Notes of explanation:
Hue - pronounced WAY
Hui - pronounced Hughy
Hua - pronounced Huwa
Dati - IndoDutch term for Papa
Baki - IndoDutch term for Brother
Onkla - IndoDutch term for Uncle
From Book 3
As Paul threw the control switches, the crowd could hear the huge breakers engaging and the whine of the turbine as it began to accept the electric load. Concho spoke again, "Ladies and gentlemen, the system has the load, we are providing power for all of Northern Nevada, the Carson Diesel is shutting down and the Sierra Crest Tie Line is reversing. Power is flowing back into California!"
The next morning, the Tribal Council formally accepted the new system and had United States Treasury Documents for the amount of the contract and also for the T & M charges. It had been a hard year but Best Sons' Engineering and particularly Concho Best and Paul Duncan had established themselves as the preeminent experts in the construction of Natural Steam Power Plants.
Chapter 1 - CHILEAN NITRATES, SA
Everyone had returned from the West Coast and things were beginning to settle down; Sammy and Corbin were enrolled in Junior High School in Hilo and Paul had taken his Mother back to Texas for a visit. Hue and Ian were in Honolulu giving a seminar at the University and Hua, Bic and Phillip had gone to Australia to review plans and the contract with the Red Center Power Co-Op in Alice Springs.
Concho and Thomas were left holding down the fort.
Son buzzed Concho and told him a Sr. Muriel Algodones from Chilean Nitrates, SA in Chile was on the line. When Concho answered the telephone, Senor Algodones said, "Senor Concho Best, I have an associate of mine here in my office with me who knows you, Senor Octavio Molinas."
Concho was stunned, Sr. Molinas had been with the Oro de Peru Mining Company when he was a little boy, rescued by his Father, Danny, and Uncle Hue!
'Tavio came on the line, "Conchito, remember me?"
Concho replied, "Onkla 'Tavio, how could I ever forget you! What can Best Son's Engineering do for you?"
'Tavio Molinas replied, "Oro de Peru owns a nitrate mining company here in Chile, Chilean Nitrates, SA. We need someone to rebuild and upgrade the mining machinery so we can compete in the world market. Could some of your engineering wizards come and look at our plant and tell us what can be done with it?"
Concho asked, "Where is the mine located?"
'Tavio replied, "The mine is located at Iquique in the north of Chile. There is a small ocean port from which we send our nitrates out at Bajo Molle. The nearest international aero port is Santiago and we fly in on our own aeroplanes."
Concho thought for a moment, "All I have free right now is myself; I am a Mechanical Engineer, and my partner Thomas, who is a Geology Engineer. I could also bring a Mechanical Engineer who is just graduating next week."
'Tavio replied, "Concho, we are desperate, unless we can make this mine competitive, we will have to close it down and put everyone out of work. We are the only employer in the area."
Concho said, "Alright, let me clear it with my Uncle Hue Best and I will get back to you when we are coming."
'Tavio breathed a sigh of relief, "You may have saved us all, Concho. We will expect your telephone call."
The graduation ceremony for the University of Hawaii was on Saturday and they already knew that Hui was Valedictorian. The whole extended Family gathered in Hilo and then took the flight over to Honolulu.
This was a new thing for Sammy and Corbin; they squirmed and fidgeted in their "dress up" clothes, until the University Band began to play.
Doctor Elmer N'guchi, the University Provost welcomed everyone to the Ceremony and said, "I now wish to introduce a young man as today's Valedictorian Speaker. He and his Family have played an important role in our University, there are presently six graduate students attending our University on scholarships provided by his Family Business. I introduce you to Mr. Hua Daniel Best.
