 900
feet high-tbeir snowy bulwarks in dazzling
contrast to the cloudless blue above the Giving
green" below, and the golden sunshine that
envelops ali as with garment. From every
street and balcony the most glorious views may
be obtained-of mountains towering above
mountains, with such rosy tints upon them at
sunrise, and evening shades Of amethyst dark
ening to purple, a. no brush can paint or pen
describe.
The country Immediately surrounding the
capital is made up of small estates, with hand
some villas upon them, belonging to wealthy
families, who have the good taste to forsake the
city's glare in summer time for few months
of rural living. Many Of these suburban casas
are fitted up in a style of elegance rarely sur
passed in similar residences OF Europe or the
Uuited States.
TRUE NAME OF THE CAPITAL.
The true name Of this ancient capital, by
the way, is Santiago del Nuevo Estremo-"Saint
James Of the New Beginnings strange title
bestowed upon it by the conqueror, Valdivia,
something more than three hundred and fifty
years ago, in conformity with the Jurisdiction
that had already been set up at Cuzco, under
Father Vaiverdo, the first bishop of South
America. The history of its founding reads
like a romance-how Pizarros whilom friend
Diego de Almagro, tried hard to conquer the
tribes in this valley, but failed dsastrously: of
heroic endurance and deeds of valor on both
sides; OF the direct interposition of the Virgin
Mary, who appeared standing in the clouds
to the confusion of the savages, and of that
blessed spook, Saint James, the Spanish patron
who seems to have had habit of riding down.
ward from the skies on a milk-white steed at
critical junctures. and of the later vicissitudes
of Pedro de Valdivia. who came soon after
Aimagros defeat, with only few of his coun-
trymen but great following of friendly Peru
VANS, and established the town on the right
bank of the Mapoche, in front of the Arauca-
MAN village.
THE ExHILARATINa CLIMATE.
The tourist coming down from the tropics
feels exhilarated by the climate of Santiago as
by draught of old wine. Benjamin Taylor,
in his Between the Gates" describes it ex-
actiy, for nowhere are the seasons more neigh
borly. Says he: 1.-The improperly of winter
lingering in the lap of spring has made pub
lie scandal: but when September is on whis-
pering terms with May, and old January mas
querades in June's clothes, and july gives all
her rainbows to November, it is time to talk
1 he winter Is in summer and the spring is in
winter, and harvest is in seedtime and autumn
is left out of the calendar altogether The ST.
roccos blow from the north and the cold winds
from the south, and you must never sail by the
almanac or you Will lose your reckoning and
get lost in the weather."
DISCOMFORT DURING THE RAINY MONTHS.
But there is another side to this charming
picture. Though the hills are as green as Ire
lands all the year, and roses are perpetually in
hlppm an1 rin firm hah
show at once on the same bush. as they do in
happy human families-there is a summer time
OF heas and dust During the season of our mid
winter, and an uncomfortable spell of chilly
dampness, throughout the rainy months, when
northern people are suffering most with heat.
Mr.. Spangler writes as follows about Santi-
ago's summer: 1.-The first day Of your
arrival here, when You are filling and tack
ing and beating up the breeze, and blowing
it as if it were friend. and blinking at the
dust that waltzes at you around corners
and tears down upon you with the gait
that Byron's Assyrians came, you wink at it
all in the light of practical joke and vow that
you will go home tomorrow. And when you
are searching from chin to slippers for that
prince of jumpers, beside which Cortez' bosom
friend, Alvarado, was no leaper worth men
tioning, and taking yourself all in pieces, but
never catching anything. you declare that you
will leave tonight. But weeks glide by, and
the breezes blow and the puigas leap chow
vulgar word flea, and still you tarry, at first
resigned, then enchanted, and the charm
deepens and deepens as time goes on
NO STONES, CRATES OR FIREPLAcEs.
There is downright discomfort here during
the cold days of the rainy season. The people
have deep-seatel notion that fires indoors
breed diseases of every sort and except in houses
built by English or American residents, there
is hardly stove. CRATE or fireplace to be found
in nil ;ol-
no end of dampness, the fioors-laid fiat upon
the ground, without cellars beneath-are cold
and clammy as tOmbstones. and every casa
Is built around a central patio into which all
the rooms open, there are seldom communicate
ing doors between the various apartments: SO
that whatever the weather, one must step out
into the uncovered court yard to go from par
lor to dining room, bed room or kitchen. Al
though the prevailing diseases are pneumonia.
throat and lung troubles, and the mortality
from these causes is frightful during wet sea-
sons, nothing can convince Chilian that arti-
fetal heat will not absolutely poison the atmos-
phere. When ne visits the home of foreigner
and finds the rooms comfortably warm and dry
he invariably grumbles and requests that the
door be left open SO that he NAV not suffocate
- but spreads his hands and coat tails before
the cheerful blaze as if he thoroughly enjoyed
it.
CHARCOAL BRAZIERs AND FOOT WARMERS
1t looks odd, at party, to see ladies in bare
arms and decolette bodices, with blue roses
and chatteriug teeth, wrapped in shawls and
fur-lined cloaks, crowding around a charcoal
brcZier, which emits just enough heat to make
one more sensible Of the deadly chills that
come galloping up ones spinal column, and
odder still to see them at table, still wrapped
in cioaks and shawls, the aching feet of each
guest thrust into foot warmer, though sur
rounded by every luxury Except firel that
wealth can buy. These foot warmers are
dispensable. They are regular pockets, each
are made OF fur or flannel, lined with llama
wool. They are often richly embroidered and
are of home manufacture, or made by the nuns
or orphans in the asylums, who are all experts
IN neediework. And oldest of all it seems to
see gentlemen and ladies preambulating the
plazas IN midwinter-the former with Ruffiers,
overcoats and fur caps. the latter bare headed,
with no other wrap than a silken shawl. The
mania Is universally worn in church by all
classes OF Gillian women, but for riding, shop
ping and the promenade, all but the ultra
fashionable still go about with heads uncovered.
BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC WALKS.
Santiago is especially blessed with paseos or
public walks. Besides the incompatible Ala
media already described, the central plaza, with
Its envirouing arcades, and beautiful Santa
Lucia, there is the Tajamar, lying along the
banks OF the Mapoche, which used to DO the
fayorite resort before the Alameda was COM
pleted 1t is an embankment of solid masonry,
some three miles long, which was erected many
| years ugo by Spanish governor to protect the
city from the annual rise OF the river, which