The sun., 1892-12-23
INTER-CONTINENTAL r. r.
THE PRELIMINARY STUDIES FOR a
GREAT UNDERTAKING.
All the Commissions VIII Report that
the Project Is Fensiblc-Froposcd Route
Through the Tnnnle Of the Cordliieras-
4 Work tbnt 1uvoived Much Hardship.

Through the Tnngle OF the Cordltlern--
y Work TINT 1nvOived Much Hardship.
Tho preliminary surveys for tho projected
continental railroad to connect the republics
OF North America with those OF Central and
South America have been practically cum-
r'eied. and although the oncia reports have
not yet Leon published. tho threo com mmissions
lavo declared that n practicable route has
been found. tho engineering problems pre-
scnted by which In nu instance exceed those
encountered in tho construction of tho Cana
dian-lncilc aud other trans-contincntsl roads
OF North america. Tho route from Mexico
through Central America down 10 the Costa
Nca-culomban frontier presents practically
no Problems whatever. aud tho section thence
on 20 the city of Panama has already been
| thoroughly surveyed hy an independent pro-
| jcctor. NJ. George de PoliGnac who Is at the
present time negotiating with tho Colombian
Government for n concession to construct u
railway between tho city Of David and Pan.
| ANA Tho section between Panama aud tho
valley OF the Atra,o has not been regularly
| surveyed. but tho ground is already SO we'll
| known That there is no necessity for any pre-
| liminary exploration.
| Tho South American commissions proceeded
| 10 Quito together. Whence they surveyed for
| the most practicable routes into that elevated
| ctg from tho north and out Of 1t toward the
| tOulu. anu tneSe IuNllE Deen ueClueu unOn
| tho commissions separated. one proceeding
northward toward Colombia and tho other
| southwark to Peru. Ono OF the most i'm
| portant discoveries made was that the So
| called Knot Of the Andes. tho source OF great
| est apprehension. has proved to le by no
| means an Alcxandrino affair." and on
| tho whoio it is understood that their
report will Indicate route quite as practicable
| as that through Central America although be-
| set with greater gineerinE problems. These
| chiefly consist in steep grades and the con.
| strI"tinn Of great bridges or viaducts. The
| story Of the work accomplished by tho Cuaco
| Commission. which arrived at Lima. In Peru.
In the early davs of August-thnt is all who
| wcrc left Of the ommission is a story of
| peculiar hardship and brave struggle against
! th" forces Of nature. Whom they left Quito
| there were eighteen mcmbers Of tho Com.
mission, with !lty mules and there arrived
ut Lima three. Mcssrs. W. ". Kelly. /. Wilson.
and J. ID. Forster. and half dozen mules.
At the outset II large proportion OF the
Commissioners were stricken with the
| rcrnicious endemic fcvers and other
diseases peculiar TO high tropical attitudes.
and many OF them. including tho chier. Ind
| To- be invaIidel home Trou'e also broke out
amons: tho mules. to which may properly he
added the frequent dcsertions of their poems.
| Thus by degrees did the stores and baggage
| grow less until for many days they were COM
| reilci to travel with no other food than that
| aHorod hv tho dcnse forests through which
they resoiutcly carried the survey. Thus they
| Jared through tho elevated regions of Ecun.
! dor. until at length. toward tho close Of No.
vember. Mcssrs. Kelly. Wilson, and Forster.
accompanied ly only few poems and null les.
| entered into Peruvian territory. Thus far.
drsrte al obstacles. tue route had been To-
trc , t s Wsr
! oi Locating tn" Peruvian section.
hSrs Of mt the e w,S made &c hy tho
! whence they started for Cunia across the open
inmrpas and arrived at Iaen about the middle
! oyer the thamaya River on rats aud carried
/ the SURVEY IN as far MS Choros. on the western
Thi- river, it i, 10 be. noted. even at this hiEi
point Is naviGahle for small steamers. The
elevation is 100 feet above the level Of the
Mr.. Nelly had hoped to lie able to follow with
The sn Of EerrS dc asso co Inc @ n rrTp9 10
ut cniilIo they found the route impracticaLle.
the river cunning at a considerable depth l.s.
/ tween PRESCRIPTIONS ravines: moreover the
! w!'"l" surrounding region became utterly
des"ate barren of vegetation. and without
| that might justify their surveying through
sIrh passes as the nature Of the country a.
tho SUBMITS and Eventually ye suees.dsd ss sirs in
! Tfry.n. the survey through places where
a'is thGy c"nlI n keen TO the maximum grades ie
! lhota and Calamnrra. always following as
ri.,r! n"'riy as possible the head watersoi tie
=, inc studies made hays demonst rated that
ne rHui, Letwcsn the Tacahamyn. ani Chota
most rro'iu"tiv" mineral aud agricultural re-
gions Of the Ienuhic. is amon41 thos that offer
The highest elsvat ion Of VT zone IS met mid
%ay %1t Hvtwssn w"r ln%Sy9r nh cSamarea a.
east % and vest Ti ekrlrations imw'Mg Msrs 10 % .ns
continued by, the weNern borders OF Gaia.
mnr"a. until they arrived ut the zone Of sugar
Eio cnIaniarr, with ,the iiunmachuno. s".' VI '"'
At r"iahan'ha thfy We're Joined by three OF
rGHrted at L'la in Ecundor. These had iI gone one
OF on sI ih. oI TIe M kss
pared notes with Mr.. Kelly and then went I'"l "tr
s reSaS
Ss ST. kss sHsn aad sri"ifs Ss
rontinnpng the survey from cajabamba at
!.ne C(r.lieras. whence the waters divsrse
to tn" Etantic and Pacific. Hence they pro.
Gsso al and Il by
! to inf'nsca in tho Drnar.ment Of Anachns. tho
sGnf Of hs TShs vast snd
| mmaHc. where the explorers entered the mag
! ni!ycent Lnl!ej"n de Huailas which they ioi-
s1al seit"mcnts on t,e borders Of Ro ts SANTA
| Prom Rrcuay they continued on to Hual-
tnnca. ascending the CordIllera Blanca
/throueh tho elevated PASS Of Queroeocha.
It was found that it would be necessary TO
pierce no less than three tunnels on the sscfion
.etwcen Nccuay and Huallanca, as the Cor.
iiicra there rises to an altitude Of 1880
aud al'houEn it. Ni was tn then midspmmer 90
Southern wntor. therefore. the climate there
, must be truly Arctic.
The expedition passed on from Huallanca to
| Gucropalra. CROSSING another spur OF Tho Cor
| dlcra. ovor which they carried the survey and
| loratcd :. practice route. and from the lat.
| ic. IOint they rrocn"ded TO the Lurlcochu
lagoon. which, according to popular beIirf, is
| the real source Of the Maranon 1t was found
that between Vuer"palcn and l.uricocha there
| exist extensive mines OF cinnabar.
On Ami u tha explorers made Cerro de Pas
90 hy way Of lanahaunca. This was the orig
i"und Instructions from Washinpton TO con.
iinno Ne ?nrycy 70 Ct GnZco From Cerro dc
to tho town of ,lunin. whence, they skirted tie
lagoon Of thinchnicoc'ia on the east. going on
| through tn" pampu to n point between Oroya
| and 1ulma. Thence they passed through