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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1914)
TIIF, OMAHA SUNDAY ln-: PtX'KMBFiU 'JU, 1014. 7B Chilean Government Planning Big Things for Future (f5? (7 rv r.- H JtaBvcs op Tierra del Faego J (.Copyrighted, 1914. Frank G. Carpenter.)! . i 7T: ,--.' Jj AUPIVIA.-The Chilean ovrn- ; J v , W jsl ment has new plana for colon- :$ A. . Aj a T V I txlng and developing the Ter- , . .li ,Jf V I rltory of the Magellans. It V, S JS-- has sold at auction several i( s ' .-.v ; . y million acres and has leased .s- f . . v '.',-.' '':: f " (lib. fulfil f . 1 ?v;4 6a ri .-" v "7 .-AW --3 ' O ? i .,: .- ii mm, larKB tracts for cattle breeding and sheep raising. It Is putting In public Improve ments at Punta Arenaa. the capital of the straits, and elsewhere; and there aro now something lltae, one thousand mllea of road In the territory. Some lands have been Riven over to two private colonla' lion companies, and special Inducements are offered to native Chileans who will go thero to settle. The Territory of the "Magellans is one of the leat known parts of South America. It consists of the southern end of the range of the Andes, Includ lng a long strip of country that runs from a little below Valdlvla to the Strait of Magellan. It h,as also the Islands tJ the western end of the strait, and the most of Tlerra del Fuego. It comprises more than one-fifth of all Chile, and it has a land area almost as grat as the stats of Missouri. About one-halt of it is on the mainland of the continent and the rest Is made up. of Islands. This region has a fairly good climate. The northern part is temperate, and in the summer season, or from November till May, one can travel almost any where, through it In a two-wheeled cart. There are now about a thousand miles of wagon roads in the territory, and these are being Improved. Hit Lire Stock Coneeras. Vntll within the last few years the Territory of the Magellan was supposed to be worth nothing. It was so nea,r the south pole that many thought it was all ice and snow, and its mountainous char acter was such that no one Imagined the landa could ever be of great value. To day thlf territory has developed a livestock-raining Industry that - bulks largs In the assets of Chile. It has one sheep- growing company, capitalised at mors than , $7,000,000, which is now producing 9,000,000 or 10,000,000 pounds of wool svery year. This company owns J, 000,000- acres of land, and its sheep number mors than 1,200,000. It has also 25,000 cattle, and more than 9,000 hohses. It sheared mors than 1.000,000 sheep last year, and the average fleece weighed almost sight pounds. It had mors than 500,000 lambs, and it shipped vast quantities of fro sen mutton to England. La. Socledad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego or the Tlerra del Fuego Explora tion society, owns 1,800,000 sheep and also' cattle and horses. It has Its own meat canning factory and a plant for produe Ing tallow by boiling down sheep. 'A freezing v establishment has recently been Installed there, and another fi'eeser exists at the Klo Seco. to which 150,000 sheep are annually shipped. The annual out put of these two freezing establishments Is almost 400,000 carcasses, and the tal low works connected 'with them have marketed mors than three-quarters of a million pounds of that articled A Brand llfw Country. During my stay at the Strait" of Ma gellan in 1838 the era of sheep raising was at Its beginning. The value of ths lands had Just become known and stock farmers were coming In from Australia and Europe. The first sheep brought In came from ths Fslkland Islands, which lie in the same latitude about 200 miles eastward. The Falklands are and have long been famous for their fine cheep. The first exportations to ths Strait of Magellan occurred In 1878. Seven years later the flocks had Increased to 40,000. and when I first visited Tlerra del Fuego they were considerably over a million." At that time one of the larg est sheep owners was the American consul, a. Husslan by birth, who had spent most of his life In the Magellans. He had 340,000 acres of land in Tiri-. del Fuego. and his house at Punt Are nas was one of the finest In Chile. It Pl re- "1ck covered with stucoo, and Is sp finished that It looks like a light brown stone. Every part of ths build, ing was brought In from abroad' and all the laborers who worked on It were Imported from Buonos Aires or ' K.nf. lago. The house cost