The morning call., 1891-08-28

Little or no trade is done here, and the ar
rival and departure of the mail steamer
every week is the only thing that dlsturoS
the quiet that reigns over the town.
CoQuimbo, the next town on the coast, IS
proud OF its harbor, the only one north OF
harbOr Is shaped something like pear,
with the entrance at the narrow end, ana
offers secure anchorage in anv weather. LII
is capable of holding large fleet of ships,
yet it is seldom visited by any vessels ex-
cept war-shipS or whalers. The country
back of Ccquimbo is very rich, ana Will
grow almost anything. Vast quantities Oh
native brandy are made here, most OF wnicn
is srnt to Valparaiso.
This port could be made secure against an
enemy by the erection Of few batteries,
but with the exception of few old guns
now useless the town is practically without
any defense whatever.
Valparaiso is tho only town on the coast
that can boast of a respectable port. rms
Is the prncipal seaport of Chile, and is Sit
uated about 200 miles south of COquimbo.
THE CITY
Is built on bay and is surrounded by high
mountains.
The only military works of any note In
Chile are found here. On the west side of
the bay, which opens to the north, are sew
eral strong works, the principal OF which Is
the Citadel.
This is a modern fort of great strength.
armed with improved guns, many OF them
Of large caliber of English or German make.
Fort BueraS is also armed with heavy guns,
and from its elevation has compiete
command of the entire harbOr. From
these important works a perfect chain OF
smaller batteries stretch entirely around
the city from Point Angeles on the west TO
Point Gruesa on the east, thus encircling
the city with line of forts, any one of
which can drop a shell into any part of the
har00r. and would make 1t very warm for
a hostile fleet, no matter how powerful. AT
the beginning of the present war Valpa-
raiso could boast OF two splendid floating
dry-docks, neither of which now exists eX-
cept in name, as the insurgent gunboats
used them for targets for their t0rpedOeS and
blew one of them out of the water, While
the other was riddled with shot and sunk.
Since the war began ships of all classes.
have given the city
A WIDE BERTH,
As there was no telling when the insurgent
war-ships might pay it VISIT aud then for
time things would be too warm to be COM
Portable.
In more peaceful times long tiers of ship
ping thronged the harbors and would bn at
anchor secure from any wind, but the
dreaded northers, which often sent as many
as thirty vessels ashore in single day. As
rule, very few lives are lost IN disasters of
this kind as the vessels would 90 ashore
right IN the town, where there were plenty
OF people to render assistance.
In heavy gale in 1874, when no less than
twenty-seven crafts of various sorts and
sizes, including seven steamers, went ashore.
only five lives were lost With the wind
from any other direction the bay, which is
about two aud half miles wide, affords
good shelter.
The railroad to Santiago starts from Val
paralso, and after skirting the eastern
shores OF the bay runs along the coast until
Vlna del Mar Is reached
This is the Long Branch of Chile, and in
no other spot of its size on the continent of
South America can be found more mag
nlticent collection of residences. Many OF
the wealthy merchants of Valparaiso live
here, aud every Chileno Of any consequence
goes to
VIVA DEL MAR
To spend the summer. This beautiful spot
is situated about four and half miles from
Valparaiso, in sheltered nook surrounded
by high hills. The country surrounding it
is hlly and broken, and travel is difficult
unless by rail-
Leaving Valparaiso is a stretch of nearly
300 miles before the traveller reaches Con-
ception Bay. at the head of which stands
Talcahuana, lively town OF considerable
commercial importance. This is a fayurte
port of call for whaling vessels, and it is sell
dom that one or more of them cannot be
seen lying at anchor in the bay. The town
is only a small one, but large trade is car
ried on principally with Valparaiso. Fruits
OF all kinds are rather scarce, but grain is
plentiful and large crop of potatoes Is har-
vested every year. The only towns south
of Conception Bay are Valdvia and San
Carlos de Ancud, neither of them of much
importance. From Ancud south, the coast
line is broken by bays and headlands, and
IS very dangerous to navigation on accOun t
OF the vast number of small Islands which
lie close together all along the coast clear
down to Cape Horn, which is also composed
OF Islands. Nearly all of MagelIans Straits
lie in Chilean territory, and so does
THE LARG EST PART
OF Terra del Fuego, large island at the
extrtme southern pOint of South America.
From Ancud south the country is COM
posed OF vast ranges of mountains, many of
them of volcanic origin. and with the single
exception of Point Arena or Sandy Point, 1
small settlement in Magellan StraIts,iis unin-
habited except by Indians, who live by
hunting and fishing.
Cnlle's greatest source of wealth Is her
vast nitrate deposits, from which the country
derives large revenue. She is also rich in
silver ana other minerals. while coal is
abundant in the SOUTH
Chile is the most progressive nation In
South America, AMI a citizen O: tho United
States finds it hard to believe that he is not
IN live American town when he first sets
foot in Chie'S principal seaport, as he can
get glass of lager or plate OF pork and
beans as easily as he can in San francisco.