The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-28

Copyrighted 1898, by Prank G. Carpenter.
VALPARAISO, Chile, Aug. 7.-Val-
paraiso is the New York of Pacific
South America It IS the chief seaport
south of San Francisco, and it is by
far the best business point on
the west coast of this continent. 1t
has a population of 125,0O0. but it does
a business equal to any American city
of twice that size. The greatest part
of the one hundred and odd million
dollars which constitutes Chile's foreign
commerce is controlled here. and the
city is made up of business blocks
which are more like those of a Euro
pean port than any other on this coast.
Valparaiso is beautifully situated. 1t
has a bay Of the shape of a half moon
which is large enough to feat the ships
OF the world. Around this bay there
Is an amphitheater of great hills, which
rises almost straight up from the edge
Of the water and which forms the site
Of the city.
The business section. in fact, is built
upon ground redeemed from the sea,
and there are millions Of dollars worth
OF property now standing where a gen.
Grafton ago there was nothing but
water. The wharves OF Valparaiso
are walled With stone and iron rails
to keep back the water. and the re-
claimed land is such that there are
three or four business streets which
run about the bay between the water
and the foot of the hills. Coming into
the harbor you find yourself surround
ed by shipping. More than 1000 sail
ings are made to and from this port
every year, and you look a. the city
through the smoke stacks of steamers
and a thicket of the bare masts Of
sailing vessels. The hills in front of
You are so steep that you wonder how
the houses can stand upon them, and
you see that they rise in terraces,
house above house and street above
street, until the buildings at the top
hang out and seem about to fall upon
those below. Here and there you see
break in the hills of the amphitheater,
and at a number Of points cable roads
are crawling up and down the steep in
clines.
ENGLISH GERMAN CITY.
Landing at the wharves you are sur
prised to find that nearly every bust
ness man you meet speaks English,
and you soon find that the English
and Germans nonopolize the business.
Tne signs are European, and there are
few Chilean names upon them. You
pass book stores which keep only Eng
hsh books. There are scores of Eng
lishInen upon the streets, and you see
Ilt1iiN pretty EnSl-SH anu German girls
shopping in the stores. The improve
ments are more like those of one of
our own cities than those of a South
American town. The stores have plate
glass windows, and the goods are as
well displayed as in New York or Chi
c2go. The streets are paved with Bel
gian blocks, and there are drags, cabs
and carriages moving along them. Here
and there you see vegetable peddler
or a baker with his stock in panniers
on the sides of a mule, but the most
of the trading and freighting is done
with carts. Valparaiso has cable con-
nection with Europe and the United
States. 1t has Geographic lines which
keep it in touch with all parts of Chile,
and its long-distance telephones reach
Santiago and ether points. The tele-
graph here is as cheap, if not cheaper
than in any other country, and at my
hotel l am able to telephone to San
tiago, the capital, 100 miles away,
without extra charge.
A SPANISH STREET RAILWAY.
Valparaiso has a tramway system