The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-11-14

BON PedrO's new Railroad Enter.
prise The work Given 60 PhiIRssei-
phia Parties for "a. 100000
Philadelphia Times
Among the commercial men yesterday
the subject Of ipcrea trade between this
pore and Brazil by the establishment OF
line of steamers received new impetus on
account OF the news just cabled from Lon
don in reference to the MADEIRA Rapid,
railroad contract. This contract isbetween
"The MADEIRA a. Mamore Railroad compa.
ny'And "The National Bolivian Navigation
company" aud Msssrs. T.. & r. Collons, OF
this city, and foots up an outlay for the
road OF 600 1000. The Philadelphia con.
FACTORS agree to complete the grsdation,
masonry and superstructure aud furnish
the equipment Of . road $50 miles along
the eastern shore Of the MADEIRA river, In
Brazi', from The point Of navigation below
thsrapids Of that river, TO the point navi.
CATION on the Mamore river, a branch OF
the MADEIRA river above. The Madeira
has its source In the immense watershed OF
Bolivia, east OF the Andes, leaves Bolivia
ct the northeastern point and runs across
the table-lsnds OF Brazil TO the Amazon,
which 1t joins near Barra, about seven hun
dred miles from the Atlantic. The Made.
ria IL nayigable for steamers as far up AZ Ba-
lramao, but just above that town is the Ca.
taraci de Inferno AMI q series OF falls which
render the river useless for $50 miles. The
Mamore river 10 the chief branch OF the
MADEIRA and JOINS the latter above the falls,
on the borders OF Bolivia. On the Mamore
are the Bananeirs falls. The railroad is to
be run from theBsr anerla falls to the head
ofnavigstion on the Madeira, distance
about twice as great 70 from ihi. city 10
New York.
When II is constructed the trsae OF Boil
via, which now has no convenient outlet,
will flow easily down the MADEIRA and Am.
AEON to the Atlantic. The aggregate
nyths OF the afluents of the Madeira,
with their tributaries, is ffty.fye hundred
miles, and three thousand miles navigation
by steamers would open the unequaiad min.
eral wealth and agricultural products Of the
country TO the commerce OF any nation en-
ergetic enough TO bid for such q great
trade.
In 1868 the Brazilian Government sent
to the United States for an engineer to de.
wise means Of getting around the rapids,
either by canal or railway. The services
OF Col. George Earle Church, OF New
York, was secured and he soon decided
that the railroad &c, eme was more feasible.
He then contracted for the establishment
Of the National Bolivian Navigation comps.
ny. The government issued bonds 10 de.
tray the expense Of constructing the pro-
posed road and sent Col. Church TO Lon.
don 10 negotiate theirss The engineer
found that the Bolivian Government had
no credit In London. Then he endesyored
70 negotiate with the English capitalists on
the credit OF Brazil, but was told that their
did not exist treaty between Dom Pedro's
empire and Bolivia. Col. Church went
back to South America snd cl0seted him.
self with Dom Pedro.
one result OF the co aierence was the Is.
sue Of 4 decree by the brazilian Govern.
ment that the Amazon river be open TO all
flags. Another result was al agreement
on the part OF Dom Pedro to give Colonel
Church q charter for the road and con-
cession Of 100000 acres Of land. Dom
Pedro was induced to this action because
the part OF his domain known as the Mstto
Gnsso, an immense district, rich in mines
and plantation lands, will be placed in com.
munication with the sea by the road. The
Matto Grasso diamond tracts and gold
mines in the CordrIllera del Notre and
Geral mountains equal those In Bolivia in
wealth. In addition to the charter Dom
Pedro issued $780, 900 wrrth of deben
ture bonds to raise funds for the road.
These bonds have found easy purchasers,
80 that the projectors Of the great scheme
are enabled at this moment to push 1t
through. ...
The payment to the Messrs. Collins will
be about three.quarters in cash, and the
money to pay them is now In hand. The
dsbentures guaranteed by the BRAZILIAN
Government stand for the remainder.
The road is to be of narrow-guage con.
struction, the iron rails being forty five
pounds per yard. The materials will be
fur nished by the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal anu Iron Company, according to an
agreement with the contractors, and the
cash for the materials, o., ocO. COO, will be
paid upon shipment from this port. The
capture OF this huge contract from Eng.
land by Philadelphia is deemed signif.
cant matter in South American trade, and
| is thought TO point towards the establish
ment Of direct ocean communication be.
tween Philadelphia and the Amazon river.