The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-05-24
4 GREAT UNDERTAKING,

4 GREAT UNDERTAKING.
The Nest Remarkable Engineering Feat in
tho World---A Mauutatn OF >tiNcr kstI-
united To Contain SGuu,OOO,O ONlo to be Dc-
NcloPcd.
About n year aud half ago three i'm
portaut railroads which Horny Mciggs,
the railway king, WAS building for the
government uf Peru Ntrc lett unfinished.
on account uf tho financial troubles Of
the republic, and the vxhaustiug uf MIR
Mclggs own private fortune. Within u
few months, however, Mr Mcipgs has
uhtluued "A new contract tu go uu and
complete these roais Tor the government,
and the work will commence this month
The most important of these roads hv-
gins at Callao uu the coast runs up ta
Lima. seven miles distant, and then
strikes boldly IN among the widest aud
most tremendous muWutalusof the globe
toward OruNa and CCrra lie iasco. Ii ls
intended a. pierce the two Couiulrrus
and eventually descend un tho eastern
side and reach the uaNlgHhlc waters uf
the UcIyah. the sourcc ut the Amazon.
Starting from the nra, the ruAi A.rcEas
thc narrow valley ut the Rlmac. rising
tbc first forty-,lN miles nearly 1000 feet
Then It threads the increasingly mtrl-
cate gorEcs of the Sierra ga winding.
gldiY pathway along the edge of preti-
pIcos and over bridges that seem su--
pended in the air.. tunnels the Andes ut
an altitude of 1865 feet the most cle-
yatcd spot IN the world where piston
z L., D.
Oroya. l2,lTS feet above the Pacific
The wonder rs doubled hy remembering
that TINS ..uAt elevation Is reached M
scycuyy-tight miles Between the coast
aud the summit there Is not au inch oi
down grade The difficulties encounter
ed IN lts construction are without pau,l-
lei The valley uarr1ws e. "a raylur, and
then a. gorge, tall the closing uuuu-
talus fairly oyrrhang the Rimac. 81 that
IN forcing the railway up the Cortllrus
thc engineers have literally threaded the
. mountains 10y q series of slNty-thrgc tuu-
nels, whose aggregate length les Il, coo
feet The great tunnel uf CiIlcrI, 10y
which the locomotive is taken over the
Andes. is 8, SOC feet long.
The most extraordinary part # Mr.
Meiggs' contract is that which roters 20
the Cerro lie Pl1sco mines. La effect 10
places the whole mountain under the
control 81 Mr.. Mciggs and the company
representing him, and authorizes HIM 10
develop its immense resources. In con-
siieratou of payments which he is placed
under contract 10 make, ho is given the
ownership of all the mountain which Is
not now beng actively worked, ana hc is
authorized 70 bargain for the rest ut IL,
un condition that hs shall pay thvmluers
twenty five per cent. Of all the ore Ee
takes out of their mines.
The Cerro he PAsco mines are already
well known, at least by name. At tins
point two veins luttrsect each other like
the rays Of ST. Andrews cross. Ccrro
lie Pasco Is the intersection Unlike the
North American mines, the formation al
this intersection Is not IN the shape uf
two seams, but IL is mountain II ore.
Not pound Of rock IN the hill is free
from meal The ore Is not all equally
rich. bur II has been generally good. and
the hill has been So thoroughly worked
in places that portions have cAvei IN and
formed e1cayatei CRITTERS The horizon
tal AREA OF the profitable mass uf ore is
one and one-quarter mile one way and
seyeu-eighths of mile the other, and Il
ground plan Of IL, showing the deep cut
ungs that have been made IN the hill.
looks like the map of an irregulArly land
out city. The mountain WAS worked in
the days OF the lncas, and possibly
portion of the immense ransom paid 60
PlZarrl for the unfortunate Atahualpa
was taken from this spot. From the bc.
ginning Of the Spanish occupation 10 the
present time there have been taken out
Of the hill $500, OOo, 600 worth of silver
The record OF 1t Is perfect. I.atterly,
owing 10 the iuundauuu % the mines and
the lnAccesSlbihJy uf the region TO heavy
machinery, the amount extracted has
been only from S3, 600, 600 20 1900, 600
year.
1t must be remembered that this sill
yer region Is at m immense altitude
above the line even Of hardy vegetation
"A bleak, desolate wilderness OF jum-
bled rocks. It has been impossible in
the past, therefore. 20 carry up here the
big engines and pumps necessary Ia keep
on sinking shafts into the richer ore;
and hundreds, like Mr.. Pipchiu, have
broken their hearts in these Peruvian
mines and abandoned their claims, while
those still worked have been less profit
able than they would have been could
the water have been pumped ont The
new railroad Will allow heavy machinery
70 be brought mp and set 10 work with
all the best Of modern appliances. 1t is
not expected that any such deposit 81
pure metal will be found as IN the Ne
ynda mines. yet it Is claimed that the ore
below the water is rich and that the new
tunnel will give access 20 quantity ~ II
estimated 10 contain 5000. 600. OOOO Of
silver At present this estimate may be-
considered predetermined, for nothing is
certainly known of the wealth that lies
below the level 81 the water in the pres
ent mines. The Peruvian miucralogists
claim, however, that the ore ia rich, and
as there is an immense body Of il. a
mountain Of it, they believe themselves
that their estimate Is correct one.