The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-17

and her population of between
ISQ0Sv three and four million people.
The opening of the Panama ca
nal will bring her more than four thou
sand miles nearer to the markets of the
United States and Europe Her foreign
commerce approXimates about $500 600 OOO
annually, and requires about eight thou
sand vessels with shipping capacity of
over 1O0,0O0O00 tons. Her exports exceed
her imports by about $40,OOO,OOO, and the
merchant marine of Chile numbers nearly
two hundred vessels with a carrying ca
pacity Of 100000 tons. Her passenger
steamers, which travel the west coast from
Valparaiso to Panama, among the
finest coastwise vessels in the world and
when the canal Is completed We may ex-
pect TO see the PROUD flag of Chile in
Northern harbors daily.
The state railways in present operation
extend more than 1,5O0 miles and are val
ued at over $lOOOO0,OOO These together
with the private railways, give the repub-
lie more than three thousand miles of
railroad The state railways transport an
over 100000 tons of freight In Santiago,
which is the capital of the country there
are more than sixty miles of electric tram
way. The Chilean postoffices handle 80
100000 pieces annually, and the postal mon
ey order department more than $40 600
There are fifteen thousand miles of tele-
SrdpH anu telepnOneS connecting all the
principal towns in the republic.
The famous coal mines of Lota and
Coronel have an annual yield of 100000
tons and employ some nine thousand la
borers. This not only supplies Chiles
needs, but also Goals nearly all the Euro
pean steamers touching the borders. The
coal is what Is termed soft" but it is of
good quality. The most important min
eral industry. is, of course. the nitrate of
soda Chile at present has over one hun
dred nitrate works. The crude material
Called caliche) is found under a conglom-
crate, in beds varying from a few inches
to twelve feet in thickness. The process
OF extraction is one of teaching and refining
by crystallization. About !, 400 900 metric tons
estimated to be worth $4,000 900 i'm Europe
About four-fifths of all the nitrate ex-
ported goes to England and the continent
Great Britain alone taking one-third and
Germany a little less. A large amount of
British capital is invested in the nitrate
fields, sixteen of the larger companies
alone representing capitalization of more
than fS,000.00O The Chilean government
exacts a duty of Sl1.52 ton on all nitrate
exported.
In metal mining. copper comes first.
both as to present output and further op-
portunity. The present production is about
$1,000 tons of copper annually. Manganese
is also an important industry. Silver. once
very highly profitable. has declined: "a
900 kilogrammes of silver were exported In
800. Promising gold deposits exist, espe-
cially in southern Chile. Thirty million
dollars In gold, gold ores and matte have
been exported in the past ten years.
OF engineering enterprises in Chile other
than mining or the development of water
powers. the most important and most i'm
mediate in interest is the Transandne
railway. which. after half n century of
stagnation or very slow progress, seems at
last the point of energetic prosecution
TO completion. The Chilean government
has called for tenders (Which are to be
opened at Santiago i'm May. 1900. for the
building of the one remaining link neces-
sary to connect the Chilean lines with the
Argentine railways which now are re-
ported complete to the boundary. The sec
ton TO be let by Chile is about twenty
FIVE miles i'm length, but a considerable
part OF this distance must be i'm tunnel
III extends from SaIton del Soldado @ 100
feet above sea- 10 the ''cumbre' or summit
,12 500 feet) The Transandine railway
proper is the entire stretch between and
Los Andes. but the line is built from Los
Andes eastward 10 Salto del Soldado and
from Mendoza westward to the 'cumbre"
the route being that known the U.s.
palIata Pass The line Is expected 10
be a paying one. passenger traffic being an
important item and the cattle business
very profitable. the movement being west
ward into Chile from the Argentine pas
tures-G. Fred Collins In the Engineer
ing Magazine for April