The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-26 00:00:00

CENTRAL ARGENTINE.

The first section of the Central Argentine, from
the port of Rosario eo the Tortugas, in the province
of Santa Fe, was opened for public traffic on Ist
May last, and although the distance is only 70
miles, the railway will be found a great convenience,
inasmuch as it saves passengers one night on the
road, and the bullock-cartmen or public carriers in
the provinces from being obliged to pass the Car-
caranal river with their unwieldy conveyances. The
Carcaranal bridge is stated to be one of the best
specimens of English workmanship in South Ame-
rica. On the occasion of the opening of Congress
on the 6th ult., the Vice-President of the Republic,
Dr. Don Marcos Pay, in his message to the Senate
and Chamber of Deputies, remarked as follows :
" The great expenses caused by the war have de-
prived the Government of expending in useful
works such as roads and bridges, and limited it to
the continuation and completion of works already
commenced. The most important work in the
country is the Central Argentine, the first sec-
tion of which, 70 miles to the river Tortugas,
is complete and open to public traffic. Early
in August the line will be finished to San
Geronimo (Frayle Muerto), 120 miles from Rosa-
rio. The great activity of the contractors, Messrs.
Brassey, Wythes, and Wheelwright, in pushing the
works ahead deserves especial praise, and particu-
larly the untiring labours of Wheelwright, the con-
cessionnaire. Government has omitted no endea-
vour to fulfil its stipulations with the company, and
I think it right to remark that Mr. Wheelwright
fias commenced surveys for the continuation of the
line from Cordova to the other province, a scheme
of the greatest importance ;for this country and
destined to work a revolution in the social and
industrial resources of the Republic by facilitating
transportation, and calling into great demand
many of the Argentine products as yet
comparatively speaking unknown." When the
railway shall have been finished as far as
the city of Cordova it will monopolis all the traffic,
passengers as well as goods, between the extremi-
ties of the line, as also of the intermediate points.
The line will not have competition from the carretas,
or cargo cart, which the railways of Buenos Ayres
have. It will take all the traffic of the interior
for the coast and vice versa. The number of
inhabitants on the line of the Central Argentine is
admittedly less than on the Buenos Ayrean lines ;
but in Cordova and the other provinces there is a
population of more than 500,000, who will have
need of the Central Argentine as passengers, trans-
port of merchandise, and produce. For several years
to come the port of Rosario will be the only outlet
to the coast for all the interior provinces, and when
the line is open the entire distance to Cordova, 250
miles, the merchandise now sent from Chili and
other ports on the Pacific will come by this rail-
way. Moreover, the lands contiguous to the Cen-
tral Argentine are being daily settled, which will
cause much more traffic both in passengers, pro-
duce, and merchandise. It is confidently expected
that when the line has been opened to public traffic
in its whole length for one or two years it will not
be required of the national Government to make
any disbursement whatever on account of their
guarantee of 7 per cent., but rather the effect of
this great enterprise will be to lighten the na-
tional expenditure by economising the subventions
tile Government at present pays to the provinces
of Santa Fe and Cordova.