CHILE

7i

part  of  the  country,  they  are  not  navigable,
but  by  a  proper  system  of  conserving  and  storing ­
  their  water  might  be  made  useful  for  generating ­
  power  or  light.
Her  extensive  coast  line  gives  Chile  59
ports  on  the  Pacific,  most  of  which  are  open
roadsteads  and  at  certain  times  of  the  year
positively  dangerous,  loading  and  unloading
of  vessels  being  done  by  means  of  lighters,
ships  being  obliged  to  lie  from  one  to  two
miles  off  the  land.  The  principal  ports  from
north  to  south  in  the  order  named  are  Arica,
Pisagua,  Iquiqui,  Tocopilla,  Antofagasta,
Taltal,  Caldera,  Carrizal,  Coquimbo,  Valparaiso, ­
  Talcahuano,  Coronel,  Valdivia,
Puerto  Monte,  Ancud,  and  Punta  Arenas,  the
most  southerly  city  on  this  continent  and  one
of  the  big  fur  markets  of  the  world.
Chile  is  to-day  spending  millions  of  dollars
on  the  modernization  of  her  leading  ports  so
as  to  properly  safeguard  life  and  property,
but  it  will  be  years  before  this  work  is  finished.
Primarily  the  wealth  of  Chile  comes  from
her  nitrate  beds  and  her  mining  possibilities.