REVISTA DAP AVENTURA 2014-2015

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Aventura al fin del mundo 2014 - 2015 EL MUELLE QUE ACOGIÓ A LA YELCHO Pero también el muelle de Río Seco fue estratégico en su época. Cuesta creer al ver hoy que esos pilotes y restos de madera guardan los secretos de un pasado marítimo intenso cuando pasaban muchos barcos a cargar o abastecerse antes de seguir viaje a Punta Arenas. Por este muelle pasó la escampavía Yelcho al mando del piloto Luis Pardo cuando venían de regreso de la Antártica. Eso ocurrió el 3 de septiembre de 1916 y el objetivo fue avisar a Punta Arenas que la expedición de rescate de los 22 náufragos de la “Endurance” de la expedición de Ernest Shackleton había resultado un éxito. Doña Ernestina recuerda que ella llegó a vivir recién casada el 2 de agosto de 1944 cuando Río Seco sólo era una sola huella a orillas del mar. La misma vía por la que hoy transitan los vehículos en el llamado camino antiguo. “Acá habían muchas lecherías y huertos. Muchos iban en carretas a vender la leche a Punta Arenas. Sólo habían unas cuantas casas. No como ahora que está todo poblado. Cada quince días los pobladores asistíamos a los bailes sociales que se hacían en la sede”, dice. Sin embargo, siente que Río Seco merece un mejor futuro y debiera disponer de mayor apoyo. Por muchos años han luchado por disponer de una compañía de bomberos y no esperar la ayuda desde Punta Arenas en caso de emergencia. Pese a todo es feliz de vivir en Río Seco y hay momentos que añora la época “dorada” del poblado que antecede a 14 kilómetros del centro de Punta Arenas. 48 Adventure at the End of the World
Aventura al fin del mundo 2014 - 2015 Just before arriving at Punta Arenas: THE RICH HISTORICAL PAST OF RÍO SECO Its old industrial refrigerator and the remains of its dock are signs of a prosperous past of massive meat exports. When nearing Punta Arenas by route 9 Norte, and before km 14 a little town called Río Seco stands out. More than one visitor has wrongly heard that this is Punta Arenas. However this small town that stands out for its diversity country houses holds a historical past that was forged in the beginnings of the 20 th century. In the past, Río Seco was a place to rest, for those traveling from Punta Arenas to the Argentinean Patagonia, or those heading to Puerto Natales. Ernestina Velásquez Berríos, widower since 1968, mother of eight and grandmother of over thirty children is one of the most senior residents of Río Seco. She vividly remembers the refrigerator’s apogee because her husband, Remigio Levinieri used to work there. Famous cutter Yelcho stopped at this very dock when it was returning from Antarctica led by Luis Pardo. This took place on September 3 rd of 1916 and the goal was to let Punta Arenas know that the expedition to rescue the 22 survivors of Ernest Shackleton’s “Endurance” shipwreck was a success. An area that holds a great part of such historical past is that located in what is called “the old road”, which for many years was made of gravel and was recently paved. There one may see the old building where the first industrial refrigerator of Magallanes was in use, today converted into a half-used warehouse, and crossing the street from here, the old dock of Río Seco. The refrigerator, which operated from 1905 to 1964 was built and used by the South American Export Syndicate Ltda. The equipment was imported from England, the same origin of the refrigerator’s first workers. More than 300 people were employed here, making it the most important in Patagonia, with a yearly average of more than 230.000 slaughtered animals. Up to the old dock arrived the ships, then referred to as “caponeros”, which took the meat for export, as well as grease and leathers to the European market, specially England. “The caponero ships dropped anchors and the meat was taken on boats that waited at the dock, and these sailed to the ship, which waited near the dock to load the meat. The slaughtered lamb was frozen and wrapped”, she remembers. “Those were good times, because twice a week the refrigerator used to sell meat to the locals and the prices were very beneficial. Río Seco’s biggest peak was linked to the work of the refrigerator. After its closure, things have gone down”, Ernestina admits. THE DOCK THAT RECEIVED YELCHO But also, Río Seco’s dock was strategic at the time. It’s hard to believe today that those pieces wood and pilings hold the secret to a past of intense ship activity, where many of them stopped to load products or gather supplies before continuing their journey to Punta Arenas. Mrs. Ernestina remembers she came to live in Río Seco just married on the 2 nd of August of 1944, when the town was just a small gathering near the shore. The same path vehicles that take the “old road” travel these days. “There were many milk producers and farms here. Many drove carriages to sell milk in Punta Arenas. Just a few houses stood here, not like today. Every fifteen days, everyone attended the social dance held at the local house”, she adds. However, she feels Río Seco deserves a better future and should count with more support. For many years they have fought to have a local firemen company so they don’t have to wait for help from Punta Arenas in case of an emergency. In spite of all that, she is happy to live in Río Seco, and remember the “golden years” of this small town, 14 kilometers from downtown Punta Arenas. Adventure at the End of the World 49
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