The Republican journal., 1904-04-07
off THE COAST OF CHILL.
-..-Tg,S CHANNEL THAT LEADS INTO
TIN STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. TIP
IND OF SOUTH AMERICA.

1,>rA ARENAS, PATAGONIA, Febru-
l. 1901. Smythe's Channel begins
a4yond Chloe, which is the north
..p,-t ISLAND of that wonderful chain
.rhpelagoes extending from about
..n.ie u degrees, southwark of Cape
-.r. Tie channel is barely seventy
- 1rles long, but we were three days
.r.-,ug through it, coming to anchor
,.., I.giit at sunset. There are many
...laplan channels besides this named
....,-' Il, all remarkably alike in gen
.-eatures, some broadening out four
r miles, others narrowing to a
.ruLth. All Of them have high,
.... shores. showing innumerable
.., md headlandS, whose dark and
- shapes lend an appearance of
Grandeur rarely seen elsewhere.
....aF the weather has much to do
. prevailing dreariness, for the
.ycr shines brightly upon this for
corner of creation, where it
.a- ur rains every day in the year
wight falls at four O'Clock. The
~ttcieS of verdure found so far
.. The equator are evergreens and
-lOt,t beecheS, and these are every
aa.-. blackening the mountain sides
-sn the waters edge to height of
.H thousand feet, adding a world
uloWs to every landscape. despite
-er i SHOWS. Underfoot is always a
.a-.ri underground. sprlnging out OF
e-r looss soaked like sponge with
ss rss moisture. The island of Chloe
SID. tseif province of Chilli, $50 miles
.- by 80 wide. Though its interior
.- never been explored, the island is
..aed INTO five compartments" or
.r.cts, of which Anoud is the capt.
a 1t is tolerably we'll built town,
Y-'op's see, with some pretentions to
.--4nce and a population of about 5000.
Ia de Mendoza discovered the island
l rs adjacent archipelago in 1858, and
possession in the name of the king
spain. When the Spanish forces
xpelled from the rest of Chilli,
they fed to Chloe, but aban-
.a the island about eight years later.
whole southwark coast of the island
inaccessible precipice, 5000 feet
l1ainSt which the Pacific thunders
rraseless uproar The interior is
and mostly covered with dark for
--.- hllian cedar, the Fitzroya pat
"a known to commerce. But
.~ltlveiy small portion of it has
..eared: and though its scanty
alton have considerable trade with
vessels, money is almost un-
... among them, all business tran
ID, being conducted by barter.
to-t valuable article of commerce
cedar above mentioned. which is
jtl in small plauks. Next in i'm
.4t" is the Indigenous potato, which
mliy produced in increasing guam
the forests are cut away. [ am
'.3t coal beds Of considerable size
ue have lately been discovered,
promise to give Chloe a new i'm
Nte.
largest island off the coast of
Wellington, a good deal farther
ward, which is 40 miles long Ivy
- 80 to 80 wide. The home of the
-uin and the sea-lion, where cold
blow and snow storms prevail
l- the greater portion of the year,
never been explored to any great
went and seems to support nothing
than several kinds of evergreens,
0g III soft, spOngy moss, into which
who venture ashore sink to their
ttes. The highest peak of this region
., w.. Narnlento, i'll what is known as
eNuru Channel, which rears cone
e,ot.ess snow nearly 1000 feet straight
'um the blue Pacific at its feet. Its
ty is enhanced by numerous blue
-rd glaciers descending from it's sum-
DIT lis Darwin, who once saw it, said ::
.F~ hundred frozen Niagaras" On
coast of southern Chilli as on that
\rWay, the fiords are not only mar
nl,t very deep, and the tides run
leSlstless force. By and by we
, TO glaciers-mountainS Of green
tu NE ice, with creSts of snow stretch
jig trn, fifteen and twenty miles in I'M
oxen grandeur, beside which those of
overland and Norway dwindle into
''guliicance.
'rtore entering the channel known as
LHgIish Narrows," every vessel swings
is boat, half lowered, to be ready
Use of running upon rock or reef.
" entire crew is told off for special
'7'"te in case of any emergency. A
poer stand in the stern, prepared to
HE auxiliary steering apparatus in
lWlnkllng of an eye, should that in
'''mary use give away. The boat
VIVA and carpenter remain at the wind
ia the PROV, ready to let go the
~. pr at moments notice. All this
''llnr every time vessel goes through,
n spite of precautions the shore is
"Au with wrecks. In one place this
datl is barely 600 feet across, with
't.A water Oh one side and a powerful