The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-18
LIKE DISASTER Of
FRISCO IS REPORT
Flames Follow Shock, Business
Portion of Important City
Swept by Fire.
HUNDREDS OF BODIES
CONSUMED IN RUINS
Most Important Commercial
Port on West Coast Of
South America.

NEW YORK, Aug. 1.-THE city OF
Valparaiso, Chile, is reported badly
damaged by earthquake. A report here
is that the situation. in Valparaiso may
prove to be as serious as the San Fran
cisco disaster Practically every build
ing in the city is damaged and there
are fires in different parts Of the city.
Many persons are reported killed and
{ injured The earthquake has inter
rupted cable facilities to lower South
American points and communications
are restricted to the route via Lisbon.
Fires are burning in various parts of
the city.
One report which was received in this
city said that portions OF Valparaiso were
burning all night and that the bodies of
! hundreds Of It's residents were burned
in the ruins Of the buildings.
A private cable dispatch to W. R.
Grace & Co, from Valparaiso, received
| by way of Lima, Peru, says that the
earthquake in Valparaiso was severe
and that business in the city had been
| totally suspended.
The dispatch further stated that
) Grace G. Co, g buildings IN Valparaiso
were badly damaged, but that none of
tho occupants were injured.
Valparaiso is fortified seaport of
| Chile and the most important CONNER
| cial town of the western coast OF South
| America 1t has a population of about
| $4,000. It is the capital of the. prov
ince of that name ana is situated on
large bay in the Pacific ocean seventy
fvo miles west northwest OF Santiago,
with which it is connected by rail.
Bay Well Sheltered.
The bay of Valparaiso, which is well
sheltered on three sides, is bounded by
ranges Of hills rising TO from 1900 TO
100 feet high, on the slopes of which
a considerable portion of the city OF
Valparaiso is built. On the south side
of the bay are the spacious suburbs OF
| Nuevo, Malecon and Gran Avenida,
from which pass out is one or the
finest thoroughfares of Valparaiso, the
Avenida de Las Dclicias. The lower
! central section of the city is constitut-
ed by the Almandral, having regular
and attractive streets and containing
| the principal business houses, the plaza
| Victoria and the National theater.
To the northwest of this section is
! the quarter of the city known as the
! Puerto (or port), in which are situated
the greater number OF public buildings
and the vast warehouses which line the
uuays and docks. In this portion of
the city, however, narrow and crooked
streets are still a feature, but the new
| er sections of Valparaiso have an at
/ tractive modern appearance, the build
ings in the business quarter being mas
sively built
Among the monuments in Valparaiso
| are those of Columbus, Wheelwrlght
| (who established steam navigation on
the Chilean coast, Admiral Pratt and
MI OP fha
lean navy The city has various aca-
demic and collegiate institutions, ma.
val school, school of marines, museum of
natural history. photographic bureau,
| etc, and its industrial establishments
comprise foundries, railroad and ma
! chine shops, sugar refneries, brewerles,
distilleries, large boStling works and
factories of all kinds, Elevators CON
meet the lower parts of the city with
the villa section on the heights.
Important for Steamers.
| The port of Valparaiso is the ter
minus of many important lines of
| Straits of Magellan and Panama, and
is the center Of the South American
| coastlng services.
II contains numerous foreign colonies
| composed chiefly Of British, German
and French merchants, There is GUS
| tom house wharf, alongside OF Wnlcn
steamers of any tonnage can moor, but
most of the loading is done by lighters
from a quay surrounding the town. The
harbor is defended by modern, we'll
mounted batteries. Severe storms and
a tidal wave at Valparaiso June 80,
| 1899, wrecked tho railroad and did
! great damage to the city.
The reports received from various quar-
ters OF the globe regarding the Valpa
raiso disaster have varied greatly, some
going so far es to compare the havoc
wrought to that OF the San Francisco
catastrophe. with details much the same,
1t Is said that the city. at hrst shaken
by violent earthquake, took fre and
was burning iercely, many scores per-
ishng in the flames and the ruins of tho
fallen buildings. The latest of the re-
ports along this line comes by way OF
London and Is to the effect that Ham
burg firm has received dispatch stating
that numerous districts In Chile have
been destroyed and that Valparaiso has
been practically demolished. many ships
lost and more than q hundred persons
killed. 1t is added. however. that the
dispatch is not we'll authenticated. This
is true Of all dispatches and rumors