New-York tribune., 1872-07-18
THE HASSLER EXPEDITION.
THE NORTHWEST COAST OF SOUTH
AMERICA
AN EXPEDITION TO SAN BARToLEME-THE DE-

lPRoh AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OP THE TRIBUNE
PANAMA, July 2.-We started on the morn
ing OF May 49, goody party Of guests invited by Mr.
Henry meggs to take trip San Bartoeme the present
terminus Of the Oroya Railway. Two rstclass cars,
made at Albany. N. Y, and restaurant car, drawn BY
one OF Rogerss locomotives from Paterson, N j. left
Lima at O'Clock and reached San Bartoleme distance
Of nearly so miles, at noon The officers ana scientific
corps OF the Hassler and some Of the officers Of H. g.
Reindeer, with largo and agreeable escort OF
ladies and gentlemen from Callao and Lima, made
the party. The road appeared OF the first
class IL follows the valley OF the Rimac River and
quired very bold and difficult engineering The average
grade from Lima TO Bartoome is about 100 feet TO
the mile, the maximum is 237, and the maximum curva-
ture s with radirs OF about 400 feet The hight at the
present terminus OF the read 1850 feet and the hight
OF the summit, where the road the Andes, is
10000 feet which will be attained without exceeding the
limits Of grade and curvature given above in about two
years. The passage was exceedingly interesting geo
logically We left Caao mist drlzzle which, in
any other country might have been called light, drz
zng ran but as it never rains near the coast in Peru
am deprived the privilege Of calling the meteor by its
right name Reaching Lima three-quarters OF an hour
before the excursion train started looked about the
picturesque old city with great interest and pleasure
The drizzle had ceased but there puddcs the
Tagging Of the sidewalks, though after rain.
JOURNEY INLAND.
The Oroys railroad station is on the banks Of the
Rimac, on great terrace or gravel The stream
here to be nothing; ITS waters have been all
diverted for purposes OF irrigation before reaching the
city. II was manifest, however, that at the Of
melting SHOWS in September there must be great fresh
cts in tie stream. Our road followed its banks fifty
miles, and up that point scarcely any dimnu
tion in tie quantity OF sand gravel and mud, brought
down from the mountains the valley narrower as
we ascended hut the deposit Of gravel apparently grew
deeper and was asOnishngy ont Of proportion to the
apparent Of the river In the lower part of the
valley there abundant cultivation and tne crops
OF various Sorts corn worthy Of Illinois, grapes and
chards of various fruits; but the valley grew mar
rover the cultivated strip grew narrower, and at San
BartOleme had almost vanished The hlsides along the
whole perfectly barren until we had nearly
reached the terminus, when few scattered dry plants
appeared-a cactus, a bromelia, the Ike with
tufts OF grass the higher SUBMITS Perfectly bar
rem is not strong enough; that ephet could be applied
to the Paracls Peninsula the beach, at Callao'
But the hills, from the outskirts OF Lima to San Bar
toem6, terrific frghtful, in their barrenness; they
were not only entirely destitute OF vegetation, but
equally destitute OF sO and the rocks OF which they were
composed. aud piles OF gravel and stones looked as II
recently battered and bruised, as though there had
recently been hailstOms in which the hasOLes were OF
size and weight sufficient crack the sold rocks at every
blow followed by absolute deuges of RAIN Two of the
engineers Of construction were in our party and one OF
them told me OF spur among the mountains in which 1t
was necessary to make cut through apparently solid
granite. series of drill holes was made, and three
kegs OF powder distributed in them, and fired simua-
neousy. To their great asonishment this solid granite
proved TO lie a mere crust, covering mass Of rounded
pebbles which out almost like quicksand. The ease
Of cutting into such material was so much greater than
in sold granite that the plan OF the road was imned
acy altered nd the track laid feet further in the
h No explanation Of tins curious crust had suggested
Itself 10 them, and IL remained stery and wonder.
Along the foot OF the hills green line was frequently
visible composed principally Of native cane, marking
out the course Of a canal for irrgation-an acequia
Most O these acequas were made before the spanish con-
quest by the Indians under the ncas, and are frequently
miles in length admirably constructed, wellscc cted
Ines and accurately leyeed. There were abundant
other tokens OF prosperity Of the country before the
eonquest In the broader fields Of the lower valley in
the midst Of a beautiful eXpansc Of clover or OF cotton,
or OF Indian corn you would immense heaps Of pe5
bes and stones OF from one to fifty pounds weight
Te lad been gathered from the 1elds, to leave the
ground more smooth and arabic not by white men, nor
uniq the white mans eye they had lain there from he
forethe Spanish invasion, and look fresh simply be-
cause there Is no rain to clothe them with yege-
tatpn. The irrigation which Keeps the hcId
gren does not rise TO moisen them They are
perpetual monuments t. tie industry OF the ADJ
otidnal tribes. Along the foot OF the hills We also
saw many Of old dwellings OF the people, the ruins
OF dtes aud towns-tesfyng the populousness of the
yalry i'm the olden days-and showing that the
heavy floods OF rain which seem TO have washed these
hills must have fallen before these towns Gere built
Teeat industry and prosperity Of the country under
the Incas is further shown by old acequas leading to
Terraces for CULTIVATION very far above those which are
uov in use The Whole billsides frequently thus
naked with traces OF old terraces. At san Baroleme
for example you look up the dele toward the
cast aud see your path apparently blocked. at the dis
taIee of very few miles, ~ mountain rising nearly
II 90 feet above YOU On it, south ank about 5000 rect
be,w summit, but nearly 1900 feet above the sea-
and $500 feet above you, you perceive small cone
Take glass and study it, and you can see that the en-
eheers who have climbed up there for investigation are
nat drawing on their Imagination when they assure you
that this small cone in reality fortified town, well
fortified capable Of holding about 1900 people, supplied
with water from the higher mountain, and formerly sup
pli,d with food from the slope OF the hill which II ter
raced for acequia cultivation from the Rmae at its foot
mp TO the town itself
SIGNS RRIRoGREssIoS.
confess that these old ruins and terraces and acequas
,nd the specimens Of pottery, OF embroidery ana OF
working in metals which had seen from the old town,
lad more power than the pages OF Prescott ana
could not goan In heart over the terrible chahge
brought by socaled Christianity in this once fair land
And at the same time the very road which had brought
me there was a comforting prophet OF third PERIOD In
which the Republic OF is to repair the great evils
done in the days OF colonial serom to Spain There are
here as in Brazil, native citizens enlightened
nhilontlropic energetic who determined 10 bring
their country up level with the civilization OF our
centary They themselves OF the aid OF Americans
EnglisbmeH, Germans, French. SWISS, Italians, or amy
and an men have wealth. or knowledge, or skill 10
| sid them The progress of Peru Is with aeeeleratng
rapidty, and promises to assume stable enaracter
Yet tue other hand, cannot but regret lhat ths
pr0Dery Is at present largely dependent upon the
exort of guano and sapeter The export of fatpeter
estaes of Chill and Peru may able to endure of that
VIII not speak But the export OF guano Is, Ia Inv udG
mat terrible mistake II is like the placer mining OF
Iaiforua most unnatural sort OF larceny plunder
moot our pOstonty for our present benefit The guanO