something like .vw.uw. ana is still the wonder of this j'an oi ns world. fL i - fc-raung rarms or ths fltralt of aiageuan ars not only on ths mainland but also on Tierra del Fuego. They num ber millions of acres, and some of the best axe on Tierra del Fuego, the grat iftiajod which belongs partly to Chils and partly to Argentina. Rats Are a Meuct. Tlerra del Fuego is half as big as ths stats of Ohio, and the greater part of it is made up of plains and wide stretches of moorland covered with grass, which Is green In the summer and reddish brown when winter comes on. This grsss furnishes good grating all the year round. In the winter the sheep some times dig down through ths snow snd as a rule the snows melt soon after railing. ,Ths grasses' of ths Strait are noted for their richness snd sweetness. They are excellent for ths production of both mut ton snd wool, and they would feed far mors stock than they do were It not for the rats. As it Is. this pest Is so great that It now takes three or mors acres to supply pne sheep. Ths rats not only eat ths grass, but they burrow through ths rarlh to such an sxtent that It is im possible to drive over the plains with s wagon, and oa horseback one has to rids was Imllt on some rsrth In the center. Ths Indians who were not paddling or steering the host snt around these flns. and some rooked the while ovrr the loals. The Al.ics'urrs are r rim in the low- set of all the human r.ve. Tl.ev are more like l-eu.-ts tlvi i nu n. 1 hooe I saw were almost uiikr.l, slttufcikh there waa snow .n the gr mnd ami the winds were blttrr col.l. A few .f them had on n'inco k;rv tilih hs'.f cov eted their boitie. and olheis had hrcU of rugs that only accentuate! their rakedne. 1 icmenih r ono man who wore a tun apron a' llg (is a woman's hnr.dl.t'rt lilef tied to a string about his wsiai. anl excepting ihif. only a short vest open at the front and a hat. This insn naddlnd the boat, ami his wife sat at ths Btii-n and slwred. The woman waa nsked to the wa'st, and she wa sm-kllng a hsby rUil In little more than a string of beads and : breech loth. Shi held the naked baby to her hrel tvllh one hand and steered the boat with the oilier. , Another wife near the prow aided in paddling. She had k guanaco skin t'.ed aionnu her wnlM. but ths upper part of ner body was bare. SMie'bcnt beck and lorth as the oar rose and fell Ir, the water. a last Inn la. Ilaaaeroas. Poring o;ir stay In tho straits we had to tie tip every night, as the navigation waa too dnnuerotis to tlsk after dark. At svery anchorage a number of these canon Indians came to tur steamer. All were inidcrelecd, but IhJ most of thetn were jlumn and fat. and not a few had paint on their faces and. budles. Their faces weri something like those of the North Amerlcsn In Hans. They had black hair and brown skins, and their teeth were white and apparently good. They had skins and furs to sell, or rather trade, for they kiU'W nothing of money. They swapped them for knives, food and beads. They were evidently afraid of ua, and would not come on board. We dickered with them over tho side of the vessel,' they staying In their csnoes the while. They , were shrewd, and they often got the better of tho bargain. The things thev most wauted were tobacco, candy and cake, They were reedy to trade for biscuits or cigars or tobacco In any shape, and they seemed quits as anxious to get to bacco as food. Ths Onaa and Yaghans are the Indian tribes of the Island of Tlerra del Fuego, They ars of a higher civilisation than the Alacalufes, and of lato they have been so changed by the mUslonarles that their savage traits arc fast passing away. In the past the Ona houses were merely holss In ths ground, with wind breaks of branches bent over them. Ths holss were about big enough to contain one Indian family, and were used only for sleeping. Ths Indians crawled In at night, cud dling up there with their doga lying about and over them for warmth, Ths cooking of ths Onas was dons outside their houses. They moved about from place to place, believing, so It is said, that ths doll was after them, and If they had Ths, Alacalufes are 6hc lour&sL of the human race. very carefully. Cattle are used as rat exterminators. They ars driven over ths ground and ths rats in their burrows ars trampled to death by them. The sheep farms of Tlerra del Fuego ars much like those of Australia. They ars fenced with wire, snd ths shsep ars kept In large paddocks some of which ar as big as an average