The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-03

Eighty Thousand n Month and Chronic
Eciatlcn!-This Female Crmsus Is
not Happy.
It was nearing sunset the other afternoon
when, after weary days of waiting, We hoisted
anchor Inc steamed slowly out Of Valpa-
raise bay. It is no use trying to describe to
you the beauty OF the hour i'll that locality
and the superb views on every hand. Our
kodak gave US plenty of pictures, correct, of
course, so far as outlines 90, but entirely
unsatisfactory because failing to portray
the glowing tints on sea and sky and shore
which an artists brush could never stimu-
late. Certainly words can convey no idea
of the contrast between limitless snow
fields above and the summer time below,
all bathed in softly brilliant, softly-chang-
ing colors. warm air, odorous of flowers
but tempered by ocean breezes, and the
measured swells like tho beating OF
a human heart. Like the notorious Capt.
Kidd, we sailed and VIZ sailed, always due
southwark. A day and a night of it
brought Ms to T~olcahuano. the port of Con-
cepcion. which my readers and I have Wis
tied thoroughly before, and may now pass
without notice. From Toloahuano to Cor
onel, the next port of Importance, is a jour
ney of only a few hours, but is generally a
very seasick one, for hereabouts we are an
tering the region of turbulent waters which
renders the name Pacific a misnomer. Cor
onel occupies the northeast corner of
hrauco bay, from whence is shipped nearly
all the coal that is used in Chill, besides
vast quantities of copper. There are two
long piers at Coronel, with tlamways and
wagons. .. -0+ "
The adjacent mines belong to what is
known as the Puchoco company, and If
need be 800 tons of coal can be furnished
alongside any ship in the bay within the
space of twelve hours. The Pacific Steam
Navigation company (English) take all
their coal from Coronel, and it is also fire.
quented by English ships for the same puf-
pose, SO that it is not an uncommon sight
to see eighty or ninety ~colliers anchored at
once off Puchoco, besides steam vessels
taking on coal. The price of coal at the
mine averages sc per ton, but sells in VAL
~paraiso at $50 and $50 the ton. Coronel is
Il rare own for Spanish-America, being
built entirely Of wood from the timber
which grows ~abundantly hereabouts. 1t
stands about a mile east of the Puchoco
wharves, and contains 10000 inhabitants.
Though such a desolate, demonstrating
little place, it is by no means isolated from
the world, being a regular port Of entry for
-four steamships, having Geographic and
cable communication with Europe and all
parts of Chill, a railway to Concepcion and
SO on n~orthward, and another to Lota.
AS the Osiris was compelled to coal here
we disembarked at Coronel and went by rail
IN T.Ota. nnnthar famOul nlACA for COnl and
copper, only about four miles distant, but
fronting on a little bay of its own High
bluffs surround its roadstead, except in one
level corner, where the town has been set,
containing two enormous smelling works, a
bottle factory. tile works, coal offices and
workmen's houses. The most interesting
thing about the place is that the mines and
slnelters, the manufactures, the pier, the
shipping. every house in the village and all
the land in sight is the sole property of a
dora Cousino (~propounded Cow-sen-yo)
who is about the wealthiest individual in
the world.
She can afford to be eccentric, and there
being nc end to her money and no limit to
her extravaganza, the people delight to call
sides very extensive and valuable mines Of
silver, copper and coal, she possesses mil
lions of money, millions of acres of land,
|Gocks and herds that are numbered by mil
lions. whole blocks of real estate in San
tiago. Valparaiso and other cities, whose
rentals amount to several hundred thous-
and dollars per annu1n; she is the prin-
|cipal stockholder in the largest bank in
Chilli, she owns a railroad, a fleet of iron
and other odds and ends in the
way of productive property which bring in,
all told, a p~ittance Of many millions a year.
From her coal mines alone she realizes
not less than $50, 600 a month. Her steam
~ships-eight in number, each of $500 tons
On pacity-were built in England and are
used to carry the coal northward to Chill
rs far as Panama and southwark through
the strait of Magellan to Buenos Ayres and
Montevideo. As a return cargo those ves-
sells bring down ore from upper Chill, Peru
and Ecuador for smelling in her silver and
copper works at Lota, while those that go
around to the eastern side cone back with
beef, flour, coffee and merchandise for the
consumption of her people.
Lota contains $500 inhabitants, and
among them she distributes in wages over
100000 per month. Although it ia only IL
mining village, as smoky and dirty as any
i'll the coal regions of Pennsylvania. the
prefers living there to any place this
side Of Paris. She has a magnificent pal
acc in the most aristocratio quarter of San
.tiago-in the Gale do Diez v Ocho-which
is splendidly furnished, and is the show
place of that CITY of palaces. We went to
it, es all travellers do who can obtain
lHe hGCehbaIy pSilA4SSl0H, HuA SpGHU uOuTB
in it's countless luxurious apartments, its
well-npDointed picture galleries and music
and libraries. its gardens beautitied
by statuary, fountains and flowers, mai
velinR how it's owner could boar to sea it
up year after year while she spends !
most of her time in stntfv European hotels.
She owns another estate at hours drive
from Santiago. named Mecul pronounced
Mah-cool) which is Haid to be the finest es- )
tancia in all South America. Its boundaries !
from the CHILEAN capital far into the I
whose glitterlng caps of eternal
snow mark the limits of her land. Her I
orchards. vineyards and fields of grain are s
in its valleys, and her hocks and herds feed !
On it's foothills. The Mscul vineyards sup :
,ly nearly all the markets of Chill with
,larct and sherry, and the cellar of the
enormous structure. 800 feat long
oy 100 feet wide-is kept constantly filled.
All the wine bottles. as we'll rs those for
ihe celebrated Cousino beer, are munufnc-
lured in the glass works at Lota, but the
abels are mostly made in France.
On this farm the sonora keeps some vain.
.bleh horses and cattle, and her racing stable
g one of tho most extensive ON the CONT
tent. She takes as much interest, i'll the
'nrf as any Englishwoman, and it in said
hat when in CE.ili she never fails to attend
'yery racing meeting and bets heavily on