No. 247.
Mr. Gibbs
to Mr. Evarts.
Lima, Peru , May 19, 1877. (Received June 12.)
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 149, of 12th instant, relative to the phenomenon of the rising of the sea in the bay of Callao, wherein I stated the fears entertained of more serious disasters at the south, these fears have been confirmed, as the damage, ruin, and distress, on the southern part of the coast of Peru, to life and property, have been immense, in which, unfortunately, the United States has been a sufferer in shipping property.
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The injury to the interests of the republic is incalculable; the guano deposits being greatly damaged by destruction of the works for transportation and loading, which will take a great deal of time and money to replace; also of a large amount of this material lost in vessels destroyed and washed away, or rendered useless by the upheaving of the sea. The same also as to the nitrate works at Iquique, destruction of factories and large deposits; all of which is very unfortunate for this unhappy country under present circumstances, and particularly affecting the income of the national treasury, so deeply overburdened with demands against its revenues.
I see by the daily papers that the loss alone at Iquique is over 3,000,000 of sols, including 320,000 quintals of nitrate.
A great part of the coast’ has no water-courses or rivers, as it never rains, and the supply is from large condensing apparatus, or machinery, that has been destroyed, leaving numbers without fresh water.
I am, &c,