The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
At the Straits of Magellan
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER

though the shepherd comes in to help
handle the animals. On some of the
farms this work is paid for by the fleece.
The present scale OF wages fixes the rate
at sA13 per hundred, or n little more
than cents per fleece. When y man be-
gins to shear he is given a booklet, In
which is recorded the number of animals
he shears during the week and the
amount to his credit. II any dispute
arises it is to be settled by a commit
tee composed equally of the owners and
employees. The company furnished the
shears. and every man gets three pairs
of shears at the start and an additional
Pair for each thousand animals At
cents a sheep the man can make very
good wages.
The average fleece of wool now pro-
duced in TERRA del Fuego is much larger
than the average fleece of the United
States. It runs at seven and a half
pounds and upward. The wool is OF good
quality, having a staple of three or four
inches and selling at the same price as
the wool of New Zealand. The sheep are
not washed and the wool is exported, in
its greasy state. The most of it goes to
Great Britain, and the remainder to Ger
many, Belgium and France. 1t is shipped
in bales of 450 pounds net.
The capital OF the Chilean territory of
the Magellans is Punta Arenas. This
place has now 10000 Inhabitants and 1t
Is the metropolis of the strait 1t is sit
uated on the mainland, facing the great
island of TERRA del Fuego, Just about
half way between the Atlantic and the
t. TaA.
north Of Cape Horn, and 1t has the whole
length of the continent between 1t and
Panama.
Punta Arenas is the southern most citv
of the world South America extends
more than 1000 miles nearer the south
pole than Africa, and Punta Arenas Is
1900 miles farther south than Cape Town
There is no city of any size within 1000
miles of 1t, and 1t is now reached only
by the steamers that pass through the
Strait of Magellan. In the far future 1t
may have railway connections with the
rest of Chile.
to-date municipality. Fifteen years ago
the greater part of It was still in the
woods Stumps still stood in the principal
streets, and in the rainy season the roads
were rivers of mud Today the town is
well paved, and 1t has plaza surround
eu Dy good houses ana stores. The streets
are lighted by electricity, and there are
churches and Schools The government
has recently erected a wireless station,
and the navigation of the straits is being
greatly improved. The value of the city
property is now estimated at more than
$40, 900 900.
The people of Punta Arenas are of a
dozen different nations, and they come
from all parts of the world. There are
English and Germans, and also many
Danes Norwegians and Swedes who
have large share in the navigation of
the straits. There are Australians and
Italians, and also Chieans and Indians
Some of the most successful business
men are Scotchmen. and the Scotch have
large interests in the sheep industry.
The Indians of the strait of Magellan
are fast dying out. l doubt whether
there are now, all told, more than 1000
although they numbered three times as
many a decade ago. As it is, the Onas
almost disappeared, and the canoe In
dians, or Alacalufes, are fewer than ever.
/ have seen all of these various In
dian tribes. The Alacalufes 1 met when
Travelled through Smythes channel some
years ago These Indians are seldom seen
by the traveller They live in the islands
about Smythes channel and In the west
ern parts of the TERRA del Fsuegan archi-
pelago. They go about in canoes and
subsist on what they can get from the
sea and on the roots that they dig up
on land They sleep sometimes In their
canoes and sometimes on land. In the
latter case they build wigwams about a
yard high, made by bending over the
branches of low trees and tying them to-
gether. The wigwams are used only for
sleeping. They are so low that the In
dams have to crawl in on their hands