“you must see la plata.”
i heard this from so many argentinians that it led me to visit this made-to-order city of which they are so proud. it is an hour’s ride—thirty-five miles—from buenos aires to la plata. after leaving the suburbs the train crosses the dead level of the pampas in a line as direct as the crow would fly. through great estancias, with their immense herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, the line passes, after escaping from the suburbs of the metropolis, with a half dozen small and unimportant towns along the route, in which the one-storied buildings are ever built in monotonous lines with the front wall a little higher than the rest in order to give it a fictitious height. one explanation given me for this high front is that it acted as a protection in street fighting. whether built for that purpose or not, this parapet has frequently[122] been used by both civilians and troops as a protection in the revolutionary scrimmages which have been so frequent in the past. at last the train runs into an imposing station that would be a credit to almost any city, with a fa?ade which is really an architectural gem. this is la plata, the wonderful.
when the national government appropriated the city of buenos aires as the national capital the inhabitants of the province of the same name, which had hitherto dominated the country, were highly indignant. unable to change the official edict they set to work to create a rival city. at that time there was not even a settlement at la plata, and only a few mud huts denoted its location. a site down the river was chosen in order to secure a deeper natural channel, and avoid the necessity of so much dredging to keep the channel free from mud. a new port, called ense?ada, was constructed, with commodious docks, the new capital having been located five miles back from the water front. to complete this stupendous undertaking the province assumed a bonded debtedness of $70,000,000, most of which was obtained in europe, and not until then was the vanity of these provincials appeased. it was[123] one of the greatest follies that the argentinians have ever engaged in.
it was in 1881 that the government decided to build this new capital for the province of buenos aires. it was to be a model city, and worthy of its rank as the chief city of the wealthiest province of an opulent republic. to this end the finest architectural raiment for a corporate body that could possibly be conceived was erected, with all the ostentation possible in a latin nation. magnificent public buildings, palatial law courts, a great cathedral and stately edifices of every kind—all were comprised in the scheme. broad avenues paved and planted with rows of trees, stretching their long lengths between the imposing facades, were traced upon paper by the architects, and builders were set at work to reproduce these plans out of brick, stone and mortar, and the resulting city of la plata stands to-day as their monument.
the city was laid out with an astonishing degree of boldness and originality, and upon an ambitious scale. it was hoped by the builders that its splendour would bring to mind those pictured conceptions of the perfect town. each edifice was to be so placed as to lend its[124] own proper proportion of dignity. in this model town there was to be no crowding together of palaces, as had heretofore been common in spanish cities, nor were rows of squalid little one-storied houses to be permitted to jostle with their imposing fronts the walls of stately palaces. no, not in la plata. to accomplish this result the resplendent palaces were planted at regular intervals about the city, each in its own garden and faced by its own boulevard and plaza, and separated from the next one by a becoming row of private houses. there was to be no confusion or congestion as a result of buildings crowded together, and no vulgar hustling. in justice to the builders it may be said that there never has been anything of the latter quality, for the strenuous life has never yet found lodgment in la plata.
“a somnolent atmosphere seems to prevail”
the first impression upon the visitor is very peculiar, for a somnolent atmosphere seems to prevail. as one emerges from the station two broad thoroughfares open up before him. these broad streets, which are still designated by numbers, with their extensive sweep of carriageway, were designed to resound to the hoofs of horses and the noise of wheels; their[125] broad pavements were intended to ring with the tramp of multitudinous feet—but they do not. the founders of la plata reckoned without their host. one may gaze down the entire length of a street and not see a single figure; one might stroll through any of the little parks set out with trees and palms and find every bench unoccupied. the vast white palaces are practically empty. occasionally one will see an electric car sweep leisurely around the corner, or a cabman lazily waiting for a “fare,” but the car does not hurry and the cab driver does not worry over his inactivity. one wonders where the inhabitants are. the fact is that the few who do live here fill so little of the space that they are seldom seen. it has never succeeded in becoming a residential city in spite of the beauty of the parks, the low rentals and other advantages. the grass is abundant everywhere. in fact some people are so unfeeling as to assert that the green grass grows all round, round, round, as the song has it. as it is, the green tufts thrust themselves upward in many places through the pavements and around the rough cobble-stones of the driveways. in some of the suburban streets a little more grass would make a solid lawn. it[126] sprouts from crevices of neglected walls and roofs, and even from the uncompleted walls of the great cathedral, which lies in neglect. this structure, great in plan, is oppressively desolate in its abandonment and the silence that broods over it. the sparrows build their nests within its yawning walls and are undisturbed, and one wonders how long such a condition will remain.
