Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-08-15
An Event Of the Age.

Ouo OI C00 mOSG remarkable events
of the age we live in is now taking
place in Peru. For two years past
work has been progressing in the giant
struggle of enterprise to gain the mas
tery of the Titan Andean chain. Last
July work was commenced on the east.
ern terminus OF the Lima and Orova
railroad, which is being constructed
under contract for "a, OOO, 600 reals bv
Henry L. Meigs. This road, which
commences virtually at Callao, on the
coast, is destined to Cross an altitude
of over Is, 600 feet and terminate at
Oroya, little Indian town, at an alti-
tude Of II, 200 feet. Old Californians
are very prominent in all these
new works. Jesse l.. Wet
more, ESQ.,, who wns we'll known in
San Francisco during ring the s'aush"
times as q contractor, has assumed
the great responsibility of superintend-
ing the construction from Oryoa vest
ward. The Inca Indians, commonly
known in that country as "Cholos.h
are employed. being the only ones who
can successfully operate at such high
attitudes, where the rarity of the At
mosphere prevents those who have
been raised in lower places from work
ing. The head camp and center for
supplies is now at Yauls, a small min
ing town, at about IA, 800 feet alti-
tude. Eighteen miles of tereplein,
or grading, have been finished, and
this month the work of max.
ing tunnel through the crest of the
Andes has begun. It will be worked
from both ends with force of fifteen
hundred Indians engaged on it in the
vicinity. The tunnel will be three
thousand feet in length, and elevated
above the sea higher than the summit
of Mount Blanc. In airline it is dis
tant from the western terminus on the
Pacific coast only about sixty miles.
The gradient is for the most part two
hundred and eleven feet to the mile, or
what is there called q four per cent.
grade. Many expedients have been
adopted in order to surmount the great
engineering difficulties and to 30
lengthen the road to the
best advantage for the purpose
of continually gaining altitude. At
one point above San Bartolome, about
forty-two miles from Callao, it has
been necessary to resort to V-which
is simply q turn-table and switch,
where the road takes an upgrade in q
reverse direction for several miles, and
again returns, forming in it's course al
most q figure g. The difficulty expert
enced in working at the eastern end
may be at once comprehended when it
is remembered that the mule train, by
which all tools and provisions, with
the exception of what may be obtained
in the interior, passes over an altitude
of 16, 500 feet, amid a cluster of peaks
covered with perpetual snow. It is
hoped by this road to develop the
mineral wealth of the Cordilleras,
which consists of silver ore
Coal has also been discovered in the
vicinity of Oroya and Yauli, which
must eventually prove a valuable re.
source in country which is totally des-
titute of timber. With the exception
of some coal which is rudely taken out
and transported on the backs of llamas
per ton, nothing can be obtained 10,
fuel excepting dried turf, "buffalo
chips " (twenty-five cents sack) and
dried llama dung. The latter is pre-.
served by the ton for use in rude
smelling at the mines. Thousands OF
sacks have been brought up for the
railroad work, for burning lime which
abounds in that vicinity, etc. Such
items as these will enable those who
are unacquainted with the peculiaritiet
of the country to appreciate the fac,
that this work, which has been begun
is one of the great events of the present
age.