Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-17
| BADLY DAMAGED
BY EARTHQUAKE
City of Valparaiso, Chile, Visit
ed by Shocks.
MANY REPORTED KILLED
Fires Said to Be Burning in Many
Sections.
NOTED SOUTH AMERICAN PORT
Feared That the Situation is as Bad as
That of San Francisco-Cable
Service Interrupted.
T0TED SOUTH AMERICAN PORT

NEW YORK, August 1.-THE city OF
Valparaiso, Chile. is reported to be badly
damaged by earthquake. One report here
Is that the situation at Valparaiso may
prove to be as serious as that in San Fran
cisco. Practically every building in the
city is damaged, and there are fires in diff
ferent parts of the city. Many persons are
reported killed and injured.
The earthquake has interrupted cable IA
cilities to lower South American points and
communication is restricted to the route via
Lisbon.
Another report at Lisbon is that the less
of life has not been confirmed. Fires are
burning in various parts of the city.
One report which reached this city said
that portions of Valparaiso were burning
all night and that the bodies of hundreds
of its residents were buried in the ruins Of
the building.
Valparaiso Is a fortified seaport of Chile,
and the most important commercial town Of
the western coast of South America. 1t
has a population of about 10000. 1t is the
capital of the province of the same name
and is situated on a large bay in the Pa
cific ocean, seventy-fve miles west-north-
west of Santiago, with which it is connect
ed by rail.
The bay of Valparaiso. which is well
sheltered on three sides, is bounded by
ranges of hills rising from LOGO to !, 700
feet high, on the slopes of which a con-
siderable portion of the city of Valparaiso
is built. On the south side of the bay are
the spacious suburbs of Neuvo Malecon and
Gran Avenida, from which pass out one of
the Sinestss thoreughfares of Valparaiso.
the Avenida de las Delieias. The lower
central section of the city is constituted
by the Almendral, having regular and at
tractive streets and containing the principal
business houses. the park, the Plaza Vic
toria and the National Theater.
To the northwest of this section, in the
quarter of the city known as the puerto
Cor porD. In which are situated the greater
number of the public buildings and the
vast warehouses which line the quays and
docks. In this portion of the city, how
ever, narrow and crooked streets are still
a feature, but the newer sections Of VAL
paraiso have an attractive, modern ap-
pearance, the buildings IN the business
quarters being massively built.
Among the monuments in Valparaiso are
those to Columbus, wheelwright who es-
tablished steam navigation on the Chilean
coast Admiral Prat and Thomas Cochrane,
organizers of the Chilean navy. The city
has various academic and collegiate in
stitutiopS, naval school, school for
marines, museum of natural history hydro
graphic bureau, etc, and Its Industrial es-
tablshment comprise foundries, railroad
and machine shops. sugar retineries, brew
cries, distilleries, large bottling works and
factories of all kinds. Elevators connect
the lower parts of the city with the villa
section on the heights.
The port of Valparaiso Is the terminus
Of important lines of steamers for Europe
by way of the Straits of Magellan and
Panama, and is the center of the South
American coasting service 1t contains a
numerous foreign colony, composed chiefly
OF British. German and French merchants.
There is a custom house wharf alongside
of which steamers of ordinary tonnage can
moor, but most of the loading is done by
lighters from a quay surrounding the town.
The habor IS defended by modern, we'll
mounted batteries. Severe storms and
tidal wave at Valparaiso, June 30 1899,
wrecked the railroad and did great damage
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