The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28

want them. Patagonia 4 = good place. the
President often thinks. for men useful IN = for
eign FIGHT but too anxious to take the on sace IN
= revolution.
Madryn also has = Captain OF the Port and
squad Of sailors 10 help preserve the dignity OF
the Prefect. and the Project has an assistant
Project who ranks a little below the Captain OF
the Port. Outside Of the oficial group. but on
excellent terms with Il. u the railroad group.
This. ss TIE suS has said incidentally. includes
an agent. who 10 = well-educated Welshmsn.
and a telegraph operator. who is the charming
daughter Of the agent. To rank with the nom
commissioned oficer and the Jack tars OF the
oficial group there is = foreman and q gang OF
railroad trackmen. Then there are two light
ers shoat in the bay for the transfer ot freight
to and from the Argentine naval transports
which come down from Buenos Ayres once in
three weeks. These lighters are excellent ses
boats. instead OF having the model that lighters
In New York have. One IL q schooner and the
other a sloop. and Ave men man the two. | am
not sure. but | think the Captain Of a lighter
ranks no higher than n non-commisstoned ofh-
Ger in the navy. In case any reader Of THE sCN
should 20 to Madryn he should ind out about
this before lording IL over n lighter Captain
very much. because IL the right degree OF respect
were not shown him the Captain would be Of
Tended. This would lie bad for thu traveller In
case the traveller wanted to go on board the
lighter. The Captain would refuse 10 be cordial.
unless matters were rectined with a long drink
OF brandy or a cigar. Patagonia may be a long
way from what IL called the civilized world,
but one wants TO understand all about these
grades in rank when visiting there, because
dignity and it's proper recognition are matters
OF rather graver import there than any other
place I have ever seen.
The railroad has prosptred moderately. II
has 1000 tons Of wheat to carry from the colony
every year. besides some small packages OF
ostrich feathers, guanaco skins. and products
Of Indian workmanship. IL carries In dry
goods. groceries. and hardware. and several
passengers a month pass over il each way. A
train runs over the road every time ashipcomes
10 ~port-say once in three weeks. In fact. the
company Is going 10 extend the line up the val
lev. The people living seventy miles above the
end OF the road want better facilities for ship
ping their wheat. and they are going TO have
them. This branch Of the road Will very likely
have a train once a week to local
passenger trafic. In case the gold mines
develop half the wealth they are expected to.
the railroad will be carried right away up to the
d~.sgings. Patagonia railroad building is
not expensive. All Patagonia between river
valleys IL everywhere ballasted with prop
er gravel for a roadbed. and is so
nearly level thai the ties can be laid. rs they
were laid on Texas lines years ago, right on the
natural surface without turning q shoNelful Of
dirt. As compared with some Yankee railroads
the only railroad in Patagonia Is no great AFFAIR.
but when compared with some others 1t leaves
them out OF sight. because IL pays dividends as
we'll as develops the country. Yankee ~superin-
tendents who are disturbed by the cost OF
wooden ties might learn something by writing
to the Chubut superintendent on the working Of
the steel ties he uses in that alkali soil.
To sum II all up here was a colony that might
well have been called a failure before the people
reached their destination. 1t was called a
failure by about every impartial observer who
visited IL during the first ten years or lis ex-
istence. Nevertheless. in spite of the drought, in
spite OF alkali. in spite Of Lomesickness. in
spite OF all the myriad drawbacks to which it
was subject. II prospered at the last, and is now
worth millions sterling.
But alas for DR.. Michael Jones OF Bala Col
Ieye. Alas for Mr.. Lewis Jones. now OF the
colony. They planted their hosts in the utter
most parts Of the earth that the shade OF Prince
Lleweliyn might flourish and his language be
spoken In its original purity forever. So
the shade did flourish and the language
was spoken for many years. but when prosperity
came there was an infux OF other tongues. along
with an Argentine Governor and an Official STAN.
Spanish was the language OF the Argentine and
was necessary for all Official business. Under
the Argentine law every child born in the colony
WAS a citizen OF the republic. and 1t vas a republic
Of which even the descendants OF Prince Lew
ellyn did not need to be ashamed. The Welsh
youngsters, indeed. have grown mp 10 look with
pride TO the broad blue and white stripes OF the
flag under which they were born. They are
| children OF the d~esert-and they love that
desert love It so well that they never lose an
opportunity TO speak in its favor; and they
speak with the soft vowels OF the Castilian,
rather than with the consonants OF the Welsh.
JONI r.. SPEARS.