American township. Ths ordinary flock contains about S.000 head, and each flock has Its own shepherd, aided by dogs. Ths dogs ars Scotch collies, so Intelligent that they seem almost human. They, will pick any sheep from a flock at ths command of their master, whs directs them by a motion of his hand, which way to go, If he waves to ths front, they. know they are to go ahead. If he throws his hand to 'the rear they come bock, and the holding up of his hand In the air brings them to a standstill. Herders Are Scotch. Ths most of ths shepherds are Scotch men, who csms to the Strait of Magel lan on five-year contracts. They re ceive about $30 to $40 a mcnth, and have In addition -house rent, fuel and meat. Their houses are two or three-room shacks scattered over the farm. The fuel comes from the woods, and their meat is mutton from the flocks they herd. On the whole, the farms ars al most self-supporting. Ths most Important part of ths year at ths Strait of Magellan, Is when ths shearing Is done. This season begins in January, and on ths big randies It may last for two months. Much of ths work la .done by professional shearers, al though ths shepherd comes In to help handle the animals. Ou some of ths farms this work Is paid for by tbs fleece. The present scale of wagss fixes ths - rats at U J per 100, or a little mora than 4 cents per fleece. When a man begins to shear he Is given a booklet. In which la recorded the num ber of animals he shears during ths wsek and the amount of his credit If any dispute arises it is to bs settled by a committee composed equally of the owners and employes. Ths company furnishes ths shears, and svery man gets three pairs of shears at the start and an additional pair for each 1,000 animals. At 4. cents a sheep ths man can make very good wag.. The average fleece of wool now pro duced la Tlerra oel Fuego la much larger than ths average fleece oT the United States. It runs at seven and a half pounds and upward. Tbs wool Is of good quality, having a staple length of three or four inches and selling at ths same pries as the wool of New Zealand. Ths sheep ars not washed, and ths wool Is exported In its greasy state. The most of it goes to Great Britain, and the remainder to Germany, Belgium and France. It is shipped In bales of 450 pounds net. Metropolis of Keg-loa. Ths capital of the Chilean territory of the Magellans Is Punta Arenas. This place iias now 20.000 Inhabitants and it is ths metropolis of the strait It Is situ ated on the mainland, facing the great Island of Tlerra del Fuego, Just about half way between the Atlantic and ths paclflo oceans. It Is more than 100 miles ' north of Cape llorn, and it has the whole j length of the continent between it and Panama. Punta Arenas (s the southernmost city I of the 'world. South America extends j mors than l.OOt miles nearer the south . pols than Africa, and Punta Arenas la 1 100 miles further south than Cape Town. ! There Is no city of any alse within l.uuo 1 miles of it, snd it Is now reached) only ; by the steamers that pass through ths Strait of Magellan. In ths far future It I may have railway connections wtth the rest of Chile. Nevertheless, Punta Arenas Is an up-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 ths rainy season the roads were rivers of mud. Today the town Is well paved and It has a plasa surrounded by good houses and stores. The streets ars lighted by electricity, and there are churches and schools. The government has recently erected a wireless station, and ths navigation f the straits is being greatly Improved. The value of the city property Is now estimated at more than $10,000,000. ' . The people ef Punta Arenas are of a dozen different nations, and they come from all parts ef the world. There ars English and Germans, and also many Danes. Norwegians and Swedes, who have a largs share In the navigation of the straits. There are Australians and Italians, and also Chileans and Indians. Some of the most successful business men are Scotchmen, and the Scotch have large Interests in the sheep Industry. Indiana Dying; Out. The Indisns of the L'tralt of Magellan are fast dying out. I doubt whether there are now, all told, more than 1,000, although they numbered three times as many a dscade ago. As It s, ths Onas and Yaghans, the largest tribe, have almost disappeared, and the canoe In dians, or Alacalufes, are fewer than ever. I have seen all of these various Indian tribes. Ths Alacalufes I met when I traveled through Smythes