New Orleans Republican., 1873-08-24

> | typed speeches and VexatlOus nre-crackel
= popularity patronized in the Cnited State
: : highest peak of the Andes in this p0rtiG
Of Peru, and from that elevation throw o,
to the mountain the flag of their country.
lofty ridge Of the C0rdiilera. situated shOl
:, distance from the line of the railway, VI
known to be the greatest in height, and he
, been found to be accessible from one aid
!. . but the n,Oslus OperanA now engaged th
? attention Of the patriots. A tag and . fa
J staff were to be procured, and 6Oldsmit
!, was detailed as committee Of one to pro
. ceed to Lima for this purpose, while his q
sociates, Tobias Cunningham and Bissel
prepared the necessary adjuncts on th
spot. The gallant officers and Admirs
!, Steadman. of the war ship Pensacola, the
lying in CallaO Bay, manifested the utm0a
;; interest in the novel project and generous
" presented the enter prising party with
: superb American ensign, thirty-six feet il
length cFv .~asss-.-.'- -1.-f1st,
As the celebration was to take place Of
Peruvian soil, some honor to this flourish
.. ing republic had to be paid, and fine Peru
Wan flag was obtained to float alOngside o
the device of the elder sister, 5v;,.i 49,, Ia,
The difficulties, nevertheless, continued
1t was impossible to transport wooden pole
to such height, and the ingenuity Of thu
engineers substituted iron yuprighte for. TIN
haXstarfs. These were made Of hollow
tubes three inches in diameter, and il
lengths OF twenty feet. They were carried
from Lima to San Bartolome, station
forty six miles distant from the capital by
rail, and thence to the Galera, the scene OF
action, forty eight miles further on, on mule
back. y '7T - = f''fs f-r.' 6ss3 cts
The town of the Callers 10 situatsl ninety.
four miles from Lima, on the west slope Of
the dividing range of the Andean chain
! Is, ,5Si feet above the level of the sea- II
was founded in 1872 by the engineer corps
Of the Oroya railway, and is probably the
highest settlement in the world. 1t
derives, its name from the -Galera pass.
Under this pass the Galera Or San
NIT tunnel Of the Oroya railway is being
bored; the annals Of engineering offer no
instance of q work of this description being
effected at such an altitude. Here, too, Is
| established meteorological observatory,
| conducted in the interests of the Smithson.
| ian institute by Mr.. Tobias, the resident
| engineer, and by DR.. E. T. Bissell. The
| enthusiastic gentlemen, who kindly af-
| fSrded me these data, characteristically
| remark. Here we have six steam power
engines. averaging eighty hOrse-p power each,
and cOmpressOrs made at the Delameter
iron works in New York in sections, and
brought over the mountains on the backs
| of mules; this is the highest known point
where a piston rod has been moved by
steam; and here on the morning of the
fourth OF July q handful of Americans pro-
ceeded to accomplish feat which in it's
peculiar way has no parallel that your cor
respondent is acquainted with,
twenty Indians were laden .ith the flag
the iron tubes for the ..an, provisions,
tools, ETC., and the ascent was commenced.
Instruments for scientific purposes were
not forgotten; barometer, thermometer
and spirit lamp graced the backs of the
IN ,hn hov
attained such an altitude the difficulties of
Andean foot travel are unknown and almost
incredible; to proceed cOntin uously for more
than a'Grod is simply impossible; it seen )
that at every step breath departs forever;
the feeling of oppression at the heart and
lungs is excessive, owing to the extreme
ratification Of the atmosphere and called
forth all OF the endurance of the partv.
When half way up the steep the dividing
ridge of the Andes was passed. On {, 0
left, looking south, was the noble valley 4
che Amazon; on the right the Pacific slope.
and so narrow is this ridge that in some
places two persons could not walk abreast
Climbing along in Indian tile, the party
proceeded until halt was called to re-
cuperate the body and prepare for the final
ascent over the boulders and great granite
rocks depending from the side of the peak.
Attwelve o'clock the summit was reached,
and, standing knee deep in snow. the gal.
liant band, consisting of H.. p. Tobias, of
Peotone, Illinois; J. S. Cunningham, of New
!, YORK; Or. =. L. Bissell, of Connecticut; A.
F. Goldsmith, of Dover. New Hampshire: |
Job NJ Tobias, of Illinois, j. II. Van Brock
lin. Of Oneida; H. NJ. Smith, of Springfield,
and J. A. Shirtzer, of New York, congratu- |
lated elch other on their triumph. i'1
SOOnSthe Indians arrived with their loads.
and in short space of time the iron tubes |
were connected and two fagstaffs erected,
guy,ed with heavy ,wires--one forty five feet
high, surmounted by huge weather vane |
and ball twenty-six inches in diameter;
the other Of the same height, but less pre-
tentious, situated some fifty feet distant.
At two O'Clock all was in readiness for
the supreme victory of courage and love of |
country over the dreary obstacle of the
fro wning. Cordillera. A great tin box was
brought forward BY one Of the Indians, con-
tanning document in which were Inscribed
the names Of the Presidents of the United
States and Peru, with those of the men,
bers OF their respective cabinets; fac |
simile Of the declaration of independence,
OF glorious memory; together with the |
names of Henry and John G. Meiggs, the
of the road; the officers and en-
glneers OF the undertaking; coins of the
United States and Peru; copies Of the New
York Herald and other American journals.
This box was deposited midway between
the two tiagstatfs, and the Indians piled
stones over it in the form of cairn to the
height of TWEEN ty feet.
The American flag was then hoisted by
MIR. Colds NTH, with an enliveninr chorus
OF three cheers and the inevitable tiger.
On one OF the stripes was printed the name
OF the United States flagship Pensacola, the
donor of the banner. Peruvian ensign
was then hauled up to the top of the other
pole, the Indians doing their best TO emu
late their white comrades in their vivas
After this, and the customary breaking of
a bottle of Feuve Cliquot @ marble slab
bearing the inscription, 15r.... |
MOUNT MEIGGs,
July 4, 1873,
was placed On the summit of the cairn.
The two emblems received the salutations
per deputy of Mr.. Pardo, the President of
Peru. and Of Mr.: Henry Meiggs, the rail
way king of South America ..
Mount Meiggs is situated in latitude 10
" 3V south, longitude 10 O2> east from
w ashington-seventy-seven miles from the
Pacific coast, and more than two thousand
Ieet above the region of perpetual snow,
l he starry banner was toasted. floating as
{ was far above the clouds in foreign, but
friendly republic. higher than it had ever
before inhaled their vaporous breath.
The meteorological observations, conducs-
ID by Mr.. Tobias and DR.. Bissell, resulted
q the following interesting data: BY the
lid of the spirit lamp, water boiled At the
emperature of l79lao Fahrenheit; taxing
his as standard, and Trautwine's tables
or obtaining attitudes by the boiling point
# wster, gives the peak 10 question beight
# H,75l feet; by the barometer it Tas
ound to be few feet less, but it is assumed
hat the real height of this mountain is.
rom Levels and triangulations, II SIT feet
'bove the level Of the sea. The thermom.
tor indicated. at 2 p. NJ. 36o Fahreoheit
LbOYa zero: the harnmater ri .h4 -nnnnds