Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-26
PAINTING FOR BREATH
At an Altitude Of Fifteen Thousand
Feet Above Sea Level.
HIGHEST RAILROAD In THE WORLD
Stalking for .GuanacOs Among the Snowy
Peaks of the Andes.
CROSSING THE DESERT OF IsLAY
rcoRREsrosDENcE OF THE DISPATCH. 7

of II, 500 feet, the road rises by gradual
ascent to the extraordinary altitude of IA, 666
feet, the highest that wheels turned by
steam have ever attained.
This Puno and Mollendo Railway was
built for the Peruvian Government about IA
years ago bv Mr.. Henry Meiggs; and it cost
more than S45, 900, 900 for the 335 miles, or
the enormous average of S135, 900 per mile!
Though it has few tunnels no railway in the
world can show so much excavating or such
massive embankments. There is another
Peruvian railroad, called the Oroya, also
built by Meiggs, leading from Lima up to
the mines OF Cerro del Pasco and thence pro-
jected to the head waters o. the Amazon,
designed to connect with that great f1uvial
highway and thus make transit to the At
lantic shorter and cheaper than by the old
routes-which, at some points, will be even
higher than this one
MANAGEMENT OF THE ROAD.
While Mr.. John Thorndyke, late of Bos-
ton, was manager of the Puno and Mollendo
road, its affairs were conducted strictly on
the American plan; but since this railway,
in common with all others in Peru. now
comes under the celebrated "Grace-Don-
well-kDown banker and ex-Mayor of New
York City and Lord Donoughmore, of Lon
don. backed by plenty of English and
United States capital. its business is man.
aged by an odd but polite mixture of meth
ods, notably North American, South Amer
lean. Peruvian and English.
Its present Superintendent, Mr.. Victor
Hugo MacCord, formerly from San Fran
cisco, is typical Westerner. combining
the most cordial courtesy with great bust
ness energy. He has experienced some
strange ups and downs" in his connection
with this railroad, which serve as Il sample
OF what most foreigners may expect who
have the boldness to engage in business in
many portions of this revolution-ridden con.
tinent. Coming here first as a telegraph
operator, Mr.. MacCord soon worked his way
up to the superintendent of the road.
A DOSE OF PRISON LIFE.
Then came on the war between Peru and
Chill, and it happened one day, bv some ac-
cident wholly Unforeseen, that an engine ON
its way to Mollendo was seized and ''run
In" by the Chllians, who'seem to have made
1T point during that short but sanguinarv
struggle to steal everything they could lay
hands on, even to locomotives under full
steaml Though in no way to blame Tor the
occurrence, Mr.. MacCord was held directly
responsible by the local authorities of Are
quIpa, that city, which has always been the
headquarters OF the railway management,
being then under military rule.
He was at once arrested and without
hearing or any sort imprisoned in a gloomy
dungeon of the quartet which had not so
much as chair or bed, nothing but the
bare, damp walls. Neither food nor water
was supplied to him and his repeated de-
mands for trial or at least the chance to
make a statement in his own behalf were
answered by counter-demands for large
amount of money. The latter not being
forthcoming, he was led out one night with
out a moments warning, ostensiply to be
shot, and told to prepare for instant death.
ALL FOR A RANSOM.
Probably it was not intended to kill him.
merely to terrlfy him into enriching the i'm
pecunious local Jefe Politico. Failing in
this, after he had been placed in position
and the soldiers had raised their rifles to fire.
knowing that nothing could be gained bv
his death and possibly something might be
wrung out of him if he were allowed to live,
the hal drunken officer remanded him back
to prison. Friends brought him food and
finally raised the sum of $40, 900 for his re-
lease, which they paid over to the Jete, who
certainly had no right TO 1t beyond that of |
temporary military power, and the illegally |
imprisoned gentleman was set at liberty A |
few months ago Mr.. MacCord was again made |
superintendent of this same road to the sat
isfaction of all concerned; and affairs are |
now going as smoothly as anything can be |
expected to In Peru.
a few miles from Crucero Alto is Vim
cocaya, the very loitiest village in all the |
world, unless it may be some OF those in
Central ASIA, IA $50 feet above the sea. |
This AndeAn village is purely creation of /
the railroad and boasts of the adjuncts OF |
relay and repairing station.
THE BREATH COMES HARD.
Long before we arrive at Vincocaya, COM !
ing from either end of the line. nearly every |
body is suffering from sirrOche, in greater OF |
less degree. Strange to say, frequent pass |
ing over the same heights does not exempt |
one from the distressing complaint, and the |
strongest and healthiest seem to be more |
prostrated by it than the sick y, with the |
exception OF one of our immediate party, a !
conSumptlve young Chilian, travelling to
proong his span OF lite, whose sunken chest |
heaves p iinlully in the effort of respiration,
and whose pale face has taken on a ghastly |
grayish blue. A jolly Englishman from
Arequipa, who weighs nearly 800 pounds, |
and says he was never i'll in his life except |
when passing over this road, has turned the
color of boiled lobster, and, gaspIng with
suffocation, holds his head with both hands,
declaring that it is about to burst.
The remedies commonly made use of are
brandy and bromide OF potassi, assited by |
various smelling salts and the odor of raw
onions. The natives believe so implicitly |
in the latter preventive that not one of them |
will travel in the higher attitudes without a |
generous supply, which he cuts ana shifts at |
leisure, though it be strong enough to draw |
tears from the eyes of a craven image. |
When mules and horses are Frustrated with |
sirroche, the usual cure is to stuff slices of |
raw onions up the creatures nostrils.
FROM WINTER TO SUMMER.
The traveller on this railway is constantly |
reminded of that celebrated painting called |
ssThe Heart of the Audes," aud realizes |
that he has found the very spot. 1t is al |
wavs bitterly cold on the mountain tops |
anG when, at Vincocaya, we pick our way |
from the car tol the Hotel Empresa for
luncheon. in driving storm of sleet and
snow. we console ourselves with the knowl- !
edge that lew hours more will bring us
down into a region of perpetual summer
time. to the ever-blooning roses and sot,
warm sunshine of old Arequipa, the Inca
''Place of Rest
Tn some parts of Peru, Bolivia and Chill,
puanacos are as common as goats in Switz-
erlaud The animals body is somewhat
o( the GREYHOUND build, being very narrow
in the loins but deep in the chest. 1t is
covered with long hair, exceedingly soft and
fine paIe yellow, shading to white under
neath Combined with the strength and
endurance of the llama, it has all the char
a act.ristics of the North American deer,
being as graceful and as fleet ooted, and its