Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-02-27
THE BUSY TOWN or punrA ARENAS.
Pea Picture Of the Most southern
Town Of the American Continent.


We reached punta Arenas In the niaht,
anchored. ai.d slept happily until daybrcak,
when we blew the steam whistle to warn
the Inhabitants Of our presence Atlcn.rth
the captain Of the port came on board, aud
we wcrc at liberty 20 70 ashore; but the
landing WIS dlnlcult and dangerous. owing
to the ronghness u the water and the
primitiveness " the moles We had 10 DO
hoistcd out " the ships boat with ropes.
The town does not offer much ~ interest
the visitor. In the bay Are two coal hulk~.
nm American schooner NJ anchor, several
small coasting schooners used for seal fish.
Ing and local service and GILLIAN survey
steamer.
To the north Of the town isa government
depot with half dozen buoys lying OF the
sandy shore and looking from distance
like gigantic spinning tops. SIN further
TO the north j. M old lighthouse tower.
painted rel and white. which was used by
the German nstruns nicnl mission ut the
time Of the last passage Of Venus Beyond
the lighthouse the land becomes Hat and
stretches out into the water, forminga loni,
sandy spit. with conioai beacon on theex.
IRENE point Hence the name N the settle.
mcnt-Sandy Point. The town il NJ very
recent origin, hut Il has grown rapidly AMI
now has q population " a12 souls. the whole
Territorio lie Mngellancl having popnla-
tion Of Z, O,j ~ whom about S0uarc foreign.
crs of various nationnlitiea. tho chief capt
ullsts aud business people being German
or English.
The houses are solidly built Of wood. tho
bc-t Of them having corrugated iron roofs.
Most ~ the buildings arr painted white.
some have walls and roofs u tho samo
deep rcd color; the roofs arc, of course,
sharply pointed ~ throw on tho rain Tho
general aspect II thing. there l. new and
prosperous. The principal business house,
aIr German. Puntn Arenas IL free port
and the great center for supplying tho
sheep farms and various settlements on
the opposite islands Of the TERRA del fne.
20 group, southern Patagonia and thc
Falkland Islands In these rainy mud ~.
parrntly inhospitablo regions the great ~,
dustry Il sheep farming. There a also
much gold dust In the riyera anil torrents,
and silver and coal mines In the nolghhOr,
hood, but hitherto they have not hcon
worked with success.
1t Il curious TO note that tho shepherds
who come 70 Punta Arenas 10 buy Fuodr
aud prov isions oftenpay In gold duet, which
they gather Ia the streams near which thcig
ilocks arr feeding. skins aud fun form n
second important Industry; seal and Ser
ottcrs abound In the various channels b.
tween the Islands u Terra del Fucgo and ol
the Strait II Magellan, and three times d
year the Patagonlan Indians ride Into Pun
u Arenas tosell the produce u their hunt
/ ingeXcunions, namely, puma, ostrich. gna
naoo and silver fox skins. The cxpnfia
ton Of fun 10 an important business here
and the port, standing ~ II does In th,
regular steamer track. s. destined 10 great
or and greater prosRHty.
When We r'turnc,l on board we found
two Danish fur dealers displaying thcii
stock OF mcrchandis, aud cndcayoring "a
do business with tho passengers. The
skins were spread out over the hatei =.
on the aft dcck-ostrich. guannco
seal. otter. puma, fox o. looking soft
and warm. aud iutorpcrscd with n Few
Indian curiositlos, such ~ lows, ar
.Owr, spear, lnssos. shell work. spur,
models Of bark canoes aud the terrible
holis, which the paiasonnns aud theli
pupils. the Argentine gluchos, use to hunt
the ostrich. The Osiris landed our mail
bag and n dozen sacks Of potato-s. and
took an board aquartityof ostrich f,aihcr-
To lo delivered Ia iiayrs. aud then pro
cccded on her way.--rheodorc Child IN
Harper's.