The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1827-01-11
PASSAGE OVER THE ANDES.

Mr. Brigham, the American missionary
to Suath America, gives the following de-
scription of the laderas, or awful precipice
in the Passes over the Andes. thro' which
he was obliged to SO in the journey from
Mendoza to Chill.
"Leaving our place of cncampment, we
travelled for tour hours along the banks of
the river, on gradually ascending, yet wide
and beautiful road But now we reached
the first iladeras, Of which / heard much,
dreaded some, and yet long wished to See
To conceive the nature OF these laderas, it
must be understood, that the road up this
mountain, is long, narrow, deep cut val
ley, down which descends a swift river.---
The road on the north side of the stream,
and generally the space between it and the
parallel ltlfty mountains,is ten or twelve rods
wide; sufficiently so as for good road even
for carriages. 1t occurs, however, in several
instances, that spur in this parallel noun
tain projects and extends to the very BRINK
of the river, leaving you the alternative ei-
ther to pass over its high snow capt summit,
or crawl alongthe precipice by the side ofthe
river, at the ordinary elevation OF the COM
mon road. The last course by the ladera
precipice is sometimes the only one where
the spur can possibly be passed. How this
4 fOau tllOUp lnG idtReTdS, Idthcl tiiio
path, was first formed, il is not easy to see.
! The precipce or slope of the mountain, to-
wards the river, though not perpendicular,
is nearly so, is at an angle OF Is If not ~
degrees with the horizon. The length of
the laderas is from twelve to thirty rods,
and the path along the sides from one to two
feet in width. Just sufficient tor the mule to
pass The mountain on tine right hand is
so close, that, sitting on the mule, you often
touch it with your knee. your hand, and can
sometimes with your head; and looking up,
its top is in the clouds But on the lett
hand, the precipicc below is the place OF
horror You look down a gulf of five, and
in one place seven hundred feet descent, at
the bottom of which rolls the fnrious Men.
loza, eight miles an hour, bearing at its top
trees, leaves, grass and mud, and in its bed,
stones and rocks continually rumbling, like
distant thunder. So steep is the descent,
that little stones jostled from the path, are
almost instantly in the river, and by one
stumble, one slip of the mule. he falls head
long, and none but He who made the noun
tains could save you. If there is place on
this rugged earth, which deserves to be
4 called sublime, it is that seen by him, who
passes the laderas, i'll the Andes OF South
i America.
But while pronounce the places descrin-
{ ed to be sublime, and even awful tc him
who bcholds them, must dissent from the
opinion Of those, who thnS there IS, with
proper caution, any serious danger in pass
ing them. What proves that there is not
is the fact, that no one, whom bave seen,
knows of any human life having been lost
, here, although this road has been travelled
; for more than two centuries and a halt
! Mules are often lost acre; not year passes
f in which several are not hurled down thi
gulf, and their cargoes lost. But this is ow
, ing to the fact, that they often carry boxes
or sacks, of such magnitude, as to strike a
gainst the mountain above the path, alle
force the poor animal hesdlong of the othsl
side, into the torrent below. That this mlgh
not occur with our mules and baggage, We
/ ordered iasos to be put around the nechSi "
s those which ',ad the large and valuable car
, goes, and that they should be led across .hs
: laderas. But this precaution cannot be takef
I where a troop of several hundred pass a'
+ is often done; consequently sometimes pl
e touching the upper bank, and sometimes p1
c the mules crowding each other, carsocs ar
: lost. 1t is but a short time since one wen
J. down the gulf with load OF seven thousant
/. dollars in Silver and gold. 1t were IN van
(: To Look for the lost articles here. as the rive