The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-05-04
FUl tIr VVV.I " ing
LETTER FROM SOUTH AMERICA.
RailrOadine in the Andes.

h&ilTOaulhg III the AnucS.
TIE CALLAO AND oRAYA RAILROAD--A RAIL
ROAD IN THE SKIES -wONDERFUL MOD
ERN ENGINEERING sKILL--A MONUMENT
OF HENRY MEIGs, AN AMERICAN ENGINEER
A COSTLY CoNsTRUCTIo BOTH IN LIFE
AND MONEY SWINGING IN THE AIR IN A
RAILROAD CARA LONELY GRAVE YARD
COCO FEET ABOVE OLD oCEAN--TnE NOUN
TAIN STAIRWAY AsCENT-A WONDERFUL
BRIDGE-FAREwELL To vEGETATIoN-A
LONELY MOUNTAIN LAKE-DIZZY HEIGHTS
AND GRAND MOUNTAIN SCENERY.
SIR. EDITOR: Having been SO kind as
to find space in the columns Of your valua-
BILE paper for the novel and interesting pas
sage of the Omaha through the Messer
Channel, from the Pacific to the Atlantic
Oceans, | now offer you, from the same
correspondent, All account of ride on per:
haps the greatest piece Of work ever ac-
complished in railroad building in the
world, crossing the Andes from Callao
/ Peru, up a grade Of $4,000 feet, the de-
sisrer and builder being Henry Meigs
Esq, at the cost of ninety millions of dol
lars.
The great Oraya railroad starts from
! Callao. the seaport town of the great city
of Lima, aud follows the valley of the
| Remac river and crosses the Andes to the
town Of Oraya, distance of 1876 miles
from the ocean. Our train consisted of
seven cars and two powerful mountain en-
/ gines, built in the United States. But you
will naturally ask why it takes two such
powerful lGcomotfFes TO draw seven pas
senger cars. All, my friend, we .sHe not
going on an excursion to the city of Wash
ington, but are about to surmount the lofty
Andes, by the power of the iron horse.
We started at 7 A. NJ, passed through the
city Of Lima, followed the banks of the
Remac river fer distance of thirty miles,
through lovely valley, in rich cultivation
with orange groves, vineyards, fruit or
chardS aud luxurious flowers, until it re-
minds one Of the lovely valley of. Napa, in
our own golden State OF California. 1t is
show, in the clear and balmy morning air.
How mellow the sun lights up the whole
valley, with a smiling sky over head, while
the bare sides of the old mountains have
deep purple shade in their mantle Of gauzg
haze, fit framing for this exquisite bit of
natures handiwork.
Now comes the sweet little town OF Santa
Clara, with its we'll des crved name. 1t is
nineteen miles from the sea and 400 feet
above it, is very paradise for its uurival-
ed scenery and climate; is the infant daugh-
ter Of the grand old mountains, and nestles
SO sweetly at their feet With Santa Clara
for man, and leap, as it were, with one
great bound, from the warmth of her smiles
resting over the valley to the chill terrors
of her frowns among the stormy mountain
crags: and so we come to Chosica, thirty
three miles from Calao and 9, 500 feet above
it. This is little mountain hamlet, such
as one often meets with in crossing the
Alps; and is a resort of invalids seeking
health.
Now we begin our climb in earnest. -
The valley is about half mile wide, with
hills rising to a height of from 5000 to
4, 900 feet, and as bare of vegetation as the
sides Of an old shot tower. Soon we come
to another village, San Bartolome, cherries
and ugly, 5000 feet above the sea. We
keep moving on, until the valley becomes il
mere chasm, 1000 feet wide, the sides al
most perpendicular, while the tops of tie
mountains, COCO feet above, aIe shroudeG
in clouds aud darkening gloom. The road
now begins to crawl up the mountain side.
the bed being blasted and cut in the granite
walls 1t is of necessity very narrow and
| the curves very sharp, while the river has
become fierce mountain torrent, roaring
and leaping over boulders 800 feet below
us. We make a sharp curve, turn it, and
before our wonder filled eyes stands that
NEST stupendous structure, the wonder Of
the world, the viaducto Agna dc Verrugas.
This is an iron bridge spanning the river,
and it is said to be the highest bridge in
the world. 1t is supported by what would
seem to be very slight iron upright shafts
The central group stands at the edge Of the
stream, and is 252 feet long, SO that the
bridge is $50 feet IL height from the sur
face of the water. Now the East river
bridge is to be $50 feet high. Run this up
railroad car on this bridge and it swinging
about in the air, SO that you think the next
moment over it will 60, and see ifyou don't
feel as if some mischievous boy had placed
an icce under your collar. This bridge is
most wonderful piece of work aud is
about 400 feet long. The walls Of the
chasm which it crosses are almost perpen
dcular, and the river dashes itself among
the great boulders beneath. The ropes.
with the bowline knots on them, il which
the workmen used to suspend themselves
while executing this dangerous work, are
still dang ling in the breeze, and how many
an unskllful and nervous hand relaxed
its hold and dropped into eternity will
not be known till the last roll call is sound
ed; but is is said to have cost as many lives
as it has dollars. One cannut help feeling
as if death hovers over and around it
Seaman were paid IS per day for this risky
work, aud such wages attracted many
there, and many of them yet remain and
will for all time. In little nook yonder,
where rude cross stands, are many low
beds. 1t is called the grave yard Of tbs
U. S. ship 81. lNary's," as many of heI
blue jackets lie therein. The very spirit OF
sadness came over HE Oh seeing their
mounds. Their gayety, their courage, il
the midnight gale; their songs, yarns and
dances in the dog watch, as we bounded on
the blue Pacific, all came crowding to my
memory, and though they were deserters,
l grieyed over their too early and strangely
far off graves, six thousand feet above Ole
ocean.
Our next station is Siroco, a small Ole
town of Spanish times, and was quite {