the legislative palace, la plata
magnificent buildings have been built and are in use. the government palace is a beautiful building set facing a great and imposing plaza. the legislative palace, municipal building, law courts, bank of the province of buenos aires and other palaces are all splendid buildings, worthy the capital of one of our own states. in them some life is visible, and one will find a number of clerks busy over the books in which the records of the provincial business are kept. the officials prefer to live in buenos aires and make the trip back and forth each day, spending only a few hours in la plata. a university, one of three in the republic, has been built with beautiful buildings adapted to its purposes, and a number of students are enrolled on its roster. there is a beautiful park with a fine zoological garden[127] where the roar of the lion and the trumpet of the elephant disturb the silence of the groves. it contains one of the finest avenues of trees that i have ever seen. in the centre of this park has been built a large museum, which is a treasure-house of curios of the native tribes of south america. when the public offices close after five or six hours of opened doors, and the evening train pulls out for buenos aires, la plata sinks into repose until another day breaks.
there was a time when la plata was a livelier place. the docks at ense?ada were much used before the new docks were constructed at the larger capital. now the great boats, flying the flags of great britain, france and germany, steam majestically by this sleepy port and unload their passengers and freight at argentina’s metropolis. nevertheless this city with its palatial buildings and broad streets, overspread with silent gloom, is still the official capital of a province. there are those who say that la plata is only sleeping, merely in a state of coma from which it will emerge one day and surprise the world with its great and wonderful doings. perhaps—maybe; that is for the future to decide. if it[128] has a great future it probably lies in the docks at ense?ada, although a large slaughtering house has recently been built here by an american firm. at the present time it is enjoying a prolonged siesta from which nothing seems to awaken it. built for a hundred thousand people there are not more than half of that number that live there.
the province of buenos aires is the richest and most populous province in argentina. including the federal capital, it contains one-third of the entire population. on several occasions this province seriously considered secession from the rest of the republic—but that was before it lost the metropolis. in area it is more than twice the size of illinois, and resembles that state very much in its physical characteristics. it contains a number of towns of fair size, and a trip across the province to bahia blanca, about three hundred miles distant, is a very interesting journey.
there are two or three different routes, but the most interesting one is that via tandil. passing out through the english suburb of temperly, the main line heads out for the level pampa with scarcely a turn for mile after mile. the fields are thickly dotted with cattle and[129] sheep, for this is one of the best stock countries in the republic. although a number of small stations are passed it is not until dolores is reached, after a run of more than a hundred miles, that there is a town of any size. this is a city of probably eight thousand, with the usual plaza and church of the camp towns, and is a junction point for several branches of the great southern. it is the seat of the courts of justice for the southern portion of the province, and has a prison of considerable size. at maipu is the branch for mar del plata, the seaside resort, but the main line turns westward. this passes through a fine pastoral district where scotch landowners are very numerous and prosperous. soon afterwards the railroad enters the only transverse range of hills in argentina, some of the peaks of which reach an elevation of from three to four thousand feet and furnish a pleasing variation to the monotony of the horizontal landscape. tandil, which is distant from buenos aires more than two hundred miles, is picturesquely located among these hills and has a population of several thousand. about three miles from the town is the famous rocking stone, which is an irregular flattened cone about thirteen feet[130] in height and sixteen feet in diameter at its base, and is so beautifully poised on the edge of a slope that it sometimes moves even in a slight breeze. and yet the combined strength of several teams of horses has been unable to move it from its base. there are many other picturesque spots and curiosities in this neighbourhood, and there is a very pretty waterfall formed by a stream which comes down among the hills. juarez and tres arroyos are the only other towns of any importance until the thriving new port of bahia blanca is reached, at the mouth of the naportá grande.
