The Republican journal., 1898-04-07
kIondikers in Magellan Straits.

The Kloudike schooner Charles Levi
Woodbury. arrived at Possession Bay at the
entrance of Magellan Straits, Feb. 13, max
ing the passage from Gloucester in 80 days.
Four days of this time she was becalmed on
the equator letter has been received at
Gloucester from Capt. Spinney OF the Wood
bury dated at Punta Arenas Feb. 13. This is
about half way through the Strait, and the
vessel was to leave there on the morning of
Feb. IA. Capt. Spinney says: "Schs. Con-
cord, Julia E. Whalen and Abbie F. Morris
have just arrived. They have had the
DEVILS own work with their men. l guess
the Morris is complete wreck" One OF
the crew of the Woodbury. writes to friend
i'll Gloucester that the place where they
stopped in the Stl ats was nothing but farm
land, on which over 250C00 head of sheep
were grazing, and a very large number of
horses were seen. The inhabitants were
mostly of Spanish descent. United States
money is of but little value, one having to
pay SO 80 for i've drinks of whiskey.
The Portsmouth. N. H., Herald, publishes
letters from two of the crew Of the klon-
dixie schooner Concord, at Sandy Point,
Straits of Magellan, and dated Feb 18th
G. F. Strong writes:
Everybody is we'll and so far we have had
a very nice trip. Was in Montevideo about
two weeks ago and painted that place red
Everything here is costly except meats. All
other kinds of food has to be imported ,
either from England or Germany. We can
purchase meat for almost nothing; for in
stance, to-day | bought whole sheep for S.
in Chihan money, which is less than So in
our money, and any part OF carcass, from
one pound to the whole of it, can be bought
for less than two cents pound in United
States money. One dollar in our money is
worth 50 so Chilian money. Eggs are worth
twenty Il We to thirty cents apiece and lemons
are worth fifteen cents each in the money of
Chill.
This is very dirty place of about 1000
population, made up Of every nation on
earth There is bar room on every corner
People here seem to make money easy.
There are about 500 men who come here
every spring gold hunting along the Straits
and in the fall they come into town and
blow all their earnings in. The right kind
of man can made money here if he is will.
ing to work and be a little prudent. Men in
this part of the world make lots of stuff rais-
ing sheep. On both sides of the Straits up
and down for miles the land is taken up in
sheep farms, some of them having over one
hundred thousand head, and below here on
our way out they tell US we can shoot all
the wild cattle we want.
VIM. Duncan writes under date of Feb
18th.
We We're in Montevideo four days and if
we did not have good time then no matter.
1t is one of the handsomest cities l ever saw
and so clean and nice. We were also in the
mouth of a river two days looking for gold
but did not get any. We got some nice
fresh mutton and plenty of ducks. We
could have killed thousands with clubs,
(ducks l mean) They could not fly until
they got into the water, and we kept be-
tween them and the water. so we got all we
wanted in few minutes. We will get
into Sandy Point tonight tomorrow
morning and | will post this there. The
place we are in now is as lonely as you
could anywhere. The hills rise to a
great height and T light Glove to the waters
edge. Well now, l suppose you will think
now, but we have had some very rough
weather and the worst time we have had
should rather be aboard here than in Ports
mouth, and should | 90 to Alaska and come
| back as poor left | should not feel sore
at having taken this trip for | have seen
enough to make up for all | have lost, and
then there is a chance to do something and
come back better off than before, w e met
IN Montevideo with two vessels going to
4 Alaska from Boston, and there is another
following us through the Straits. We have
to anchor every night in the Straits, and
last night the cook. two of the mates and
myself Went aboard her. But | did not like
her She has to keep right close to us as
her navigator does not know the way
| through the Straits, so he IS thankful to
have fallen in with