The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-12-27
NINE DAYS TO PERU.
The Colombia Railroad & Navi-
cation Company.
THE ACNE or TRANSPORTATION.
A Plan 10 Open THE Treasures % south
America. and shorten the Distance
60 the Minimum.

WHEELING. w. Va. Dec. SIN view Of
the great importance. IS growing out Of the
feeling that inspired the Pan American
congress and its gigantic proportion. is
railway enterprise recently incorporated.
the Colombia Railway & Navigation
Company, at Richmond, W. Va 1t is
iikely to prove sensation in CON-
mescial circles The plan, as gained frcfn
parties directly interested, will appear in
tomorrow's Wheeling Fzfe1l;geaeev The
purpose OF the company IL 10 construct
railroads In South Am erica, steamship
lines connecting these railroads with points
IN the United states. and incidentally
everything necessary TO properly carry s,n
such business. The company's capital i
20 be $1,000. CO., and Captain Parsons. Of
Virginia. is at the head OF it. Briefly. The
aims OF the Colombia Raiiway q Navi-
CATION Company a as follows: To con-
strnet line OF railroad from some point
near the mouth OF the Asgdalena river in
the United States of Colombia, south
America, along the eastern bank 60 the
sheaGwaters OF the Amaxon. to a point in
then 70 connect with the Peruvian and Ar
gentine system of railroads. and from the
mouth of the Magdalena river q steamship
will b run to the southern pointof Florida
and New Orleans. from whence will extend
railroad connections to al points of the
country. The vastneSs OF the enterprise
contemplated IS thusapparent. The country
is probably the richest in material re-
sources OF al countries in the world II IS
TO be opened up for the purpose Of eom-
meree. product and people are 10 be
brought into easy communication with the
rest OF the world and. the best Of ali. direct
and lasting benefits thus proposed to
accrue TO the United States.
Captain III. e. Parsons, whose home is
now At the Natural bridge, Virginia, IS the
originator and controlling spirit of The
enterprise. Il is By no means the FIRST
ditficnlt and hazardous undertaking in the
railroad line he has been engaged in, though
the others were as nothing when compared
with this. For fifteen years Caltain
Parsons has given the subject OF a
north and south line OF railroad in
South America his attention. He has
Travelled and investigated. examined, sur.
veyed the country and collected iSI9rma
tioa of al kinds until be has demonssfrafed
tie feasibility of his great project. and at
lasE brought il TO the point Of realization.
In order 60 obtain more through orsanlza-
tons and secure heartier cooperation, in--
eorpoFators will be selected aud vi IN shortly
be named in ali the Southern states ~ &hSn
this has been done and organisation tom-
pleted by the election OF officers, etc, the
subscription books viii be opened and the
prScticai work OF making surveys and esii-
mates inaugurated at once.
The only part of the proposed route
which is unknown and unexplorsd ID be-
tween the sources Of the Magdalena arid
Napa rivers, over the dividing line Of tie
CoTdifleras ia Ecuador. Here q mountain
chain must be crossed in order to pans
from the valley Of one river to that of an
other. and in addition to the natural oh
stacles are the savage tribes who hate
hitherto resisted attempts 10 explore Their
country. The northern terminus.
as now proposed. will be Port
Carthaeenia. on the Caribbean sea.
Cuxio and Cerro Pasco. in Peru the dis
tance between being about 2.0o0 miles,
along stream navigable by aat-bottom
steamers.
The road viii traverse Pampas Del Sac.
ramentos. perhaps the richest agricultural
region IN the world. II viii skirt the
largest gold and silver mines and penetrate
forest Of untold value. The southern ter
mini junction will be afforded with two
previous lines of railway and a railroad
for Euenos Ayres on the Atlantic, which
road is already in operation for 40 miles TO
Alta on the beadwasers of the LaFiata
river. Thus different entries 10 the ocean
viii be secured for products at present in
accessible. At Cnzco and Cerro Pasco Is
found the heart Of the gold and silver min
ing region. which has been popnlaFiy re-
puted to be enormously wealthy and By
some OF the old church writers 10 be really
the ophir OF King Solomon.
The Development Of Peru, in part, has
been exceedingly slow and at great cost.
lis 800 miles If railroads have cost the
state almost si5o.0oo per mife. the most
costly In the world. Notwithstanding those
constructed portions these lines have
already beea largely paid for By royalty on
gugno beds. What would be the result Of
the rapid. complete development of such
resources as il contains can be better inn
agined than described. Almost rs much
may be said for every one Of the states
through which the proposed read Is % pass.
In conversation With an Associated
Press correspondent Parsons dEelt at
length upon the element Of uncertainty
which must enter into the probssm on
aceount OF the unknown region in the
crossing og the Ccraillersss Whether man
can do what never yet has been
done il q question which the eompany's
engineers viii hare 10 solve in tie bear
futnre. "It must be clear said Captain
Parsons. ito the casual student OF the mat
ters involved, that this or some similar one
Is she only practicable channel By which
our wares can be carried IN competition
with those of Europe 70 the heart OF South
America. II offers the only posSibss means
OF competing in time with transatlantic
steamers and the La Plata system Of baaas.
Bv this means the Traveller vii be able 20
make The distance frgm Lima, the capltai
oI Peru, % New York in nine days. At
Lima be vii he bat thirty hours b. steamer
from Valparaiso
THE CHARLEsToS.
rueIs gafuss New 6Eufser Formally Coma