The farmer and mechanic., 1914-09-29
South America

cotton and various kinds of Ameri-
can machinery. Nearly all handle
farming implements and are ready
20 take orders for American goods Of
any description. Our chief type
writer companies have their agencies
Sraphophones are distr;hutad |
throughout every city anc town. The
singer Sewing Machine Company is
IN evidence everywhere. and the
National Cash Register keeps not
only the accounts of most of the
stores, but even the cash of the tefe-
graph and post Offices as we'll
Many of our great combinations t
of capital have long been planning I
10 work the South American trade. |
ana the present situation finds them |
ready To take advantage of it, The |
United States Steel Company has
mad It's agents in every country OF !
the west coast, and for some time
It's own ships have been going from
New York to these ports by the way
Of the Strait of Magellan. They will
now go by the Panama canal and
their return freights will be such
goods as have hitherto been carried
by the steamers of Germany. France
and Great Britain The United
more than half of all the steel used
in Chile and lit is rapidly absorbing
that class fbusinesS throughout
South America. A large part of the
building now going on Is in steel.
and the new railroads, in course of
| construction, will now be dependent
upon us. rather than Europe for
their rails and other materials
| The Bethlehem Steel Company is
| in splendid shape to do an enormous
| business with the west coast Of South
| America. At the time the European
war broke out, it had almost COM
pleted a dozen large steamers which
| were to be employed in carrying the
iron ore from its mines near Coquim-
bO. Chile, to the Bethlehem steel
| works. 1t was estimated that the
ore freight would amount to some
thing like a million tons per annum,
and the ships were built with the
expectations that the return freight
from the United States to Chile
would be practically nothing. The
company expected to make its money
by carrying the ore to it.; own mills
The present situation will enable this
fleet to have full cargoes of United
States goods on the return voyages
and the company will probably do q
: : general carrying business in addition
to it's steel and ore shipments.
The same will be true of thu
nitrate fleet that in the past ha
: gone south through the Strait o
f Magellan and thence to Europe ant
4 the United States. From now OF
: that fleet will probably go through
s the canal. and as the United State
n is one OF the largest customers TO
e nitrate the steamers that land ther
n I xx,in mo
n and bring them back to Chile. w
e are now taking something like 400,
h 600, 900 pounds Of nitrate year, an
: Chile is ready to consume a lik
s amount Of American goods. Thi
g nitrate business is controlled b
e Nitrate Agencies Limited, the ma
e jority of whose stock is owned b
g W. r. Grace & Co. and it's retur
D, freight will probably be run in con
s. nection with the Graces.
II Another effect of the war will b
l. to send millions Of dollars wort
Is of American capital into Chilean III
lr yestments. IT means new bank
s. and new syndicates Of various kind
ar This is a land of big things. and tn
u, Americans are gradually getting the
IN fingers on some of the most valuab
a properties Take the Bethlehe1
lie Steel Company. 1t has recently a.
es uuired an iron mountain nee
n Couuimbo. a port on the west Goa
v of Chile. between Antofagasta an
IS VALPARAISO. The ore lies only aDol
s. five miles from the coast, and
a so situated that it can +" loa ded
al gravity That property Is salu
er contain more than 1o0,ooO,eoo tol
iS Of high-erade ore. which assays fro
81 Ga to 70 per cent of pure iron II
il mines have enough ore Ia supply II
Rethlehem steel works for mo
re than fifty years.
nS 49,,
to Some of the greatest copper min
n of tne world are in Chlc. ana III 4
no hands of the Guggenhe},h Sfndlca'
he I refer to those beinS WORKED una
M the Chile Exploration company a
no ihe Braden Copper Company.
nd Braden copper mines liz aoout :
nd | miles southeast of Va aiparaleo- j 2
". | hy ATlG fiC3NS