In 1823 General O’Higgins was obliged to resign his Dictatorship and a period of confusion followed. In 1833 a constitution was adopted. In the administration of Manuel Montt in the fifties railway construction was inaugurated. In that of President Pinto occurred the War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia, 1879-81, though the treaty of peace was not signed till 1883, when the province of Tarapacá was ceded to Chile, and occupation for ten years was arranged for Tacna and Arica. About the same time a boundary treaty was concluded with Argentina, with which nation Chile had been on the verge of war. Balmaceda, elected President in 1886, instituted many reforms but by his arbitrary methods brought on civil war. A victory by the constitutional party was followed by Balmaceda’s suicide.
The unfortunate death of the able President Montt in 1910 was succeeded by the election of the present incumbent, Ramon Bárros Luco. Among the prominent Chilian families (it has been said that one hundred of these govern the country), are many British names, the forbears of these having married into the best Spanish American families and become patriotic citizens of their adopted country.
CHAPTER XVII
VALPARAISO
Hotels. Royal, A. P., 12 to 25 pesos; Grand, A. P., 10-15 pesos; Palace, about the same or a trifle less; Colon, 6 to 12 pesos. All higher in summer.
Money. The Chilian peso, paper, varies in value from 20 to 30 cents or more; recently it was 22 cents.
Chief Points of Interest. The Monument and the Government Palace near the landing; the business streets; Plaza Victoria and the church facing it; the Av. Brazil with the British Monument; the Naval School; the English and the Spanish American Cemeteries on the heights, these with the Naval School reached by ascensors; and the suburb Viña del Mar.
Valparaiso, Vale of Paradise, the largest and busiest port on the Pacific south of San Francisco, like many others along this coast, has no real harbor. The spacious semi-circular roadstead lies open to the wintry northers which occasionally bring terrific storms. On such occasions, ships at anchor in the bay to escape the fury of the waves often steam for the open sea, lest they be driven ashore or be overwhelmed in the deep, as has several times happened to ocean steamers. In the summer there is no danger, and after the completion of the breakwater designed to protect the bay from the savage force of the tempestuous sea, it will be safe at any time. The great depth of the water a short distance from shore renders the construction difficult, but satisfactory plans at length were devised and in October, 1912, work was begun on the port improvements which besides the breakwater 945 feet long will include additional docks. Those in existence are sadly inadequate for the vast commercial movement at this port.
While from a business point of view the harbor at present is poor, from the deck of a steamer or from the hills above the town, there is a busy and beautiful scene. Scattered over the waters are hundreds of vessels of various shapes and of every size, some from the farthest corners of the globe, showing flags of many nations (probably none of the United States), others mere lighters or rowboats to transport freight or passengers from ship to shore. Around the bay, a few rods back from the water, rise in a semi-circle steep hills or cliffs to a height of 1000 feet or more. Farther back, more lofty ridges are seen, and it is said that on a clear day in the far distance may be descried, in the sharp toothed ridge which forms the backbone of the continent, the snow-flecked peak of Aconcagua.
On the narrow strip of shore between the sea and the hills, varying in width from two blocks to half a mile, is the substantial business section of the city; while climbing up the slopes and crowning the hilltops is most of the residence portion, both the fine dwellings of the prosperous and the humble homes of the poor.