Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-15
UNCLE SAM HAS SHARE
OF SOUTH CH|LE's TRADE.
His Business Is Growing Rapidly
Since War Has Cut OFF Euro
pean Markets.
GREAT PORT OF CONCEPTION
Strange Experiences in an Earth
quake City-Openings for Ameri-
can Lumber and Coal-A Look mt
Lota Mines, Under the Ocean.
Conception.

cepcion 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 viii
GROSS the Andes and Argentina to Bue
nos Aires. 1t already takes large
s part OF our American exports and farm
machinery and tools of all kinds from
the United States are for sale In its
stores. Not far from it are the great
coal mines of Lota. and within short
street car ride is Tnlcahuano. the chief
naval station of the republic.
Conception is the third largest city
of Chile. 1t is surpassed only by VAL
paradise and Santiago, and II is rapidly
growing. The town lies on the Bio
bio River not far from the sea. low
range Of hills separates it from the
Il ocean. When il was first founded IL
lay right on the beach. Then came
" an earthquake that swallowed the city
as the whale swallowed Jonah. Con-
cepcion disappeared into the NAV OF
the Pacific. II was wiped OUT like
Port Royal, Jamaica. and there is now
7 only n bathing resort on that spot In
rebuilding the people chose the present
Site where the hills keep out the
waves, so that in spite OF the earth
quakes, the city still stands.
say in spite of the earthquakes.
for there are SO many that the land
Il moves to and fro as though 1t had the
Z agne The auakes are almost rs COM
3 mon as those of Japan. We had one
last night that swayed the walls of
my hotel room and set the electric
lights swinging. The first shock
awakened me. II WAS IL II. NJ. The
experience made me think 1 was I'm
n storm out nj sea My bed rose and
fell. and a bottle OF ammonia on tho
edge of my wnshstand dropped to the
floor with "a crash. At the same time
it's prngent sccnt filed the room.
looked at my watch. 1t was ten min
utes after IL +. NJ. AS the second
hand measured out one minute rose
and went into the hall. The walls
were still trembling, and as l entered
tile iportlco. looking down on the patio,
3 n ssnokestack fell down and the guests
of the hotel came running out in their
might clothes for fear that the heavy
tiled roof of the building might fall.
= Some Of them stayed outdoors all
might. waited until the trembling
Sof the earth ceased. and then went
ibnck. to bed. But could not sleep for
ian hour or moro for Tear of the second
ishock, which often follows Il first. l
finally. dropped off and slept soundly
until o'clock. when the second shock
< came. 1t was quite severe, but not
so bad as the first. The dispatches
OF to-daS's paper show that these two
earthquakes have been felt all over
Chile. They have thrown down one
= small town, and they created such
consternRtion 1T the capital that many
of..its citizens spent last night In the
streets.
Edo mot like earthquakes. There are
regions where they have some kind
+ pE2agtshock every day; but even there
the natives arc afraid of them. and
tti cir rnt nj
tenderfoot who Says he is not The
most severe earthquake L ever expert
enced was in 1894 in the capital OF
Japan. At that time great number
OF buildings were destroyed, the high
chimney of the Parliament House
crashed through the roof, and the
American legation building was almost
split In twain. Al the time this earth
quake occurrcd,.I was in the household
department of the Mikado. having an
interview with the High Court Cham
berlain concerning the Empress. about
whom ] was To write magazine ar
ticle. The building was modern, and
after the style OF the public buildings
of our country. Had it been Japanese.
1t would probably have stood, but. ms
1t was, the earthquake threw half OF
= II to the ground. We saw the walls
moving and felt the floor rising and
failing, when the high Japanese official
said: There is an earthquake and..I
think we had better get QUIZ sat the
game time the halls were allied with
flying clerks. We rushed out and had
barely gotten clear OF the building he
fore about one-half OF it fell TO the
ground.
on account of earthquakes nearly all
the buildings of Conception are of one
story. The town covers a great deal
of ground. II lies on fiat plain at the
edge of hill known as the Caracol.
1000 feet high. 1t is the public park
of the city, and rises up almost like
fort over the houses. ] climbed II
to-day for the view. Walking through
wide streets lined with one and two
story buildings. crossed the Alameda
and went UP the winding slopes The
road was lined with mighty pines. and
il made me think of the great Cryp-
tomeria Avenue that leads up 10 Nikko,
Japan Mixed with the pines were
mimosa trees now in full bloom. There
were many green shrubs. the veSeta
tIon rising like a wall on one side OF
the road. BY and by we came to the
top. We were now high over the city
Of Conception and the Valley OF the
Bio Bio. We could see the houses OF
Talcahuano. the naval station, and the
ocean beyond. We could pick out the
Bio-Bo River, as II wound its way
down TO the sea, and the bridge across
IT, tho longest and largest in Chile
Conception itself lay just below us
great expansc OF terra Gotta rooted
houSes with plaza Of green in the
centre. We could see the cathedral
on one side of the plaza. 1t is a largo
building with an audience room COW
ering half an acre. The streets go
out frofyi the plaza. They arc wide
and cross each other at right angles.
Z They areI paved with asphalt, and are
clean and well kept The houses OF
the city are low. Looking over them
we see here and there q cluster OF
frnn aitr n, e1 hv
seem to DC sprouting from the roofs
Of the houses. They are in the courts
or patios around which the houses are
built
Now turn around and look towards
y tile north. There is nothing but wood
ed hills on that side You might
Imagine yourself in the midst of a
y wilderness. did ynu NOT ktnu tint tho