The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-16

Copyrighted. 1876. by Frank G. Carpenter
3SCEPCloS. Chile. Sept g.
II 1873 have jas; returned from a trip
IL through the backwooda OF Chile, re-
gion winch travellers seldom
ylsll ard Of which many who
have visited this part % the world would
doubt the existence. Northern chile IS a
desert For 1910 miles SOUTH % the Peru
Wan frontier there are not enough trees 10
furnish zwltcaex for the public schools. /
rode hundreds ot miles south 81 Santiago
through Irrigated farms. where the only
ereas t1 DE- seen were those planted along
the borders OF the ditcnee. and II was
only Ia the aeighboTboGd Of Conception
that I found woods OF any size. From
here I nave gone a day's Tide by train to
what IL known as the frontier. passed
many vast farms cut out OF the forest.
where the stnnp-ii!iei sields reminded me
Of the newly settled regions OF our wood
ed Northwest South Chile Is covered with
forest; II contains song OF the best lard
ia the country, and IL has much rain
that the farms do not require irrigation.
This country has been d wilderness until
within recent years. Now the government
IL opening Il ZIP 10 settlement. The rail-
roads are being steadily extended further
south and new towns and villages are
spriagiag up along them.
These frontier towns remind one % the
new settlements or the United States
Take Temuco. for instasce. where | spent
scIne days last wees. II is twelve years
old, and ii has l0es people. II covers
about as much space as an American city
Of the same size. las streets are wide and
filled with black mud. and lts one and two
story houses which !ine them are wooden.
They have ridge roots. and many OF them
are mere shanties. Every house has a
Fxn al .sast
about az cold that Of Washington not a
house has chimney. The people generally
believe that fires are unhealthy. and like
the Chinese rely upon their clothes 10 keep
them warm. The Temuco streets cross one
another at right angles. and In the center
OF the town there Is a park or plaza OF
about an acre. where the military band
plays and where the people walk abou; on
Sunday afternoons and stare ar each other
1t has club where you find the last
English. German ana Chilean papers II
has three hotels two French and one Ger
man, All or which are better than the he
tells OF towns OF the same size In the
states, u has plenty Of saloons. whore
raw alcohol is sold to the poems or labor
ers and the Indians; bat fewer than an
American town Of its character where the
liquors are drunk on the spit. /; has
Catholic churches. and already our own
Methodist Episcopal people, who have
done so much for education in Chile, have
established u missionary church and a
SCHOOL here.
The streets scenes of Temuco are differ
ent from those of our frontier. There are
more queer costumes. There are dark
faced Indians. Germans and well-iressed
Spanish Chiieans. Men with ropchos over
their shoulders, dark faces ans sha air CT
origandS drive the oxcarts which lumber
through chem. Each man carries : go1d
Etten feet long. and directs he oxen by
Striking them on this side or that. Now
ana then you see teams Of SIX and eighs
OF these beasts The oxen are tbs only
draft animals. excepting the six ragged