Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-15

settlement. But instead here is an enter
prising little city of 5000 or 6OOO inhab-
itants with solid wharves and warehouses
substantial business blocks. the best OF
which are occupied by the banks, many
pretty cottages and a number of handsome
private residences. Galvanized iron and
tin have been used pretty freely. but these
are giving way to more solid structures
and the new buildings going up are OF
brick. The hotels are unusually good ones
The native of the Indian type is far less IN
evidence than he would be in town OF
the same size in North Dakota. The crowd
which was gathered in the post office wait
Ing the distribution Of the mail recalled
familiar scenes in the states before the
days of carriers and rural free delivery.
Punta Arenas Is having its boom and the
boom has been a gradual and healthy
growth which still continues. Tho town Is
free port, the only one In Chile without q
custom house, neither export nor import
duties being exacted. The plan Is a good
one, for it enables a large business tc be
done both in supplying the passing ships
and in developing domestic trade. The
local commerce is of guanaco and V1cuna
rugs, foxskins and ostrich feathers bought
from the Patagonian Indians in exchange
for little cash and more alcohol. In ad-
dition to the alcohol, hay and the cereals
are the chief imports. The leading exports
are WOOL hides tallow and mutton-mostly
to Liverpool, and some flrewood to the
Falkland Islands, which are two days
distant.
Fortunes Made in Raising Sheep.
Wool has been the making OF Punta Are
mas 1 observed that it formed the bulk
Of the cargo being taken on board. and the
talk all the way from Valparaiso was OF
sheep farming and Of the new companies
which were being formed, partly with
Chilean and partly with English capital,
The sheep ranges. both on the mainland
and across the Straits in TERRA del Fuego,
have not yet been fully utilized, but at the
present rate few years will give them
sheep enough for all the pasturage. AL
ready some great fortunes have been made.
rivaling the bonanza sheep ranches of the
west twelve or fifteen years ago. The
pioneer in the business was pointed out to
me as he came aboard the ship to accom-
pany his family to Buenos Ayres. He is a
spaniard, who early saw the chance, and
in consequence is now counted one Of the
richest men of South America. A single
flock of his numbers 100000 head. and he
has portioned each one of his daughters
with a dover of 100000 sheep.
The mutton sheep are raised further in
the interior toward the Argentine border.
The farmers discerned that it would pay
them better after the flock reached a GER
tain age to forego the wool clip and go in
for mutton. refrigerating plant was es-
tablished at Port Delgado by an English
company, but the meat proved too tough
for freezing and the company was liable
to heavy loss until It brought out boss
butcher from Chicago. Under his direc-
ton tho refdgerating plant was changed
to cannertes. and now a profitable trade is
done In canned mutton.
Next to sheep have heard the most talk
Of gold washings. placer mining and the
doing 1t is not easy to discover, though
some Of them are known to be making
money. The North American mining ex-
pert has been down this way In the guiss