puerto galvan, bahia blanca
bahia blanca, the “white bay,” is a thriving place. it is a name the significance of which is not yet wholly appreciated in the united states, or the world at large, for its importance has not yet been fully grasped. the growth of this city has been phenomenal, mushroom-like, and yet its development has been substantial. as a port its strategic value cannot well be overestimated. it is the only safe naval harbour for the big battleships, and the government has built an arsenal and docks on the eastern side of the estuary, called the puerto militar. it is a natural outlet for one of the richest agricultural sections of the republic.[131] the wheat which was formerly shipped to buenos aires, and exported from that port, is now loaded on ocean liners from bahia blanca, and forwarded to europe. the railroads are pushing out their lines west and south, and opening up new wheat and grazing lands each year, so that the shipments from this port are jumping by leaps and bounds. not very long ago this site was nothing but a sandy waste, with an unimportant settlement at which only coasting vessels stopped. now there are electric tramways and lights, great elevators and a good system of docks. the value of the land has increased and a few far-sighted individuals have reaped fortunes. the “boom,” if such it can be called, is still on as development progresses. the great southern railway at first had a monopoly on the business of this port, but the buenos aires and pacific has built into it, and now claims a share. the port works of the great southern form an addition by themselves and are called ingeniero white, in honour of the engineer who built them. several moles and elevators with an enormous capacity and which cost a million and a half of dollars have been constructed at these terminals. puerto galvan is the name of the[132] pacific railroad terminals. to what extent bahia blanca will become a rival to buenos aires is uncertain, but it seems to me that there is room for both and to spare. it now ranks next after rosario. three hundred miles is a goodly distance, and each town ought to continue to grow rapidly, and neither necessarily at the expense of the other. bahia blanca is bound to expand, as she has the great undeveloped western pampas and the fertile part of northern patagonia right at her very doors. at the present time bahia blanca has a population in the neighbourhood of fifty thousand inhabitants.
between bahia blanca and the andes lie three rich territories, all of them of goodly size. the most important one at present is la pampa, which is directly west of the southern half of the province of buenos aires. it is about the size of iowa and is rapidly being populated and stocked. a few years ago this territory was entirely undeveloped, and the gaucho in charge of wandering herds of sheep held full sway. railway extensions brought private ownership, however, and now this territory bids fair to become one of the richest sections of the republic. the western and[133] southern railways are both continually pushing extensions across the fertile plains, and material prosperity everywhere follows. it now has a population of about one person to each square mile. according to statistics it is third in the number of sheep of all the territorial divisions, which is a good showing for a new country. wheat and flax culture is also being rapidly developed. toay and general acha are the only towns of any importance, the latter of which is the capital.
the territory of rio negro lies directly to the south of la pampa and stretches from the atlantic ocean to the andes. it lies between the colorado and chubut rivers, and is watered by the negro river as well. along these rivers there are a number of estancias already located, most of which are owned by companies and many by foreign landowners. a new branch of the southern railway has been constructed across this territory, following the rio colorado, the red river, for some distance, then cutting across to and following the rio negro, the black river, as far as the town of neuquen. this has led to the establishment of other estancias along those streams. all three of these rivers carry an abundance of water, and it[134] will not be long until the question of irrigation will be taken up on the same lines as in our own western states; then there will be a development take place that will make this land blossom as the rose. the possibilities are there and the great demands for grains will sooner or later lead to this action. there is no doubt that those lands are fully as rich as any part of colorado or california, and that is saying a good deal. the rio negro and rio chubut are both navigable for vessels of light draught for a considerable distance.
neuquen is another large territory, as large as ohio, lying right at the base of the andes. it is mostly mountainous and as yet very little is known about this province, as few have visited it. its population does not exceed fifteen or twenty thousand, many or most of whom are indians. the rainfall is not abundant, but it is well watered by the streams which are formed by the melting snows. it is possible that it could be cultivated just as profitably as the province of mendoza, which joins it on the north, and which partakes of much of the same character of soil and physical configuration as neuquen. chos malal, a small town in the mountains, is the capital, but it is difficult of[135] access. a railroad extension, however, is now headed in that direction.
the slopes of the andes here and in many parts of the republic are covered with valuable timbers. if these timbers were near the markets or easy transport they would be worth fabulous sums. as it is argentina imports nearly all her building lumber at high prices, with an undeveloped wealth of timber within her own borders. most of these forest lands have scarcely been explored, and it would be impossible to give even a faint estimate of their real value, but it is undoubtedly very great.