Chsnnel some years ago. These Indians are seldom seen by theetraveler. They live In the islands about Smythes Channel and in the west ern parts of ths Tlerra dol Fuegan archi pelago. They go about In canoes and subsist on what they can get from ths sea and on ths roots that they dig up on land, They sleep sometimes in their canoes and sometimes on land. In ths latter cass they build wigwams about a yard high, made by bending over ths branches of low trees and tying them to gether. The wigwams are used only for Sleeping. They ars so low that the In dlans havs to crawl in on their hands and knees, snd ths cooking must be dons on a fire built in the canoe or on the ground outside ef he wigwam. The Alacalufs canoes that I saw were well oonstruotea, and some of them were fifteen feet long, a yard wide and about two feet In depth. They were made of strips of bark sewn together with sinews and fastened to .ribs which ran across the canos. Each boat had Its fire, which 0 iF Bails , Sanatorium This institution ts ths only one In the central west wltb separate buildings situated la their own ample grounds, yet entirely dls tiuct. and rendering it possible to classify cases. The one building being fitted for and devoted to the treatment of non-contagloua and non-mental diseases, no others bo lag admitted; tfie other Hest Cot tag being designed for and ds- .ml u, toe ecluilvs treatment ot select menial cases requiring for a time watchful car and pe dal nursing. permanent homes ho would surely desiroy Ihem, They are much taller than the Alacalufes. althoeali they are not giants, as thev have boen described. Th men are shout six feet lit helnht and the a omen perhaps six Inches loner. orr Itreas l ite Whiles. In the past the most of these Onas went naked, sale for s coat of fish oil Snd a gtianam skin, which they wrapped around their shoulders. Today they are almost all tlml like ths wliltss. althmiKh they still use the skins !i an extra pro tection. 1 am told that they have be come subject to colds snd consumption and pneumonia since thry began wearing clothing, and that these dlstasos have killed them off by scores. They are a!so nrt better for the foreign food tliut they have now and then, and tlnlr normal death rate Is now so great that the race will soon disappear. The Ones are found principally In the northern rarl of Tlerra del Fuego, Thev are plains lmlians, and are - hunters rather lhan flshera. The Yaghase are found more In the southern portions of the Islands. They are flutters rather than hunters, and they have been mis represented sa associated with the Alacalufes, and simie travelers havs de scribed them as tho most miserable specimens of humanity on the Western hemisphere. This Isot so. Mr. Hrydses, a 'missionary.' who has been living among them for something like fifty ears, says they have excellent quali ties. He denies that they are cannibals and that they eat meat which Is not cooked. Ilefore the mlsalonsrle came the Tughana had several wives, but ths Intermarriage of relatives was looked upon as abominable. They lived In groups of twenty or thirty families, snd st night sst around the fires In front of their wigwams. Dr. Brydges describes the Ysghsns as good-natured and not unintelligent. Its says they have a Inngusgs of their own. which contains no leas than M.000 words. This Is In striking contrast to ths Eskimos, who ars said to use less than 10,000 words, and to the Bible, which has altogether only 7.J0O different words. These Yaghans have also been Injured by the wearing of clothing. They for merly numbered about S.OUO souls, but smallpox, the measles, pneumonia and tuberculosis have cut them down until there are tow only a few hundred. They may 'have gained In civilisation, but they havs lost their rugged health, and are physically on ths road to de struction. Tbs missionaries say that some of them havs learned to read and writs, and above all "to fear God and keep Ills commandments." At the pres ent death rate, however, the best of them will soon be In heaven. FRANK O. CARPENTER. 13313;! Oi Comfort and elognnce In w Inter-motorlnR. In town and country here Is the InVal every-dsy-in-ihe-yar car for the use of the faintly. Not only la It a car of extraordinary smartnest and distinction, but It Is the same Kord "Tht I'niversal Oar" which more than 650,000 ownen . have found to be the most reliable, the most serviceable, practical and economical cr. . 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