The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-27
THE GREAT PROJECT
By Which the United States and
South America
ARE TO BE MADE AS ONE NATION,
In the Commercial Sense Of the Word, BY o
Great International System Of Rail-
roads and Steamships.

WHEELING, W: Va, Dec. 26.-In view of
its great Importance as growing out of the
congress and its gigantic proportions as a
railway enterprise, the recently incor-
porated Columbia Railway & Navigation
company at Richmond, Va, is likely to
prove sensation in commercial circles.
The following explanation Of the plan, as
gained from parties directly interested,
will appear in to-morrow's Wheeling In
telligencer.
The purpose of the company is to con-
struct railroads in South America,
steamship lines connecting these rail
roads with points in the United
States, and incidentally every
thing necessary to properly carry
on such business. The companys capital
is to be Sl00,000,000, and Captain Parsons,
of Virginia, is at the head of it. Briefly,
the objects of the Columbia Railway &
Navigation company are as follows: To
construct line of railway from some point
near the mouth of the Magdalena river in
the United States of Colombia southwardly
along the east flank of the Andes and
headwaters of the Amazon to points in
L
and Argentine system of railroads. From
the mouth of the Magdalena river steam
ships will be run to the southern point of
Florida and New Orleans, from whence
will extend a road to connect to all parts
of the country. The vastness of the en-
terprise contemplated is thus apparent.
This continent, probably the richest in ma
terial resources of all the continents in the
world, is to be openedup to the purposes
its products and people are to be brought
into easy communication with the rest of
the world, and best of all, the direct aud
lasting benefits of these purposes accrue to
the United States.
Captain H. G. Parsons, whose home is
now at the Natural bridge, Va, is the
originator and controlling spirit of the en-
terprise. 1t is by no means his first diff
cult aud hazardous undertaking on the rail
road line. He has been engaged in others,
though they were as nothing when COM
pared with this. For fifteen years Captain
Parsons has given the subject of a north
and south line of railroad in South America
his attention. He has travelled and inves
tigated, examined and surveyed the coun-
try and collected information of all kinds
until he has demonstrated the feasibility
of his great project, and at lasthas brought
it to the point of realization. In order
and secure heartier cooperation In
corporators have been solicited, and will
shortly be named, in all the southern
states. When this has been done and the
organization completed by the election of
officers, subscription books will be opened
and the practical work of making surveys
and estimates inaugurated at once. The
only part of the prosposed route that is
unknown and UNEMPLOYED is between the
IF no An1n ,-;l 81 %h1
Cordillaras, in Ecuador. Here the noun
tain chain must be crossed in order to pass
from the valley of one river to that of
another, and in addition to the natural
obstacles are fierce savage tribes who have
hitherto resisted all attempts TO explore
their country.
The northern terminus as now proposed
will be Port Carthayena, On the caribbean
sea. The southern termini Will be Cuzco AMI
Cerropasco, in Peru, the distance between
them being about two thousand miles, half
of which is along streams navigable by fiat
bottom steamers. The road will traverse
Pampas del Sacramento, perhaps the rich
est agricultural region in the world: will
skirt the largest gold and silver mines and
penetrate forests of untoldvalue. At the
southern termini junction will he a1f H.. i
with the two Peruvian lines ofrailway anu
the railroad for Buienos Ayres on the At
for 400 miles to Alta on the head waters of
the La Plata river. Thus different outlets
to the ocean will be secured for products
at present inaccessible.
At Cuzco and Corropasco is found the
heart of the gold and silver mining region
which has been popularity reputed to be
enormcuslywealthyi in minerals and where
it was claimed by some of old church
writers, was really the Ophir of King Solo,
1nyrn of Do,
past has been exceedingly slow and at great
cost. Its 1,300 miles of railroad have
cost the state almost one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars per mile, the most costly
road in the world. Notwithstanding this,
the constructed portions of these lines have
already been largely paid for by royalty
guano beds. What would be the result of
a rapid and complete development of such
resources as it contains can be better
imagined than described. Almost as much
may be said for every one of the states
through which the proposed route is to
pass. In conversation with an Associated
Press correspondent, Captain Parsons
dwelt at length upon the element of uncer-
tainty which must enter into the problem
on account of the unknown region in the
crossing of the Cordilleras. Whether man
can do what has never yet been done, is a
question which the company's engineers
SIT must be clear" said Captain Par
sons, "to a casual observer of tie matters
involved that this or some similar one IS
the only practicable channel by which our
wares can be carried in competition with
those of Europe to the heart of South
America. 1t offers the only possible means
of competing in time with the trans
Atlantic steamers and La Plata system
of boats. BY this means travel
ers will be able to make the dis
lance from Lima, the capital of Peru,
to New York in nine days. At Lima he
will be but thirty hours by steamer from
valparaiso. At New York he is but seven
days from Liverpool. FromnChili to Eng
land in seventeen days. If it be true that
the United States with its Pan-American
congress and reciprocity treaties is seek
ing its chief market in South America, it
would appear that she can best find, not at
Rio de Janeiro, not at Buencs Ayres, not
upon the coast fronting England, nor upon
the narrow arid plains of the upper Pacific
coast, but by piercing to the centre Of the
nutiat once, the extra kernel that all for
eign nations are looking for an opening on
the outside"
Brazilian Decree.
Rio DE JANEIRo, Dec. 26.-The govern
me1it has issued decree providing that all