Hua was seen walking across the stage, wearing an ear-to-ear grin. He stepped up to the microphone, "Dr. N'guchi, Ladies and Gentlemen, members of my Family I stand before you as a young man, ready to take my place in our world. This did not happen by chance, my older brother and I had been orphaned on the Island of Tonga by a terrible storm. I was only 3 years old and my older brother kept me alive for many weeks. We did not know where we were, or if there were others who had survived the storm. All I truly remember is an awful hunger; we had no food, except what washed ashore in the waves. I can remember this big boy grabbing my brother and holding him and then he came for me. That big boy was my Uncle. Onkla Hue Best, will you stand up for a moment? This man, who you know as the head of Best Son's Engineering, here in the Pacific, was then a teen boy. He cradled me and made me special foods that my shrunken stomach could accept. He has never stopped taking care of me and my older brother. Why did he do all that? It is a tradition in our Family to care for others starting with Mr. Caleb Best and passed down from generation to generation. I see my young cousins, Sammy Best and Corbin Twotrees seated out there. Stand up, Sammy and Corbin. These are the newest members of our Family and already the tradition of caring is ingrained in their souls. I speak to you, my fellow graduates, I speak from my heart. Care for our fellows, care for those around us, care for those whom you do not even know. Without caring, we would be shallow creatures at best and live our lives in the misery of those around us. No society can exist when its parts are hungry, live in misery and have no hope. We are one folk and all together, we shall sink or we shall swim, it is not some will do one and some will do the other. It is all or none."
Hua sat down to utter silence; it was some minutes before anyone even clapped.
After the ceremony, the entire tribe headed for M's Ranch House to satisfy their inner carnivore with prime rib. As they were sitting around with their coffee and hoping their overfilled stomachs would stop hurting, Concho brought up the telephone call he had received from 'Tavio Molinas in Chile.
Danny smiled at his recollections of the man and was interested to learn that Oro de Peru also owned Chilean Nitrates, SA.
Concho proposed that he and Thomas go to Santiago and explore the possibilities of contracting a rebuild at the nitrate facility.
Sammy and Corbin started to squirm and Concho smiled, "Yes Sammy, Corbin, school is out and you boys may come with us."
Hue said, "Why not take Hua also, Hui and Darren are not back from Seattle yet and Hui needs some "foot wetting".
Danny asked, "What kind of mine is it?"
Concho replied, "From what 'Tavio told me, it is an open pit. The nitrates are ancient guano, probably deposited by prehistoric sea birds."
They talked for a while longer and then decided to go to the airport and return to Hilo. Concho called their pilot on his cell phone to warn him that they were coming and they all headed out to their rented cars.
It had been a tiring day and, as soon as the plane took off, the young teens, Sammy and Corbin, fell asleep. Concho and Thomas sat next to each other, holding hands and smiling as they watched their sons in innocent sleep.
The next day, Concho asked Son to arrange a flight for the three adults and the two young teens going to Santiago. It took Son several hours, they would have to fly to Los Angeles and then take a flight that made stops in Cartagena, Lima and then Santiago.
Concho called 'Tavio and gave him their flight plans, 'Tavio told him that he would meet them in Santiago with the company plane.
Sammy asked Concho to take him into Hilo; that he wanted to purchase a portable drawing kit and supplies. Thomas had bought Corbin an 18-megapixel camera and an assortment of lenses and memory cards, so he was charging the battery and the spare in preparation for the trip.
Their visas arrived by courier and everyone was busy packing, Concho reminded them that it would be winter season there, so they should pack warm clothing.
The morning of their flight, everyone was ready to go and Corbin was taking pictures of their group waiting in the lounge.
They could check their bags only as far as Los Angeles and they would have to recheck them with AeroChile. Since they had a layover of five hours in Los Angeles, it was no real hardship.
They arrived in Los Angeles just before lunch and, after they had rechecked their luggage, they found a garden restaurant where they could have a meal and sit outside watching all the planes land and take off.
They all had First Class tickets, so there was little waiting to check in and, after they struggled through security, they sat in the lounge waiting for their flight. Sammy had his sketch pad out and was busy with his pencils. Concho leaned over to see what he was drawing.
His drawing was a cartoon sketch of all the people in the lounge.
He whispered to Sammy, "Ya' better not let these people see that." Sammy blushed and turned the page over.
At last, their flight was called and they presented their passports, visas and tickets to the Jetway attendant as they boarded the aircraft. The First Class section was quite small and their party took up all but four seats.
As the rest of the passengers began boarding the plane, a large man, made several rude comments about children and "damned natives" taking the best seats.
Sammy started to get upset, but Concho leaned over and held his hand, "Son, there are always people like that. We paid for these seats and we didn't just take them, they were assigned to us by the airline."
Corbin was crying and Sammy wrapped his arms around him and held him until his sobs ceased, then he wiped Corbin's face and gave him a kiss, just as the rude man was watching.
The man started to make a scene and the steward told him to sit down and be quiet, otherwise, he would be put off the plane.
