Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-11-21
Up tho Andes.

A letter written from Calico, Peru, |
gives description of . trip up theAndes. |
They started from Lima, up tile valley
OF the Rimac. For about fifteen miles
above the city the valley is seven miles
wide, with beautiful green fields of
corn and other grain extending from
the little rlyer winding down the middle
out to the base of the abrupt and barren
mountains Oh each side. Even now,
although the country was devastated by
war but a couple OF years ago, and Is
yet IN the possession of the enemy, the
fields and everything look thrifty, and
suggest state of prosperity hardly
expected under the circumstances. 1t
is almost unnecessary to say that it is
not due to native enterprise, but to the
enterprising North Americans who have
come here and erected sugar mills, cot
ton mills and -four mills, and established
all kinds of commercial houses, besides
building the railroad up into the heart
of the almost impossible mountains,
thus opening up to the world one OF the
richest of mining countries. Along the
banAs of the river are number of sugar
mills and cotton mills. Here and there
along the route are RUNS of villages.
Some of them were abandoned ages
ago, but most of them were destroyed
during the late war. Every station
along the railroad has a garrison OF
Chilian soldiers, and the only houses
that appear habitable are used by them.
There are many crosses or little alters
standing aloLe along the roadside, at
some of which 1 saw devout Catholics
at prayers. Among the ruins OF the
villages one can always distinguish the
cathedral, which Is usually the largest
and, III fact. the only building of any
size or having any pretensions to archl
tectural design III construction to be
seen. Nearly all of the houses are built
of mud; many OF them built during
the reign of the Incas. The cathedrals
are usually built OF stone and are very
massive and generally imposing in ap-
pearance. They always have at least
one bell tower with a chime, or rather
a number of bells rung 10y means of
braided ropes.
As We ascend the valley it gradually
narrows until there Is not foot of level
land along its sharp ascent, being built
N cuts IN the mountain sides. The
grade is 2ll feet to the mile. When
going up 1t looks Just as though We
were climbing ill, you can see tine
inclination SO plainly. A place called
San Bartonlo Is where We begin The
ascent III earnest. Here We run up to
the station and on 10 a turn-table where
We turn completely around and run
back i'll the same direction, but curv-
ing around and up the mountain side.
After running this way little way We
run back again, so-that after travelling
three miles We ind ourselves directly
above the station about 600 feet, ana
the river as much further below the
town. From there we run up quite a
distance without any more of these
Developments" (as they call the v
constructioD) that the road makes while
running BACKWARD and forward.
FORTY TUNNELS IN FIFTY MILES.
A few miles further on We come to
the great Aqua de Verrugas, over which
there is bridge, one of the highest IL
the world. FIR, N the bed of the river
up to the trtck Of the bridge Is 252 feet.
1t Is Lot a suspension bridge either,
but is built on three iron piers. AT
each end there Is a tunnel, so you run
out OF tunnel On to the bridge, and
then iIom the bridge INTO tunnel
again. In distance of fifty miles there
are forty tunnels, and in places you eau
look up and see two tunnels above you
as you are Just entering ore, and then
YOU soon afterwards lock down and see
these through which You have Just
passed. You keep on climbing gradual |
iy upward, passing over high bridges |
and running along ledges OF cliffs. with |
the little r1ver winding along thousands |
OF feet below.
In places the valley widens cut a |
lite, so that there may be seen at |
once several villages on the r1yer banks, |
and numbers of beautiful gleen fields |
and pastures, with cattle ard llamas III |
them. All along the mountain sides |
can be seen the trails leading INTO the |
the villages on their way over the /
the mountains, and eyely now and the |
a holseman or train Oh liam as can be |
seen slowly winding their way along the
trail, looking like mere specks, they |
are SO many ieet above or below us, OF
may lie directly opposite, across the
valley. In places We would come out
OF a tunnel on to the edge of a high |
cliff, overlooking the valley stretching |
out far below, and partly shut out by
clouds, like some pictured SKETCH
something that a person might expect
to See only on canvas; an attempted
description OF which III words Is a mere
mockery OF Its grandeur and beauty.
Before L leave here L am going to get a
number OF views of the road. SO that
Won can form some idea of what 1t looks
like.
Before the Spanish conquest by Piz
AFRO, about $50 years ago, there were so
many people in the valley that they were
Obliged to cultivate the mountain sides.
In order to do this they built series OF |
terraces from the base to the top OF
the mountains and grew their corn and
other crops on them. In order to get |
water up TO these terraces they built a
score of aqueducts and carried the
river water up there. These terraces
and the ruins of the aqueducts can be
seen all along the valley.