The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-17
UNCLE SAM in SOUTH CHuE
Inc 0rea1 rort OF Conception and the Naval Station
At TaIcahuano.
Al

strange Experiences i'm an Earth
make City-OpcninSs for American
Lumber and American Coal-A
Iook ut the LOta Mines. Which Lie
Indcr the Occan-The Chilean
Ncn-ofWar and Their Naval He
rocs-Interesting Facts About
american Trade
o'"yrighted, 1914, by Frank G.
Carpenter.)
Conception.
owing TO the war and the increas-
cd demands for United States goods.
the port Of Conception will soon be
as we'll known to our business men as
VALPARAISO is now. Conception is the
metropolis of southern Chile, and the
outlet TO the best farming part Of the
country. 1t has railroads going north
and south through the great central
valley, and extensions are proposed
which will cross the Andes and Ar
gentina to Buenos Aires. 1t already
takes a large part Of our American
exports and farm machinery and
tools Of all kinds from the United
States are for sale in it's stores. Not
far from ii are the great coal mines
of Lota. and within a short street a
ride is TalcahuanO. the chief naval
station Of the republic.
Conception is the third largest CITY
of chile. 1t is surpassed only by VAL
paraiso and Santiago and it is rapidly
growing. The town lies on the Bio
bio river nor far from the sea. A low
range Of hills separates it from h
ocean. When it was first founded it
lay right on the beach. Then came
an earthquake that swallowed the
city rs the whale swallowed Jonah.
Conception disappeared into the nav
of the Pacific. 1t was wiped out like
Port Royal. Jamaica, and there is now
only a bathing resort on that sport.
In rebuilding the people chose the
present site, where the hills keep out
the waves. so that in spite of the
earthquakes the city still stands.
/ say in spite Of the earthquakes, for
there are so many that the land
moves to and fro as though it had III
aguc. The quakes are almost as COM
mon As those Of Japan. We had one
last night that swayed the walls of
my hotel and set the electric
lights swinging. The first shock
awakened me. 1t was about IL p. m.
The experience made me think 1 was
in a storm out at sea. My bed rose
and fell and a bottle Of ammonia on
the edge Of my washstand dropped to
the floor with a crash. At the same
time its pungent scent filled the
room. | looked at my watch. 1t was
ten minutes after IL p. m. AS the
second hand measured out / minute
| rose and went into the hall. The
walls were still trembling and as 1
entered the portico looking down on
the patio a smokestack fell down and
the guests of the hotel came running
out in their night clothes for fear that
the heavy tiled roof of the building
might fall. Some Of them stayed out
doors all night. l waited until the
trembling Of the earth ceased and
then went back to bed. But l could
not sleep for an hour or more for
Tear OF the second shock, which often
follows a first. / finally dropped off
and slept soundly until 4 o'clock,
When the second shock zane. 1t was
quite severe, but not so bad as the
hrSt The dispatches OF today's paper
snow that these w earthquakes have
Deen telt all over Chile. They have
thro"n down one small town and they
created such CONSERVATION at the
capital that many of it's citizens spent
aSt night in the streets.
! do not like earthquakes. There
arr REGIONS where they have some
nlha or a shock every day; but even
mere the natives are afraid Of them,
80 D'y thS III 6lODC-
uotting tenderfoot who says he is
not The most severe earthquake 1
eNer experienced was in 1891 in the
capital OF Japan. At that time a
sIeat number Of buildings were de-
9,Ioyed' the high chimneys of the
armament House crashed through
tmq root, and the American legation
st'iGlhg was almost split in twain.
~ me time this earthquake occurred
was In the household department
me Mikado, having an interview
"nn the high court chamberlain con-
nthlhg the Empress, about whom I
III 70 write a magazine article. The
lung was modern, and after the
80 OF the public buildings Of our
o"ntry. Had it been Japanese it
""u1u probably have stood, but as it
the earthquake threy half of it
me ground. We saw the walls
ling and felt the floor rising and
rGa itns' when the high japanese Off
a. Sald: There is an earthquake
49, / think we had better get out"
~ same time the halls were filled
an J" Hylng clerks. We rushed out
b :" mad barely gotetn clear Of the