The flight finally took off; it would be 18 hours before they would arrive in Santiago, after stops in Cartagena and Lima.
Chapter 2 - THE SURVEY
After two stops and as many meals, their flight began its descent into Santiago. With the snow-capped Andes in the backdrop, the plane landed smoothly and taxied up to the Jetway.
'Tavio was waiting for them as they exited the concourse. He hugged Concho and then looked at the man the small boy he remembered had become. Concho introduced him to his sons, Sammy and Corbin and his partner, Thomas Two Trees.
That he and Thomas were holding hands let 'Tavio know that they truly were partners.
Just then, the rude man exited the concourse and began shouting about "Damned natives taking up the best seats and that they weren't white to boot!"
'Tavio made a motion with his hand and four security officers stepped forward and took the man away.
'Tavio said, "He will be on the next plane out of the country!"
Both Sammy and Corbin were upset by the incident, 'Tavio leaned down and shook both their hands, "Welcome to Chile, Boys, we are glad you are here." He continued, "I knew your Daddy, Concho, when he was smaller than you boys, so I know I am going to like his sons!"
He helped them gather their luggage and then called for two men to come and carry the luggage over to the waiting Chilean Nitrates, SA plane at the Domestic Terminal.
It was a three-hour flight to Iquique and late afternoon when they arrived. 'Tavio took them to the company guest house and got them situated. He told them he would meet them for breakfast and then they would all go out to the mine location.
After 'Tavio had left, they all cleaned up and went downstairs to the dining room. The meal was served "Family Style" and consisted of flame-broiled chicken and huge steaks.
Hua was able to finish his, but none of the others could put more than a dent in their meal.
It had been a long and tiring day and all their eyes were drooping as they went back to their rooms. They all slept soundly and awoke the next morning completely refreshed.
They met 'Tavio in the dining room, he had ordered for them and their breakfast was delivered as they sat down. He told them the history of the mine; that it had been discovered by the Spanish and had been mined since that time. They had recently mapped out the deposit when Oro de Peru had purchased the property.
There remained many years' worth of nitrates, but the machinery and the mill were so antiquated, the mine could not compete. He told them that everything was steam driven; huge steam engines drove the grinding mills and all the conveyors. Even the dryer was powered by steam.
He went on to say that there was a new hydroelectric power plant in the area and that electricity was available, if the mill and mine could be upgraded.
After they had eaten, they climbed into several large SUVs and they were taken up the mountain road to the plant site, about 50 miles away. The scenery was spectacular as they climbed the foothills to the Andes. The snow level was quite low as they were deep into winter in the southern hemisphere.
They arrived at the plant site right at noon and were invited to have lunch with the senior staff and plant managers. It was a pleasant lunch, with Concho and Thomas asking many questions. Hua sat there taking it all in; this was the first time he had ever been on a job as part of the management.
Despite being a native of the Andes, Concho spoke little Spanish, he had been 11 years old when Hue and Danny rescued him and the only language he had spoken was his native Tribal Language, Quechua, so he had to rely on 'Tavio to translate for those who spoke no English.
Most of the plant officials spoke some English and the meeting went well. They were eager to modernize and promised any assistance the Americans needed to put the project together.
As they toured the plant, Hua was looking at a drum dryer and noticed the patent date on the nameplate; he pointed it out to Concho, 1883! It was a monstrous affair; the drum was fully thirty feet in diameter and was turned by a single-cylinder Corliss Steam Engine, complete with a vertical fly-ball governor.
The ball grinder was another huge apparatus and was driven by a four-cylinder compound steam engine; each cylinder relief valve would "pop" at the end of each stroke.
The operator told 'Tavio, who translated for them, "The cranks are so worn, the valves cannot be adjusted to cushion each piston at the end of its stroke, if the relief valves did not pop, the cylinder heads, would break."
It was much the same everywhere they looked; it was like walking through a working museum.
All the employees were eager to speak with the "Norte Americanos"; they knew that if the plant could not be modernized, they would no longer have jobs to feed their families.
They left Hua to list all the equipment and try to determine its horsepower requirements. One of the plant managers, Roberto Calendaria, spoke broken, but understandable English and he volunteered to work with Hua.
They were then taken out to the mine pit, after what they had seen in the processing plant, they halfway expected to see horses and mules pulling wagons in the pit.
It was not quite that primitive, but almost!
