The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-01
Blythe AMAZON and ANDES
PROM THE PACIFIC TO TIE AT
LANTIC, .
BY Rail and River Gigantic
Scheme of Peru tO'AVOid Going
Round Cape HOrn.

Times has the following interview /:
The gigantic scheme OF establishing a
direct line OF passage from the Atlantic
ocean 10 the Pacific, "acroSs country"
from the mouth OF the Amazon river
to Lima, in Peru, which was begun ia
1871 by the Peruvian Government and
interrupted eight years later by the
war between Peru aud Chill, has re-
ceiyed new lease of life, and work
has again actively begun. Senior jose
B. Samanss y Ocampo, OF Peru, who
spent two years in exploring that part
OF South America through which it is
proposed to run the slime" end VINO
has Just pub ished boz k-"El Diario
de la Expedition SamsnGs y Ocampo"
-i.scIibDg the country, has been
made Governor OF the Sia'e OF the
Amszons, Peru, in which State or
province most OF the engineering is to
be done, and is in charge Of the work.
That gent eman is now in New York,
but will start for the Amazon with
Senior Mariana Psgador, his secretary,
next Saturday. To a Times reporter,
who saw him Yesterday at the Ho-
tel Espanol, in West Fourteenth street,
Senior Samanes explained The scheme.
1.-THE Peruvian Government" he
taid, "6ut began work Oh this proiecs
in 1871, when Henry Meiggs, the
American engineer, took charge OF the
work The idea was to build rail-
read from Lima up TO Cerro de P5seo,
q distance OF about 100 miles right
acroso the Andes range From there
4 al L..
was to be built to Porto Nuevo, which
is on, the Ucayali river, at a point a
little above where that river becomes
unnavigable. From this town boats
were to run down The Ucayali river to
where 1t empties into the Amazon,
and from there down the great river
TO the Atlantic ocean. The total dis.
lance from Para, the town situated
right ct the mouth oil the Amazon,
and from where vessels were to start
and at which they were to arrive, TO
Porto Nuevo, as the vessels would
make it, is something over 4200 miles
Mr.. MegRs, up 10 the time OF his
death, constructed seventy miles of
the railroad, at cost to the Peruvian
Government OF S40,000,000, and sue
ceeded in doing really the heaviest
and most d fiicult portion of the en-
gineering work. The road that he
built runs across the mountains at
one point the rails are laid 10000 feet
above the level Of the sea; and all
that has to be done now is TO finish
the road over mparatively good
trac % ground, that Is to say, all the
l. a. L. H.. Ill
the railroad, and that is really the
entire work, for when that is done and
the wagon road built to Porto NueVo,
there we are. The thing is accom-
llshed.
"Last February the Peruvian Gov.
eminent awarded the contract to fin |
ish the railroad TO Mr.. M p. Grace, OF |
the firm OF W. r. Grace & Co., OF New
York. and be 10 actively at wolk now.
1t will probably take from FIVE to Elk
years to complete the entire work
probably cost from $4,000, 900 to $780,
100000 Mr.. Grace accepted the
contract under the conditions
that he would build the roads
himself, and then for ninety.nine
years from the time OF the beginning
OF the work, or.uniil 1885, he aud his
heirs are to derive all the benefits and
emolumeuts RccIuing thereirom. At
the end Of that time the Peruvian
Government acquires,p of the
whole thing. The advantages which
will result from this great work are
immense. Aside from the great saw
In NJ h.,
the long trip around Cape Horn 10
sending freight or merchandise or pas.
sengers, which will be the direct re-
suit, IL will open up hitherto un-
known and almost UNEMPLOYED coun-
try, which 10 natural and productive
richness will, / think, exceed any
other country in the world. The
scheme by the government ie net 80
much meant as q money making ven
tute, but is especially intended to de-
velop aud populate that part Of Peru.
Now let me tel you of the exact
route to be pursued, and how it ia pro-
poeed 10 effect transportation. We
will, If you please, start from the At
lantio ocean and 60 over TO Lima. At
Para, which, as | said, ia the little
town at the Amszln's mouth, from
which we Start, we board our little 500
ton steamboat and start on our long
trip. We keep on up and up the
Amazon, following its thousand and
one turns, until we get 10 Nauta.
There the river Ucayal empties it's
waters into the Amazon, and as the
Amazln takes a sharp northern bend
here, We leave it to it'elf and 20 on
mp the Ucayali, beading STRAIGHT for
Porto Nuevo. When we ct to Provi.
deDcia, having come something like
5000 miles, we find that the river is
getting pretty shallow, aud that il we
go much further 10 our 500 ton steam
or we will run aground. SO we get of
that boat with our effects and transfer
ourselves to a smaller steamer-one
Of $50 tons 20 on down unit we
get to Porto Nuevo 1900 miles having
b EN- taversed in about twenty-five
days Here the second change occurs,
and We get into our carriages or
coaches or wagons or what yer kind
OF vehicle we can get and drive over to
Cerro de Pasco, where we meet the
railroad, aud then by that means 90
down TO Lima The river trip has
been made as / have describ cd IL up
to ProvidenCia for many years, and
one steamST only OF $50 tons has been
run down to Porto Nuevo. But the
rest OF the trip overland very few peo-
PIE ever made.
"At Cerro de Paseo are the cele-
braied silver mines, which are owned
almost entirely by the Peruvian Gov
ernment ana which have been worked
at irnguler Intervals ever sinca The !
conqu' st Of Peru by the Spaniards.
Since tha. tims it is es mated that 80
0CO tons Of pure silver have been taken
from the mines, and scientific men,
who have thoroughly examined the
plant say that the silver taken out ia !
an iufnitj SINAI quantity in COMPARE
son - the amount OF the precious
metal that is tlers in the ground
mere scra Gu on the itch lode. Of
course, opening up the contemplated
route wi lstat this mining work again
with redoubled viRor, and many people
sre 20 ng to get very rich. About d,
three moths ago Mr.. Grace sent