Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-08-19
DOWN IN chilli.
Awful Hardships Of a Band of
Balmacedans,
Under the Command of General
Stephan.

They Are Driven Out of Argentine &
Make Their Way In Midwinter Acros
the Appalling Peaks of the Highes
Andes-A Revolt Among the Troop
less to Prevent.
NEW YORK, Aug. 19.-The newspaper
of southern Chill give few details o
the terrible experience of Genera
handful Of his men in crossing tht
Cordillera after having been driven from
Argentine territory and their small
force twenty times dispersed by the Ar
gentine authorities.
Some time during last spring Genera
Stephan, with a troop composed o.
about 600 cavalry and between 100 and
200 infantry, was ON his way from
Copiapo with about fifty political pris,
oners, residents of Copiapo, among
whom were Don Manuel, Antonio Malta
and Senior Vallejos.
At Vallenar, eight leagues from San
Antonio, revolt occurred among his
troops which General Stephan was
were allowed to escape, and all returned
to Cop!apo, while General Stephan was
obliged to fee for his life with faith
full remnant of his cavalry.
1t was said at the time that General
Stephan had made himself SO odious in
the sight of his men by his cruelties that
they had been waiting for some time FOX
the propitious moment to mutiny.
The dispatch which told of this revolt
closed with the following sentence: THE
disheartened Stephan could escape with
only sixty men toward the Argentine
Republic"
The next tidings from General Stephan
We're received at San Tiego and an
nounced that he had descended into the
Argentine territory through a pass in
the Andes, to avoid travelling through
hostile Chilian territory. His small
band at this time were all mounted, hay
ing made the march without losses.
President Balmaceda telegraphed to
General Stephan to proceed to Buenos
Ayres and take ship for Chilli, If that
seemed preferable to an attempt to cross
the Andes. The authorities, however.
refused to permit this, declaring that
the presence Of Chilian soldiers in the
Argentine Republic was an invasion of
neutral territory. The Chilian soldiers
were ordered off the territory of the Ar
gentine Republic by the nearest route.
This necessitated the scaling of the
Cordillera almost in mid -winter-the
month of June.
The Chiliars were not permitted to
proceed In one body, but were divided
Into squads of fifteen men each by the
Argentine authorities.
The soldiers were disarmed and were
clothed in the garb of peasants, and in
this manner, without guides or pro-
visions, they sought to cross the noun
tains, all the passes of which were now
blocked by the winter snowstorms.
The depths of snow drifts at various
points ranged from three to thirty feet.
As the men proceeded on their desperate
march, one after another foundered in
the snow and were left buried there
with all their trappings until the entire
band was pursuing its toilsome way on
foot The sufferings undergone were
indescribable. Men tramped half fam
ished and with both their feet frozen
Many times on the verge of despair it
required the utmost persuasions of the
spirited Stephan to keep his men on the
march.
The perilous situation Of the band was
aggravated tenfold by q terrific blizzard,
which was encountered near the noun
tain tops.
AS he neared the summit of the Cor
dillera General Stephan dispatched u
Norwegian guide on snow shoes to Sc
cure aid at the nearest available point in
Chill. On the morning of June 13 the
Norwegian reached Junial, ON the Chill
ian side. He reported the condition of
General Stephan and men as most des-
perate. The governor of the Chilian
province of Los Andes transmitted this
intelligence to President Balmaceda,
who ordered reinforcements 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 otherwise unable to cross
the snow. Fifty rescuers made deter
mined but unsuccessful attempt to reach
the soldiers by way of Ell Portillo.
Fifteen others set out for Calavera,
but when they reached that point their
provisions were exhausted. A number
of the experienced mountaineers of the
Andes, however, were more successful in
reaching Calavera with quantity of
provisions and other supplies.
General Stephan on June 10, accom-
panied by ten officers and ten soldiers,
reached Las Cuevas, station on the
Chilian side, near the summit of the Us
pallata range. Here there was neither
shelter nor fire, but some provisions
were found.
The soldiers proceeded on their march
and at last reached point in the de-
scent of the Cordillera, which placed
them practically out of danger and in
sured their safe return to the Chilian
capital.