130 



CHILI. 



the desert from Antofagasta, and the Congres- 

 sionalists therefore made up their minds to ad- 

 vance upon the enemy's position. Col. Canto 

 had 1,650 men and Col. Robles about an equal 

 number, who were encamped at the junction of 

 the railroads, but retired northward and took up 

 a position at Pozo Almonte, about 30 miles east 

 of Iquique. The Congressionalists, who had to re- 

 pair the railroad that was destroyed by dynamite 

 by the others as they retired, came up to them 

 on the evening of the 6th of March. The Chilenos 

 waste hundreds of cartridges without hitting a 

 man ; but in hand-to-hand conflict, when they 

 throw down their rifles, disdaining the bayonet, 

 and draw their knives, the combat is deadly. 

 The Congressionalists advanced to the attack as 

 soon as it was light in the morning, and when 

 the shock was over 1,000 men lay dead or help- 

 less on the field, and the Government troops were 

 driven back away from the railroad, which was 

 their only line of retreat. They broke and 

 scattered, having lost in killed and wounded 

 700 men and many officers, and 400 taken pris- 

 oners. On the other side about 400 men and 

 officers were killed or disabled. Col. Robles was 

 fatally wounded, and while in an ambulance was 

 murdered and mutilated by the savage sol- 

 diery. The conflict assumed early a cruel and 

 vindictive character, the authorities at Santiago 

 having set the example. Robles was believed to 

 have shot all prisoners and wounded who fell 

 into his hands, and to have done so by order of 

 Balmaceda. The mutinous regiment which de- 

 livered up Pisagua to the navy massacred the 

 Balmacedist officers, and when the place was re- 

 taken by Government troops every captured offi- 

 cer of the Congressionalist garrison was shot. 



The last battle left the entire seaboard in the 

 hands of the Congressionalists. The remaining 

 forces of the Government retreated to the city of 

 Tarapaca. On March 9 the "Esmeralda" en- 

 tered the harbor of Antofagasta, and demanded 

 the surrender of the town within three days 

 under a threat of bombardment. One of the 

 battalions of the garrison mutinied, killed the 

 officers, and went on board the ship, and others 

 were willing to desert. To prevent the whole 

 command from going over to the enemy, Col. 

 Camus, taking the rolling stock of the railroad, 

 retreated to Calama, 180 miles up the line. En- 

 gines were found in the hold of a vessel by Col. 

 Canto after he had occupied the place, enabling 

 him to cross the desert to Calama, where the 

 Congressionalists, after a week or two of prepara- 

 tion, suddenly appeared in force, causing the Gov- 

 ernment commander to flee into Bolivia with 

 his division of 2,450 men, leaving behind a large 

 quantity of munitions of war and commissariat 

 stores. Despite the repressive measures of Col. 

 Camus, who had a large number shot who showed 

 signs of insubordination, one fourth of the com- 

 mand got away and joined the rebels. 



The interior of Tarapaca was cleared of Bal- 

 maceda's soldiers. The fleet was augmented by 

 the transport " Maipo," which was seized by 

 Capt. Valdureso, of the Santiago garrison, who\ 

 deserted with 120 men, and, with the aid of ac- 

 complices among the officers at Valparaiso, got 

 away with the ship and a large quantity of Gat- 

 ling guns, rifles, and ammunition. In the extreme 

 north the Government still held the port of 



Arica and the fertile province of Tacna in the 

 mountains behind Arica. The troops of Con- 

 gress had no difficulty in landing at Arica. and, 

 on April 7, both places were taken without fight- 

 ing. Balmaceda's commander had a division of 

 1,500 men, which broke up on the appearance of 

 the rebel forces, a part going over to Congress, 

 while the rest fled into Bolivia. Caldera and 

 other points south of the desert were occupied, 

 and thus, in addition to the nitrate fields, the 

 rebels possessed two fertile districts from which 

 they could get supplies, and had full command 

 of the whole of northern Chili as far south as 

 Copiapo. President Balmaceda declared all the 

 ports in control of the insurgents to be closed ; 

 but this order could have no effect, except in 

 cases like that of a German vessel, which, after 

 loading with nitrate, put into a Government port, 

 where the cargo was confiscated by Balmaceda's 

 officials. After the period of war, famine, and 

 anarchy was over the nitrate works began opera- 

 tions again, and the export trade revived to a 

 considerable extent, the duties being paid to the 

 officials of Congress. Caldera, betrayed by the 

 garrison, fell into the insurgents' hands on April 

 16. Three companies, according to a prearranged 

 plan, mutinied when drilling in the plaza, and 

 fought fiercely with four other companies and 

 the police. The gunners in the fort had been 

 won over, and when the " Esmeralda " steamed 

 into the port they turned their guns on the Gov- 

 ernment house. Upon that the loyal soldiers and 

 inhabitants fled, and the place was occupied by 

 the Congressionalists. In the sharp hand-to- 

 hand fight between the rebellious and the loyal 

 troops about 200 were killed. 



The nitrate provinces of Tarapaca and Ataca- 

 ma afforded the forces of Congress a safe base 

 of operations. Balmaceda's army was ten times 

 as numerous at that time, but it could not cross 

 the 150 miles of sandy desert and impassable ra- 

 vines. The loss of the nitrate revenues, in or- 

 dinary times $2,500,000 a month, was fatal to 

 the Government at Santiago ; while the greatly 

 reduced receipts would enable the Congressional 

 Junta to maintain its position and support the 

 fleet and its army of 5,000 or 6,000 men till Bal- 

 maceda's term of office expired. The nitrate 

 districts produced no food, but with money they 

 could organize a commissariat and draw sup- 

 plies from the southern provinces or from Peru, 

 Bolivia, or California as long as they held the 

 sea. From the ports of Iquiqiie, Pisagua, Toco- 

 pilla, Antofagasta, and Taltal more than two 

 thirds of the exports of the country were sent in 

 1889 and three quarters of the revenue was col- 

 lected. An attempt was made to gain possession, 

 of the fertile islands of the Chiloe Peninsula. 

 Both parties had earnest partisans there, and in 

 connection with naval operations an insurrection 

 was begun. This came to naught, because the 

 Government concentrated troops there and for- 

 tified the seaports and important positions. 



Balmaceda's Congress. The elections of 

 members of Congress and of presidential electors 

 took place on March 29. Domingo Godoy, the 

 Premier, issued orders that no official pressure 

 should be exercised. Nevertheless, the military 

 had charge of the polls. No one voted but mem- 

 bers of Balmaceda's party, who elected a Con- 

 gress entirely Liberal. The President-elect, 



