Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-08-13

ANhllhFt NnlINt July ~ ANtHs7-N vt NNN
past three weeks I have been travelling
through a vast chemical laboratory "
the gods. I have ridden over miles or
plains covered with salt. have visited
lakes u the whlicrt borax. have wound
ln and out among mountains rich In
tin. copper and silver. and now write
almost In the midst Of the vast nitrate
fields of chile like unto which There b,
nothing on the face Of the earth
FROM BOLIVIA TO THE SEA-
Leaving the silver mining town ~
oruro. Bolivia, came down Tho noun
tnins on the little narrow gauge which
connects that town with the seaport
N Antufnrlsil. The distnnco is 90,
miles, ar about as great "a that bee
tween New York and Cleveland. Tho
track o. only two feet nix inshaH wilde.
and the road Dr.. I believe. tn inr-asi
one ~ this ru1rc IN the world THE
cars are NJ th' American style. h1N|nr
been built in Massachusetts,. Tho seats
on one niic nf thg car ARE E0' wider
that Kitchen ch1ir and on me other
WHORE thnv nro suproHed 60 ihull two.
not moro than thirty irchgrI " was
ln fact more i'i. riding in b iHy car
than ON tho through trunk nne which
forms thH unly rlli connection between
two great countries SIN The rl1d is
smooth aud won aid. It. Zee nre ~
urrrUn Pine and the station upon 10
az Ha OBJ rule luIlt ~ curiur IRON
FROM Europe. The faroa NJ exceed
lnFly h.Fh rlid - 1n"ar dnl'1rr f'r
ms r.ifot. and M addition SO extra
hnErHrH. as nothing whatever d. ole
lowed frUn. ~, meals ~ The hlnIHr
tHtIUrH each cost the ~ 20 iu silver.
and Whom stopped o. nirht, 1e wa7
forced to DO twice ON the road. Oh
hotel rates wore - per day. Tho chief
purpOfH Of Tho road T. % carry
the silver aud other metals o. "a fna.
coast ''h. most ~ the ears 40 nni
train vau loaded with liitln chunks
m silver orc. and we passed train loads
uf Goo nu IfH WAY Co thc rurln"
TiE SALT PLAINS % ipLiNfA
a. WIS ride thrnurh n frffi fh1ft-
IS after leaving Oruro We entered che
nit plains ri uollvin. Thee are Or
vnsi extent iiniur me roads fnr humid
rods or muls. lu rlrt thor arr but
f... n'rrfH between Dturo rnl IN Hr'
where me ground not m1r0 nr lnH
mixed with salt. and .H som districts
M
white SNOW. Alpur SOME ntrts % ths
line II looks hard and icy lnd you feel
like iumu.ur M thn rIH Cor q skate,
Al othorF 70 IlaH llkD eu ma np1ln
10 Only HpIiuiIrH 60" H'uund ana
ragged growth OF shrlhNHry vegetation
struggles up thfnurh TO- The r1hI
runs f1r urHrlv tho whole NJ To- length
throurh On desert valley AND Thu .llt
fcaches away on each s'iH ig ih' hlIls.
Here 1u1 fhUrN along 'h' ROAD Hr" l"N'l
tunn which seem t0 h" NHItlng great
rrtsH OF Zee. Tho rHlUe ore not lrH.
however. They are lluN and IN The
great horuN lake ~ AH.1ilu, Bolivia,
fIrrp b. enough hHrlN il wash The
heads of an humanity This lake has.
% h rstffult.I. mnrr iHIu 10000 tons
~ purr bHtaN ready fH hH shipped TO
the markets 90 tho world ! saw 70 ON
ms iUft us ! role over h0 railroad nu
M way 90 the coast D. H about ok
miles square. and thr lnuN ln u ''r
in great masses, which. WHOM tax
out look Tor nl me world IKE The ma
rst of purc white Hpun l'k vndd'd up
or woven into lump. The stun N
Iarnv ~ lime. and Oh rni Ho good, !
am told o. the burnN ihli comes from
similar lakes In California. sun u "
~ considerable value, fHr the lake has
Just been sold 10 h syndicate or Ger.
mans for 10000 pounds sterling
4 DESERT PAVED WITH GOLD.
This lake. however. BE- NOT a drop IN
tho ocean compared With the enormous
value Of the nitrate 1HIiH through
which / crossed AZ ! nslrri inc racine
These fields extend north ana houih
through this part of ChI'. Tor distance
of more than three hundred miles, aud
their product u 90 valuable thnt they
almost pave the desert or emile Win
gold. They have produced millions upon
millions 0f tons N nitrate ~ soda, and
% u estimated hiatt more than twelve
hundred thousand tons NJ nitrate VIII
be- shipped from Thorn ihs year The
value ~ these nitrate n p'Hlth runs
high into the millions nf dollars When
they were IN the hands NJ me ieruvlnns
thoy were rich, and now hey belonE 60
chile a. "A result Of her war with Peru,
she gets more than half her revenue
from tho export duty which she coll
lfctH from them. The working OF the
fields % In the hands uf foreigners, ana
more than one hundred million dollars
worth of English capital Is Invested In
the great ouclnaH or factories by means
of which the nitrate D. taken from the
earth and prepared fHr ihH markets NJ
tho world. Vast fortunes have been
made out OF these nitrate hcldu, ! mot
In ENGLAND some years ago the late
Col. North, the nitrate hlnfi ana VISITED
him at his magnificent country place
az Ethan. near London. He lived thore
like "a prince, and was lt The time fairly
rolling In wealth. An ~ his money was
made In this region. and bis champagne
which he had at dinner. though It's taste
showed no evidence Of the fact. was
rffervescent with nitrate " soda. The
nitrate which the United states Inn
ported from this lquIqur district alott
In 1897 cost more than htfce million !
gold dollarHand the amount was more
than two hundred ana thirty -four |
million pounds. The greater part Of this |
has gone into the making OF powder and |
high explosives, and much OF II has at |
ready been used In thn war with spain. |
Another part ~ II has been sold as |
fertilizers, and h now cnrlchlng the |
soil OF American farms, 10 u as fer |
tlizor that the chief demand for the |
nitrate comes. tho bulk M the product |
going 10 Germany whore u IN used In |
The growing OF the sugar beet Just |
now, however. the nitrate business Is
not az prosperous aH % has been. A
number OF the factories arc idle, aud
the markets are oyerHtugked'
IN THE NITRATE FIELDS.
My first view OF the nitrate iields was
on The railroad going 90 AntofaEasth.
The deposits IN that part Of Chil, how
ever. are not 80 good aH those further 1
north. and l have taken ship and come
10 Iquique, which n the CHIEF shipping
port of the best nitrate fields or thu
world. 1 have Travelled from here 20
some OF the Richest fields, and have