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At Concepción we went to the Hotel Cécil, just across the street from the new concrete railroad station which was built after the 1939 earthquake and fire.  On January

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[[caption]] New railroad station, Concepción. [[/caption]]

25 of that year, a disastrous quake which was centered not far from Chillán shook Chile from Chillán to Concepción causing great loss of life.  There was still much evidence of the damage to be seen in Concepción 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.  Chillán 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.  Chillán 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 Concepción 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 Biología General, Veterinaría, Derecho, Educación 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 Hollywood.  Dinner and bed at 10.30.