The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-11-16
a Sir Million Contract.

Tribune of Friday, which stated that
Messrs. Philip aud Thomas Collins, former
residents of Ebensburg, this county, had
secured the contract for building one nun
dred and eighty miles of railroad I'D i'raZii.
MIR. Philip Collins paid a brief visit to his
former home yesterday, and, upon being
questioned in relation to the matter,
promptly answered that the report had
foundation in fact, and that corps oil en-
gineers would depar: from fhlladeiPhia on
the S0th Of the present month, 1or braGii,
where, Immediately upon their arrival, they
would commence making survey OF the
route Abont the middle OF next month
Mr.. Thomas Collins will go out to inaugur-
ate the work of q aiding, leve!ing, etc, and
all the skilled labor that will be required
he will take with him, but natives of that
country will be employed in doing the or
dinary laboring work of picking, shoyeiing,
etc.
Mr.. Collins states that the guage will be
3 feet 80 inches and he does not anticipate
much obstruction in preparing the way Tor
the roadbed, as nearly the entire distance
continues along the river level. he ordi-
nary stage Of water in the Madeira River -
which streams the course of the road will
follow is about ten feet, but i'll the rainy
season, which extends over perloG OF
about three months, the water rises some
times TO hight of fifty feet. The contract
calls for the completion of this enterprise
within three years from date, and Mr. Col
lius is satisfied that tue terms can be COM
piled with.
To the Philadelphia Times of Wednesday
last we are Indebted foI the following in-
formation upon the subject OF this enter
prise, which has been intl lusted to a firm
of veteran contractors who have made
their names famous all over the country,
and who still claim Cambria as their home,
although residing in Philadelphia
Among commercial men yesterday the sub;
ject of increased trade between this port aud
Brazil by the establishment OF line OF steam
crs received Il new impetus on account OF The
news just cabed from London in reference to
the Madeira Rapids Railroad contract. This
contract is between The Madeira and Mamore
railroad Company" and"Thc National BOlNlan
Navigation Company" and Messrs Z. & +. Col
road ef to.0O00C0. The Philadelphia contractors
agree to complete the gradation, masonry and
superstructure and furnish the equipment OF II
road one hundred and eighty miJes along tne
eastern shore OF the Madeira river, in Bfaz J,
from the point OF navigation below the rapids
OF that river to the point OF nav lRntion on the
Mamore river, n brancA OF the Madeira above.
water shed OF Bolivia, east OF the Anoes, leaves
Bolivia at the northeastern point and runs
across the tdblc-lHnds OF Brazil to the Amazon,
which II joins near Earra' anout seven huhurtu
miles from the Atlantic. The Madeira Is naVi-
gable for steamers as Tar up as i5airnmao, but
just above tha; town is the Cataract de Inferno
and n series OF falls which render the river use
less hundred aud eighty mileg. i ne
Mamore river is the chief branch of the Made
ira and joins the latter above the falls, on the
R0rders OF b2'a On rne b rn arG from c
the Bananeira Falls TO the head OF navigation
ON the Madeira. IA distance about twice aS great
as tdat from this city TO New York
WHAT TRADE THE ROAD WILL OPEN.
when it is constructed the trade of Bolivia,
which Eow has no convenient outlet, VIII now
easily down the Madeira aud Amazon to the
ATLANTIC. The aggregate length OF the am ts
OF the Madeira. with their tributaries. Is htty-
five hundred miles, and three thousand miles
nayigated by steamers wou'd open the unequal :
ed mineral wealth and agricultural products or
the country ~ ihe commerce OF any natl.n en- ,
crgetc enough to bid for such great trade.
Bolivia is the most peaceful ana AT Tn" same
time richest OF the South American republics.
IT is shut out from the word by the Andes on
the west, having, with an area Of 5000 square
miles and q population OF nearly 3.cO'OUO.
snort Pacific coast line Oi nifty miles, which can
only tie reached by mountain journeys. The
people are industrious aud only want exterior
trade to make them nation Ot sinndiDg among
the powers of the earth. The silver mines OF
the C.rro de PotosI, from which one billion
dollars were taken in the interval between 1915
and I7SG. are proverbIAI for their richness, aud
in other parts OF the mountain system, "hich ~
accessible by the Madeira branches, there are
inexnaustible stores of silver aud gold. The
railroad will also bring eastward the abundance
OF farm products now taken across the Andes
at great cost and Inconvenience.
THE CLIMATE OF THE COUNTRY.
The climate is of such a character in the Ma
aeira water shed that cotton, coffee and sugar
grow as plentiGuIly as in any other part of the
South American continent. The cotton trees
bear cotton until they are nine years old, while
in the United states the seed is sown every
berry rot for want of transportation. The
means OF conveyance. heretofore SO unequal TO
the production of this rich country, have been
the mule and llama tralus over the Andes the
trips being long, difficult, and insecure on ac-
count of poor police, who could do nothing
with the desperadOrs who intest the route
415US pounds sterling in silver, all taken from
above The water level have been borne TO the
Pacific within the past one hundred and twenty
years: a II this went to spain; In lseS the IN IN,
ternal trade OF Bolivia reached about l5.UOoO 600
pounds, and IN 1917 xportS amounting 10 o,'0o'-
OUO pounds were taken across the Andes on
mule and llama back. Hence the importance
of spanning the Madeira rapids wus recognized
years ago.
THg NEGoTIATIoNs THAT LED TO THE RESULT
Some steps were made in that direction, and
the Boliy yian Government, to facilitate their
execution, decrced that the rivers of the Re
public should be open for all vessels. In 1868
the government seat to the United States tor
an engineer to devise means OF getting around
the rapids, either 10y canal or railway. Ihe
services OF Col. George Etrle Church, of New
York, were secured, and he soon decided that
the railroad scheme was more feasible. He
then contracted for the establishment OF the
National Bolivian Navigation Company The
government Issued bonds to defray the expense
OF constructing the proposed road, and sent
Col. Ch Z rch TO London to negotiate their sale.
The engineer found that the Bolivian Govern
mcnt had no credit IN London. Then he en-
lists on the credit of Brazil, but WAS told that
there did not exist n treaty between Dom Pc
TO south America and cIOSeted himself with
Dom Pedro.
DOM PEDRO GIVES MONEY.
One result of the conference was the issue of
a decree by the BRAZILIAN Government that the
Amazon river be open to all bags Another
result was an agreement on the part of Dom
Pedro to give Col. Church charter for the
road and concession of 10000 acres or land.
Dom Pedro was induced to- this action because
the part OF his domain known as the Matto
Grasso, an immense district, rich i'm mines and
plantation lands, will be placed i'll comm II lea
ton with the sea by the road. The Matto
Gras7o diamond tracts and gold mines in the
Cordiera del NOrte aud Geral Mountains equal /
those in Bolivia in wealth. In addition tn the
charter grant and land concession Dom Pedro
issued $e,4eJoCU worth of debenture bonds to
raise funds for the road. These bonds have
found eager purchasers, so that the project Org
of the great scheme are enabled at this IA olrcut
to push it through.
TIE MONEY READY FOR THE PHILADELrHIASs
The payments to the Messrs. Collins will be
about three quarters in cash, and the money
to pay them is now on hand. The debentures
guaranteed by the Brazilian G Government stand d
FOR the remainder.
The road is to be Of narrow gauge construc-
ton, the iron rails being forty-tive pounds per
yard. The materials will be furnished by the