The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-09-10
THE WORLDS
RICHEST WIDOW.
BY ALBERT C. WHITE.
llll''llRNVll
HTHE Countess of Monte Cristo" is

hTHE Countess Of Monte Cristo" is
the title the Chiuans have given
Donna Isadora Consino, the wealthiest
woman in all South America. In fact,
there are few persons in the world
richer than she. Her money is seeming
" inexhaustible and her disbursements
are limitless. Sonora Consino comes
of a distinguished family. Some of her
ancestry figure prominently in the an
mails of old Spain. Before the union of
Arragon with CASTLE one of her fore
fathers held an Important command be-
Meath the banner of Arragon and was
one of the leading spirits in the con-
summation of the alliance. One of her
ancestors was among the first to seek
mis- fortune in the new world. He was
thrifty soul. He came to what is now
the republic of Chili-a narrow strip
of country along the Pacific coast,
walled in on the east by the snowman
tied Andean Cordilleras and ON the west
washed by 5000 miles of sea-and in
the division of the lands and spoils of
the conquest he obtained a large share,
which he kept and gradually increased
by adding to the lands given to his less
careful neighbors. His descendants fol-
lowed in his footsteps and greatly and
persistently increased the family's pos
sessions. The father of Sonora Com
fipo was the richest man in Chill. She
Being the otly child, this immense es-
tate eventually became her own. Thir-
ty years ago she became the wife of
Senior Consino, whose possessions, ac-
quired In a somewhat similar manner,
were second only to hers. The con-
eolidation of these two estates made
their owners famous as one of the
wealthiest families in the world.
At his death, ten years ago, Senior
Consino bequeathed all his wealth to
his wife, making her the sole possessor
of millions of acres of land and mil
lions IN money. This woman's wealth
has been variously estimated, some
placing II as high as S75,000,000. She
has hundreds of thousands of cattle
and sheep; blocks upon blocks of real
estate in the two chief cities of Chill,
Valparaiso and Santiago; many copper,
coal and silver mines; small fleet of
steamers. smelling works, two rail-
roads and numerous other pieces of
productive property which yield her
an income of several millions a year.
Sonora Consino owns the only coal
mines in South America. from which
she has an income of 100000 per month.
She enjoys monopoly in this fuel, as
those who will not buy of her must i'm
port their coal from England. Her
coal trade extends from Panama to the
Straits of Magellan, and around Cape
Horn to the ports of Uruguay and Ar
gentine. All this coal Is shipped in her
own vessels-iron steamers of capaci-
ties ranging from 1000 to 1000 tons
which were built in France. The dirty
little mining town of Lota. hidden away
In the hills some 100 miles below VAL
paraiso, Is owned by the senorita, and
here she spends most of her time, look
ing sharply after her interests.
She practically makes her home in
small, implanted house in this smoky
place, although but a few miles dis
tant she has a mansion which cost her
a million dollars to build. 1t stands in
the center of the most magnificent pri-
vate park in the world-an area of 300
acres of land laid out with marvellous
skill. embellished with marble statuary,
FLASHING fountains, playful brooks. sill
very cascades, graveled walks. winding
fnvitingly beneath beautiful trees. cool
caves where Turk shadows dim, fantas-
tic grottoes suggestive of elves and
sprites. and everywhere a bewildering
profusion of flowers. bright and fra
grant and almost endless in variety. It
requires the labor of 40 gardeners. hired
by the year. to keep the place in trim.
There is another park and palatial
residence. a short distance from San
tiago. belonging to the widow" This
IS part of "Macul," the most valuable
hacienda In Chill. if not in all the south
ern continent. 1t is not surpassed any
where. The estate proper extends from
the suburbs of the capital. through a
broad and fertile valley. far into the
Andes. whose snow-crested peaks mark
its eastern boundary. Here are great
stretches of cultivated fields. orchards
and vineyards. while upon the hills
Craze immense herds and focks. The
sherry and claret from the vineyards of
Macul have widespread reputation for
excellence, and the Chilians will buy no
other than that which bears Sonora
Consino's label Chilians, with all their
faults, are stanch patriots, firm believ-
ers in patronizing home industries, and
they all have an admiration for the
widow which is akin to idolatry.
On the hacienda she has very fine inn
ported stock, both cattle and horses.
Her racing stable Is the most numer-
Gus and successful in South America
She is an ardent devotee Of the turf, and
never misses a Gillian racing meet, In