Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-14
LABORATORY OF THE GODS
The Nitrate Deserts of Chilli iu Which
Millions Are Invested.
METHODS OF MINING, COST AND PROFITS
Extent of the Deposits from Which
the Republic Gets Half It's Reve-
nue-A Borax Lake In the
AndeRn Highlands.

copyrighted, 1898, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
IQUIQUE, Chill, July 1.-(Special CORE
spondence of The Bee.)-For the last three
weeks l have been travelling through a vast
chemical laboratory Of the gods. l have
ridden over miles of plains covered with salt,
have visited lakes of the whitest boraX, have
wound in and out among mountains rich in
tin, copper and silver, and now write almost
in the midst of the vast nitrate fields of
Chill like unto which there is nothing on
the face of the earth.
Leaving the silver mining town OF Oruro,
Bolivia, l came down the mountains on the
little narrow gauge which connects that
town with the seaport Of Antofagasta. The
distance is 600 miles, or about as great as
that between New York and Cleveland. The
track is only two feet six inches wide, and
the road is, l believe. the longest one of
this gauge in the world. The cars are of
the American style, having been built in
Massachusetts, The seats on one side of
the car are not wider than a kitchen chair
and on the other, where they are supposed
TO hold two, not more than thirty inches.
1t was, in fact, more like riding in a toy
car than on the through trunk line which
forms the only rail connection between two
great countries. Still the road is smooth
and well laid. It's ties are of Oregon pine
and the stations upon 1t are as a rule built
of corrugated iron from Europe. The fares
are exceedingly high. l paid 81 silver dol
lars for my ticket. and in addition S36 extra
baggage, as nothing whatever is allowed
free. My meals at the dining stations each
cost me $3.50 in silver, and when l. stopped
Mt night, as l was forced to do, twice on the
road. the hotel rates We're 81 per day. The
chief purpose of the road is to carry the
Rilyar and nthar matals IN tho Gpapnaat Tha
most OF the cars of our train were loaded
with little chunks of silver ore, and we
passed train loads OF tin on its way to the
Pacific.
The Salt Plains of Bolivia.
1t was a ride through a desert, Shortly
after leaving Oruro We entered the salt
plains of Bolivia. These are of vast ex-
tent lining the road for hundreds of miles.
In fact there are but few places between
Oruro and the sea where the ground is not
more or less mixed with salt, and in some
districts It covers the land like a sheet OF
dirty white snow. Along some parts of the
line 1t looks hard and icy and you feel like
Jumping of the cars for a skate. At others
It lies in gullies and again II only sprinkles
the ground and a ragged growth of scrubby
vegetation struggles up through it, The
road runs for nearly the whole of it's length
through a desert valley, and this sal
reaches AVA on each side to the hills
Here and there along the road are lakes
upon which seem TO be floating great cakes
of ice. The cakes are not ice, however
They are borax, and in the great borax lax,
of Ascotan, Bolivia, there is enough boraa
10 wash the heads of all humanity. This
lake has, II is estimated, more than 100,
600 tons OF pure borax ready TO be shipped
TO the markets OF the world. l saw 1t OF
ms left as ! rode over the railroad on tn,
way TO the coast. 1t is about six miles
square. and the borax in 1t lies In grea.
masses, which, when taken out look fol