SOUTHERN CHILE TIP OF A CONTINENT

[Music] of all the great land masses in the world two of the most clearly defined are north and south america south america reaches almost to the antarctic continent it has huge jungles in its river basins wide grazing lands called the pampas and the highest and longest mountain range in the western hemisphere the andes hemmed in between the mountains and the sea is the long narrow country of chile in the northern third is an arid desert in the central third of fertile valley but the southern third is the most unique of all a storm-swept region of channels islands and mountains but with very few people chile's archipelago stretches to the very end of south america it forms the tip of a continent chile's central valley is fertile farming land but in the southern third of chile it has become submerged the high range of the andes remains above the water now however it is next to the sea the smaller hills of chile's sunken valley remain exposed as islands there are a few thousand people living on these islands who must travel mainly by water the only large city in this region is puerto montt on the mainland most commerce with the south passes through puerto montt because chile's main railroad ends here to continue southward one must travel by ship the waterfront is the busiest part of town all day long small cargo boats come in from the south carrying wood potatoes or fish and returning with other foods or manufactured products that cannot be made on the island these men are arguing over cargo prices while another is eating fresh pecos a barnacle like shellfish sunken wrecks along the shore make ideal spots for swimming many large steamers come in at puerto month with cargos destined for the other side of south america they will go around the southern tip of the continent once the cargo ships were all sailing vessels but modern improvements have made many fine old ships useless they're now at anchor without sails used as warehouses or coal barges this chilean ship is about to leave puerto montt for one of chile's largest southern islands chilaway after sailing for a few hours we reach chiloway's principal city castro although small it is the last town we see until we sail 800 miles farther south our steamer anchors and passengers go ashore in small boats meanwhile locally built barges with cargos of potatoes chilaway's principal product are towed to the ship by robots only one has the help of an old outboard motor the potatoes are loaded into the hole to be taken to another city much farther south we go on through narrow channels where navigation is very difficult often the rocks on shore are painted white to make them more visible in stormy weather these channels are narrow and dangerous usually at night ships anchor in sheltered coves only in clear moonlight do they attempt to navigate these hazardous waters this lighthouse and radio station gives navigational help to ships winding through the channels a small boat from the station comes out to the steamer to load drums of gasoline this fuel will power the engine generating electricity for the light and radio transmitter as we approach the tip of the continent the weather becomes worse rain and snow are much more common than sunlight yet in this miserable climate live some of chile's most unusual people the ala kalufi indians like many of the patagonian indians the alaka luffeys spend much of their lives in canoes at one time it is thought there were as many as ten thousand alacalupes now there are only a few hundred left sailors passing through these waters saw the indians cold wet and almost naked they pitted the indians and gave them old clothing the white men the alaka available are left today they're dependent upon the white man for clothing which has now become a necessity they have found it almost impossible to fit into the changed world around them speaking neither spanish nor english having neither agriculture nor handicraft to earn them a living they depend upon what fish they can catch and the charity of passersby or the chilean government for their existence we have now come far enough south to enter the strait of magellan ferdinand magellan left spain with five tiny ships about 400 years ago determined to find a passage through the americas which blocked the way to the indies he explored the coast for a year before discovering the strait this small portion of the map is enlarged magellan worked his way through the narrow waters of the strait fighting storms and headwinds for a month before he found the opening to the pacific ocean magellan's difficulty in getting his tiny sailing ships through the strait is shown by the fact that even today modern steamers with advanced navigational aids sometimes run aground here these are freighters which have struck hidden reefs this passenger liner hit the rocks during a storm so violent that the warning of this lighthouse only a few hundred yards away was not seen many more ships have struck these reefs but over the years they've been broken up by waves and now are out of sight entering the strait we can see the dismal prospect that faced magellan lead in skies and gray waters make this one of the most forbidding regions on earth violent winds blow plumes of snow from the mountain peaks magellan passed through the strait at the end of the winter you've been gone from spain over a year no one can question his courage in going onward the point of land ahead is cape forward the very southern end of the south american continent all land south of this point until you reach antarctica is an island from a plane the islands to the south are a surprising sight the largest is called tierra del fuego which means land of fire this name was given by magellan when he saw indian campfires on the shores most of this region is unexplored many of these rugged inland mountains have never been seen by a white man except from the air aerial surveys have not been entirely successful due to the very difficult flying conditions only the coastline is reasonably well known near the eastern end of the strait away from the andes is considerable flatland it is suitable for grazing and so has been devoted to raising sheep here a lonely herdsman is bringing his flock or point of sheep to one of the five freezers in the district these plants prepare the meat hides and wool for shipment to central chile north america and europe located in about the center of the strait is a very unusual city punta arenas southernmost of any city in the world thirty five thousand people live here working on the sheep ranches and at the freezers and carrying on the commerce passing through the strait at one time the most direct ship route between atlantic and pacific ports was through the strait of magellan at that time punta arenas was a very important stop for ships needing fuel water and supplies then the panama canal was built providing a much shorter route for most shipping as a result the importance of the straight to world commerce has been lessened few ships now sail through this famous body of water old anchors lost on shore many of puntalena's peers have fallen into decay no longer needed or used now one pier is enough to serve the few passing steamers out in the strait an old four-masted sailing ship floats at anchor never to sail again it recalls days of the past when the strait of magellan was one of the most important sea routes in the world you