, 1891-08-20
ACROSS THE ANDES.
A CHILEAN Generals Terrible
Journey Over the Range.
Forced to Do it by the AuthOri'
ties of Argentine.
Tramping Over Snow Drifts
With Frozen Feet.
Oyer the Andes in Water.

pers of Southern Chill give a few de-
tails OF the terrible experience of Gen.
Stephan of the Balmacedan army and a
handful of his men in crossing the Cor
dillera after having been driven from Ar
g~entine territory and their small force
twenty times dispersed by the Argentine
authorities. Some time during the last
spring Gen. Stephan, with a troop com
posed of about 600 cavalry and between
100 and 200 infantry, was on his way
from Copiapo with about fifty political
prisoners, residents Of Copiapo. among
whom were Don Manuel Antonio Malta
and Senior Nallejos. At Nallenir, eight
leagues from San Antonio, a revolt oc-
Cured among his troops, which Gen.
Stephan was powerless to prevent. The
prisoners we're allowed to escape and all
returned To Copiapo, while Gen. Stephan
was obliged to flee for his life with a faith
full remnant of his cavalry,
1t was said at the time that Gen.
Stephan had made himself so odious in
the sight of his men by his crucltIes that
they had been waiting for some time for
the propitious moment TO mutinv. The
dispatch which told of this revolt closed
with the following sentence: THE dis
heartened Stephan could escape with
only sixty men toward the Argentine re-
public"
The next tidings from Gen. Stephan
were received at Santiago and announced
that he had descended into Argentine ter
ritory through a pass IN the Andes to
avoid travelling through hostile CHILEAN
territory. His small band at this time
was all mounted, having made the march
without losses. President Balmaceda tele-
graphed to Gen. STEPHAN to proceed to
Buenos Ayrcs and take ship for Chill. if
that seemed preferable to an attempt to
cross the Andes.
The Argentine authorities, however.
refused to permit this, declaring that the
presence of CHILEAN soldiers in the Argeu-
tine republic was an invasion of neutral
territory. The ChilIan soldiers were
ordered off the territory of the Argentine
republic by the nearest route. This neces-
STATED the scaling of the Cordillera al.
most m midwinter, the month of June.
The Chilians were not permitted to pro
coed in one body, but were divided into
squads of fifteen men each by the Argen-
tine authorities.
The soldiers we're disarmed and were
clothed in the garb OF peasants, and in
this manner. without guides or provis
ions, they sought to cross the mountains,
all the passes of which were now blocked
by the winter snow storms. The depths
o. snow drifts at various points ranged
from three to thirty feet. As the men
proceeded on their desperate march, N
after another OF their horses f~oundcred in
the SNOW and we're left buried there with
all their trappings, until the entire band
was pursuing its toilsome way on foot.
The sutferings undergone were indescriba-
BILE. Men tramDed halt famished and
with both their feet frozen. Many times
on the verge of despair, it required the
utmost persuasion of the spirited Stephan
to keep his men on the march. The per
ilous situation of the band was aggrava-
ted ten fold by n terrific blizzard which
was encountered near the mountain tops.
As he neared the summit of the
Cordillera Stephan dispatched a Nor
wegian guide on snow shoes to secure aid
at the nearest available point in Chill.
On the morning of June 10, the Nor.
wegian reached Junial on the Chilian side.
He reported the condition OF Gen.
Stephan and men as most desperate. The
governor of the Chilian province of Los
Andes transmitted his intelligence to
President Balmaceda, who ordered re-
Inducements to be sent to the interior
with provisions, blankets and everything
necessary to rescue the struggling men.
Guides and carriers were dispatched to
assist those soldiers whose feet had been
frozen on the march or who were other
wise unable to cross the snow. Fifty
rescuers made a determined but I'm
successful attempt to reach the soldiers
by way of FL Portillo. Fifteen others set
out for Calavera. but when they reached
that point their provisions we're exhausted.
A number of the experienced noun.
%taineers of the Andes, however, were
more successful in reaching Calavera with
a quantity o~fprovisions and other supplies.
Gen. Stephan, on June 10, accompanied
by ten officers and ten soldiers, reached
Las Cuevas, a station on the Chilian side,
near the summit of the Uspaliata range.
Here there was neither shelter or fire. but
some provisions were found. The soldiers
proceeded on their march and at last
reached a point in the descent of the
Cordillera which placed them practically
out OF danger and insured their safe
return to the Chilian capital.