Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-07-17

WCASuAuts AOOuV tcu tOuS, ScC 1OTCn A.
"a. NJ. from the Lima Station of the
Callao and Oroya railway, commonl,
called the Trans-Andean line, to greet
the rocks at the Cordillera with the
sound of her steam whistle. The di.
rector of the wonderful works over
which the fairy engine was to take ita
way, Mr.. John G. Meiggs, had very
courteously invited Mr.. w. Henry
Hubert, an associate editor of the New
York World, to make his first Journey
to the rocky mountains of South
America, and the invitation was OK
tended to several others.
At tho Indian village of San Barto-
lone the real journey began. 1t is
situated thirty-nine miles from Lima.
at the foot of the Andes. The stone
bridge across the Rimac, constructed
in the middle of the sixteenth century.
the Balta Bridge, in strange contrast
with 1.-THE one a miliioval work, the
other after the model of the Thames
Bridge at Twickenham-and the great
breakwatcr erected by Mr.. Meiggs,
have been passed. The party is thirty
nine miles from the capital, and more
than 1000 feet above the sea level.
Now comes the toiling up the noun.
tain.
Running along the valley of the
tortuous Rimac for a mile or two, our
little engine turned on a Y, aud rapid
" rushing toward it's natural enemies,
the Andes, began the ascent. To say
that the locomotive was like fly seal
ing a plate Of glass, would not he an
exaggeration. Double, double, toll,
but no trouble; as easily us a bird
fes through the air did the 'Favorita ,
surmouut the stupendous sleeps. At
many points the winding path OF the
railway is 80 marked that the voyager.
looking from the car window, can per
ceive ut the distance of q quarter of a
mile beneath the line over which he
passed five minutes before, but sepa-
rated from him by length of two or
three miles OF road. This extraordinary,
and we'll may it be called triumphant,
progress continued until the height of
1000 feet is attained from the valley,
and the starting point of st.
Bartolome; then level for q
short time is struck along the mountain
side, but while the difficulties of the
ascent arc forgotten, the cuts and fill :.
ing call for even greater astonlshment.
Cuts of considerab BILE length and height,
blasted out from the solid granite,
frown down on the engine as if in anger
ut their defeat long filings, made up
from the remnants Of the volcanic rocks
found or blasted on the spot tunnels
blown with powder from the reluctant
mountains; one beautiful of masonry,
of 800 feet another rooted in by it's
mother rock, bringing to mind the
Mammoth Gave with the stalactites de-
pendent on every side, but through
which grand engines of forty tons
weight pass daily four times. dragging
huge construction trains behind them.
All along this section the work of the
unfortunate aborigines may be seen at
every moment the hills are terraced
with the ridges.
An iron pier viaduct of huge proper
tions now presents itself. The central
pier, 252 feet in highth, rests on solid
masonry over 70 feet square; from end
to end the bridge measures SIS Eng
lish feet, and the width is from IL TO
Is feet, (your correspondent had not
the courage to venture on sure footed
ex animation, he preferred safer view
from the locomotive carriage.) This
is the famed Verrugas Viaduct. The
scene is more than impressive, it
strikes the beholder with awe. Look
ing down through the open sleepers
you see the dwellings of the laborers
reduced to mere card houses; the fig
ures of the workmen engaged in pre-
serving the structure Intact, appear as
dolls; the immense net work Of iron
road girdcrs and binders is like a
spiders web.
The railway proceeds from this last
bridge to the point known as the
Oroya, an insignificant village about
thirty miles from tho pass of the last OF
the Andes to be traversed by tho loco.
motive, but, os is hereafter explained,
of great value in the eyes of civi.
eugineef. 1t is 1876 miles from Callao.
and the pass by actual measure is 49,,
600 feet above the level Of the Pacificl
In this neighborhood tho works are
being pushed On with activity. Six
thousand laborers of all nationalities
have nearly completed the earthwork
but the great tunnel ut th" summit of
tho Cordillera, called tho Gallera, $500
feet in extent, tasks the abilities of the
contractor to the utmest. Boring
through solid granite, the diamond
drill has to bc employed, and only 600
feet has as yet been cxcavatcd.
This is the Callao and Oroya Rail
way over which the party has 50 rapid
ly passed, and returned to it's initial
starting point after having Travelled 100
miles and assembled to IL height Of 1000
feet above tho sca-all accomplished
with many and long stoppages, some
going quietly around curves of ratlii Of
300 metres, some indeed smaller, and
climbing mp grades Of from two to four
per cent"