28 



At Concepci6n we went to the Hotel C6cil, just across 

 the street from the new concrete railroad station which 

 was built after the 1939 earthquake and fire. On January 



New railroad station, Concepci6n. 



2^ of that year, a disastrous quake which was centered not 

 far from Chilian shook Chile from Chilian to Concepci6n 

 causing great loss of life. There was still much evidence 

 of the damage to be seen in Concepci6n where some 10,000 

 people were killed and where much of the destruction was 

 caused by the fire that followed the quake. There are many 

 new buildings in the city but there are still many vacant 

 lots and standing walls' without roofs, floors or windows. 

 Chilian was much harder hit. As the quake came late at 

 night there were very few people on the streets and that 

 fact multiplied the number of people killed. Chilian had 

 a total loss of life of 30,000^ and most of the buildings 

 were rendered unfit for habitation. 



After lunch we walked out to the University of Concep- 

 ci6n campus. This is the South American university that 

 most resembles a North American university. It was started 

 in 1920 and for many years did not have sufficient funds to 

 operate properly but a few years ago it was permitted to 

 partake of one of the national lotteries from which it gets 

 some 8,000,000 pesos a year. The buildings are modern and 

 include Biologia General, Veterinaria, Derecho, Educacion 

 and others. We will have to come back as we could not find 

 anyone to take us through any of the buildings. Back to 

 town for onces and a shoeshine and a movie. It was Las 

 Tres Hermanas, with Barbara Stanwyck. Not bad for Holly- 

 wood. Dinner and bed at 10.30. 



