The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-05-18
For The Cecil Wing.
For The Cecil Wing.
THIRD LETTER FROM SOUTH AMERICA
RailrOading in the Andes.

RaiIrOading in the Andes.
r STILL TRAVELLING IN THE SKIES THE VII
LACE NOON, ITS SUNRISE AND SUNSET
THE BRIDGE OF THE INFERNAL-A GOOD
HOTEL IN THE CLOUDS THE WELL
EARNED FAME OF HENRY MEIGs-A MON
/ UMENT OF AMERICAN ENGINEERING SKILL
MYSTERIOUS FASCINATION OF GREAT
! MoUNTAINs-THE DESCENT TO LIMA.
/ In my last letter | spoke of my arrival
at the charming little town of San Matio,
nesting in its mountain valley, 10, 600 feet
above the level of old ocean, and of its spar
king river, its fruit-laden vines and flowers.
Indeed it looks like tie bathing place of
the wood nymphs, and imagine can see
their merry, graceful movements i'll the
Cuaca and hear the tinkling of their casta-
nets. The winds too are here; | hear them
whispering among the vine leaves and see
/ the olive branches tremble. ] wished for
time to go down and stay for awhile in this
little paradise, aid t. see u train go by,
dred feet above. To be walled in by the
| towering mountains, must bring sensations
new and strange to Que whose life has been
passed on the broad ocean. To miss see
ing the Sun leap from his fiery bed in the
misty east, and watch him on his Journey
| till he sinks to rest, with all his golden
beams about him, to look in vain for the
white capped pillows and to count all the
| stars in the armament would almost lead
one to believe that he had reached another
world, and such | think would be my i'm
preston were to live a week in San Matio.
Noon is their sunrise and sunset, and their
eyes are never gladdened by a look at their
own cleaning southern cross.
Now we come to Puento del Infernello,
eighty miles from Calloa and 1000 feet
above the Pacific Ocean. This place is
we'll named, the Bridge of the Internal"
1t is an iron bridge, about 800 feet long,
spanning black chasm 1000 feet deep,
with walls as upright as plumb line would
give, dark and Shiny. ray of sun light
never pierces the heavy gloom beneath.
looked down and foreboding of fear crept
over me. l feel as if | were looking into
the door of Tartarus, and can see the
gloomy ghost of Achilles come stalking by.
Above us, and overhanging, towers the old
cliff, with face all rent and shattered strata,
ready to topple over You instinctively
grasp your seat and cover into a corner, as
if to escape the impending destruction
above engulfed you, when this mass of mat
ter falls. Yonder are great gaps in the
see the fire demons leap. Here is deep,
dark gulf, partly choked by a small noun
tain, which it tried to swallow. There are
great blocks Of stone strewn around, as if
from some mighty fortress now dismantled.
A huge heap rises up, black pit opens its
ugly mouth; here is the granite polished
| by the hand of the mighty glacier there
the old rock crumbling to dust, its life hav-
ing been licked out by the fierce tongues of
flame that gathered round it in ages long
gone by. But there is an old tree with
venerable head, moss covered trunk and
kindly outspreading arms, not even pois-
oned weed to show that the germ of life
remains in this sterile region-all is silence;
while the everlasting snow and ice glitter
cold and white in the fiery rays of tropi-
cal sun.
Next we come to Sci del Anchi, eighty
one miles from the sea and LOCO feet above
E. L., j i
| hotel occupied by the employees of the rail
| road, and is also a resort for those who
| come to view the savage grandeur of
the surrounding scenery Now comes Rio
Blanco, II 900 feet above old ocean, so
called because of the many leaps the old
river has to take until it has dashed itself
into white, surging foam. Here is the
wonderful horse shoe tunnel in form, so as
to get around one of those frightful chasms
so numerous in the Andes. At this point
the air becomes SO light that many persons
have to hurry away to avoid sudden death.
Chicla is the next point, IL, 300 high. 1t
has no habitations, and savage grandeur
meets the eye at every turn, and here we
arrive at the GROWING effort in this won
derful undertaking. Summit Tunnel, Is, 700
feet above the commencement of the road
it is needless to say, is the highest point
the iron horse has ever attempted to reach.
You will naturally ask, for what purpose
was so great and SO costly project begun
Peru is divided into three geographical divi-
SinpS Strin IF sandy HpSprt
extending along the Pacific coast, is called
Western Peru, the high table land in the
mountains is called Peru of the Andes, and
| that wonderful, beautiful and almost I'M
known land is called the Eastern Slope of
the Andes. TO tap this new country, to
people it, and to bring its wealth of pro-
duce to the seaboard at Callao, is the puI
pose for which this great road was built
an aim worthy of so Incompatible feat of
railroad building and the genius of the
great worker who wrought this miracle of
industry, and though dead, yet he has built
for himself monument above the Clouds
and when the memory of your red-handed
gods who, Through their own kind great
gaps did make" has vanished from the
earth, and the granite piles by which you
mmortalize them, have crumbled to dust,
| the fame of Henry Meigs will be as bright
as is the light of good mans smile, and
when mother Nature, holding on high her
chaplet of Immortality and wishing to
crown her favorite son, she will call to him
come, my private citizen, the noblest
hero of them all, receive your reward, the
praise of mank ind.
But we must return. The sun has long
since begun his downward march, and what
a change has come over all things. The
old hills few hours ago stood out bare and
| stark, and are now clothed in vestments of
infinite hues; white, fleecy clouds go sail.
ing by, broad streams of golden light burst
through the rents in the hill sides and
battle their faces in smiles. Every hoary
crag is laughing; old shafts whose savage