Their last stop for the day was packaging and shipping. There, they found employees using shovels to fill burlap sacks with granulated nitrate. Each sack was hung on a toothed frame and filled with shovels, before being sewn closed with a large needle and hemp thread!
'Tavio explained that the burlap was required because the nitrates gave off gasses that were explosive, especially if the nitrate became damp.
He continued, "This nitrate can be used directly as an explosive, all that is required is a carbon source and a detonator."
They spent the next week reviewing every piece of machinery and interviewing each employee on what his job was and how he did it.
They climbed down into the open pit and did the same there. The excavation equipment being used to extract the nitrate from the earth was as primitive as the machinery in the processing plant. 'Tavio explained to them that the value of the property was the nitrate reserves, which was one of the largest known deposits in the world.
That evening, Concho asked Sammy if he thought he could make a sketch of the open pit mine and all the buildings, as if he were looking at it from above.
Sammy asked, "Like a bird's eye view?"
Concho replied, "Exactly, could you do that?"
Sammy said, excitedly, "Sure, Dati, that would be easy." The young teen was delighted that he could help his Dati.
Over the next ten days, every piece of machinery was catalogued and described. Corbin asked if he could take pictures of the machines, Thomas and Concho had not thought of that, they were impressed with Corbin's idea.
Hua and Concho asked to be taken to the electric generating station, where they asked about capacities and voltages and observed the operation of the plant to get an idea about its capacity and stability.
The plant had been constructed under contract with Siemens and was very modern and up-to-date.
They had spent the better part of a month collecting the data needed. At the closing conference, Concho said, "The existing plant and all its facilities are obsolete and there is little that should be retained. I can give you a rough estimate of what it will cost, but it won't be final until we have made drawings and detailed the installation."
The Plant Managing Director, Senor Muriel Algondones asked, "What is your ballpark estimate?"
Concho was very uncomfortable giving an estimate on this, he had not had time to clear it with Danny or Hue, but he said, "This is a very preliminary estimate, based much on guesswork, but, I would say that $110,000,000 USD plus T & M would cover the entire job."
Concho feared that Sr. Algodones would laugh them out of the country, instead, he replied, "I think that is a very honest estimate and is entirely within our budget for the project."
Concho asked if they had a telefax machine and that he would like to send their estimates and sketches to their Vice President, Mr. Hue Best.
Sr. Algodones asked, "Your Father?"
Concho replied, "No sir, he is my Uncle. My Father is Mr. Daniel Best, the firm's President."
'Tavio quickly explained how the relationships worked in Spanish and where Concho had come from originally.
Sr. Alogodones was visibly impressed and said, "Sr. Best, you have my most sincere admiration, my Mother is Quechua and she has had a difficult time all her life. I hope that it will be you who manages this project and I would like you to meet my Mother when you come back. She is visiting her brothers right now and there is no way I may even contact her."
Chapter 3 - THE CONTRACT
Their return flight was uneventful; they were all tired and slept most of the way. Chilean Nitrates, SA had written them a check drawn on New York National Bank for their expenses and time and Concho was guarding the check in his briefcase.
Concho and Thomas discussed the project during their return trip to Los Angeles. They had looked into schooling for Sammy and Corbin if they were awarded the contract for the project, there was an American School in Iquique and they were holding two places for the boys, should Best Son's Engineering get the contract.
Concho said, "Tom, I feel good about this contract, I liked the folks at the facility, they all seemed eager to make their mill run."
Thomas replied, "It will be a big job and I am a little like a fish out of water. This is all still new to me."
Conch held Thomas' hand and replied, "Together, we can do anything and look at the experience our sons will have."
They both knew that Sammy had already made one conquest at the mine; Senor Muriel Algodones had asked if he could keep the drawing that Sammy had made of the plant. Sammy had redrawn it in color and charcoal for the man and it had been professionally framed and hung on the wall of the man's office before they had departed.
Senor Algodones had insisted on paying Sammy $2,000 for the drawing!
The flight was a little late in arriving in Los Angeles, there had been some kind of problem in Cartagena and they had been delayed leaving. They had to go through Customs and recheck their luggage for their flight to Hilo. They finally arrived in the waiting lounge just as their flight was being called.
Corbin was occupied in reviewing the pictures he had taken and Sammy was busy making some sketches on his drawing pad, so, to them, the flight to Hilo seemed only minutes.
