Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-27
EASTERN DISPATCHES.
Parsons Pan-American Rail.
road Scheme.
WHAT HIS PLAN EMBODIES,
A Terrific Rain and Wind Storm
Passes over New York and
Pennsylvania.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
WHEELING, w. Va, December 26 -
In view of its great importance, as grow.
ing out of the feeling that inspired the
Pan-American Congress, and its gigantic
proportions as railway enterprise, the
recently Incorporated Colombia Railway
and Navigation Company at Richmond
Va, is likely to prove a sensation in
commercial circles. The following ex-
PLANTATION of the plan, as gained from
parties directly interested, will appear in
tomorrow's Wheeling Intelligencer:
the purpose of the company is to con
struct railroads in South America, steam.
ship lines connecting these railroads
with points in the United States, and in
cidentslly everything necessary to prop
erly carry on such business. The com.
pany's capital is to be 100000, 900, and
Captain Parsons, of Virginia, is at the
head of it.
Briefly, the aims of the Colombia Rail
way and Navigation Company are at
follows: To construct line of railroad
from some point near the mouth of the
Magdalena river in the United States o.
Colombia. outhwsrdly along the eastern
flank of the Andes and headw aters ol
the Amazon to points in Peru; there tc
connect with the Peruvian and Argentine
system of railroads. From the mouth oi
the Magdalena river steamships will be
| g. l. .,,.k g H. II
New Orleans, from whence will extend
railroad connections to all parts of this
country. The vastness of the enterprise
contemplated is thus apparent.
A continent, probably the richest in
material resources of all the continents
in the world, is to be opened up to the
purposes of commerce, immigration and
civilization; it's products and people are
to be brought into communication with
the rest of the world; and best of all
the direct and lasting benefit of these pur-
poses accrues to the United States.
Captain H. G. Parsons, whose home
is now at Natural Bridge, Virginia, is the
originator and controlling spirit of the
enterprise. 1t is by no means the first
difficult and hazardous undertaking in
the railway line he has been engaged in,
though the others we're as nothing when
compared with this. For fifteen years
Captain Parsons has given the subject oi
north and south line of railroad in
South America his attention. He has
travelled and investigated, examined the
surveys OF the country, and collected in
formation of all kinds until he has dem
onstrated the feasibility of his great pro-
ject, and at last brought it to the point
of realization. In order to obtain more
thorough organization and secure heartier
corporation, incorporators have been se.
lected, and shortly will be named, in all
the Southern States. When this has
been done and the organization COM
pleted by the election of officers, ETC.,
subscription books will be opened and
and estimates inaugurated at once.
route which is unknown and
unexplored is between the sources
of the Magdelena and Napa
Cordilleras in Ecuador. Here mount
pass from the valley of one river to that
of another, and in ldition to the natural
obstacles are fierce savage tribes who
| hdNO ulUuOlG w I0blSttu u dbbcuptb W OK
plore their county. The northern
terminus as now proposed will be Port
Carthagena on the Caribbean sea. From
here the road will run to Cuzco and
Cerropasco in Peru, the distance between
them being about 1000 miles, half OF
which is along streams navigable by fat
bottomed steamers. The road will trav-
erse the pampas del Sacramento, per-
haps the richest agricultural region in
the world; it will skirt the largest gold
and silver mines, and penetrate forests
OF untold value.
At the southern termini junction will
be effected with two Peruvian lines OF
rail way and the railroad from Buenos
Ayres on the Atlantic, which road is
already in operation for 400 miles to
Alta, on the headwaters of La Plata
river. Thus different outlets to the
ocean will be secured for products at
present inaccessible.
| At Cuzco and Cerropasco is found the
heart of gold and silver mining region
which has been popularly reputed to be
enormously wealthy in these minerals,
and where was claimed by some of the
old church writer's, was really the Ophir
Of King Solomon. Z
The development of Peru in the past
has been exceedingly slow and at great
cost. Its 1900 miles of railroads have
cost the state almost $3.50, 1000 per mile
the most costly in the world. Notwith.
standing this, the construction of per.
tions of these has already been largely
paid fer by royalty on the guano beds.
What would be the result of the rapid
and complete development of such re.
sources as it contains can be better i'm.
az kined 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 un.
certainty which must enter into the
problem on account of the unknow n
region in the crossing of the Cordilleras.
Whether man can do what never yet has
been done, is the question which the
company's engineers will have to solve
in the near future. H
sit must be clear" said Captain Par
sons, Ito the casual student of the mat
ters involved, that this or some similar
one is an easily practicable channel by
which our wares can be carried in com
petition with those of Europe to the
heart of South America. II offers the
only possible means of competing in time