Hue and Hui were there to meet them as they deplaned in Hilo; Darren was still a little shy around this exuberant and outgoing family, Hua walked over to him and have him a hug, "How is my favorite Brother in Law doing?"
Darren laughed, "I am your ONLY brother-in-law!" With the ice broken, Darren joined in welcoming the travelers back home.
The next morning, Concho and Thomas laid out all their information for the nitrate plant project and began assembling quotations and estimates for the job. This was a new evolution to Thomas and he listened intently as Concho began telephoning suppliers. The Silver Manufacturing Company of Denver made much of the machinery that was going to be needed. Concho spoke to an engineer with the Le Tourneau Company in Texas about the mining and excavation equipment, the man offered to come to Hilo and work with them.
In less than a week, Concho had the majority of the information either on his desk or it was on its way to him. Jerry Gaskins of Le Tourneau arrived and was very helpful; he suggested an electric excavator and haulers down in the mine pit, which would reduce the carbon monoxide being trapped in the pit and keep it from poisoning the miners.
Concho and Thomas had a preliminary estimate ready in three weeks, they took it to Hue and they all sat in the conference room going over it. After a week of massaging the proposal, it was ready to be finalized at $109,850,000 USD plus T&M.
Hue smiled and pushed the papers over to Concho, "Your project, you sign the proposal!"
They sent the proposal package off by courier service and settled down to wait.
Sammy was holding a showing of his drawings at the County Library, and Concho and Thomas wandered down to watch. Sammy had produced a large drawing of the Andes, covered in snow and peaks rising into the sky. Professor N'guchi, the University Provost was negotiating with Sammy to purchase the drawing.
Concho was gobsmacked as the man wrote out a check to Sammy for $12,000!
Sammy came over to Concho and said, "Hi, Dati, would you hold this for me?" He handed Concho this check the man had just written, along with a number of other checks. Concho was afraid to add them up. Corbin walked over to Concho and whispered, "Dati Cho, there is almost $40,000 in checks in your hand!"
Concho had to sit down!
A telefax message came into the office the next morning, with the cover page of the proposal to rebuild the Nitrate Mining and Processing Plant at Iquique, Chile had been signed and accepted with no changes. There was a letter from Senor Algodones asking that work begin as soon as possible.
Hue called Concho and Thomas into his office to discuss manpower for the project, Concho would be Project Manager and Thomas would be Geology Engineer and Project Chief Engineer. Bic and Phillip would be in charge of the electrical installations and Hua would handle the Mechanical Engineering along with Concho. They had a new foreman, Matt Daniels, who would be assigned to the project and they would use their own mechanics and electricians rather than hire locally.
Concho was nervous as a hen in the wolf den, Thomas held him and said, "Cho, you can do this and I am gonna be right beside you to help in any way I can."
They began the ritual of gathering their tools and supplies and notifying employees of their assignment to the project. Within the first week, all the major machinery was ordered and Concho and Hua had made a quick trip to Denver to talk with the engineers at Silver Manufacturing about an updated ball mill and dryer drum. The folks from Le Tourneau flew out to Hilo to meet with Thomas, Bic and Phillip about the mining machinery and Orion Electric sent an engineer to help with new motors and control equipment.
By the middle of November, everyone was ready. Concho had spoken with Sr. Algodones and 'Tavio about the schedule, they would shut down production on December 1st, and the plant was to be ready to begin operation one year from that date.
Matt Daniels sent two metal work boxes of tools and equipment by ocean freight to Bajo Molle, Chile and had two smaller boxes of hand tools and instruments that would go by air.
On November 15th, Thomas and Concho signed the boys out of school and collected their school documents so they could be entered into the American School in Iquique.
Their final week in Hilo, the boys went around to all their friends saying goodbye, Sammy presented his Homeroom teacher with a color drawing of Hilo Junior High School and then went home with his two Dads to pack his bags.
Sammy was a little sad to be leaving Hilo, it was the only permanent home he had ever had in his young life, but his real home was wherever his Dati Cho was. With all those thoughts and emotions, folks from Best Son's Engineering boarded their flight in Hilo on the first leg of their journey to Northern Chile.
TBC
Watch for the completion of this adventure as this remarkable family rebuilds a historic nitrate mine in the foothills of the towering Andes of Northern Chile.