The Republican journal., 1892-12-22
one OF the most remarkable railroads ii

OF one OF the most remarkable railroads ii
the world. When the Spaniards took pos
session of this country little more than
three hundred years ago, there was only a
toot-path over this mountain to the rich
valley on its southern side. now occupied
by Caracas. The trail, which Indians had
uoodeh Tor centuries before Columbus
discovery, was twelve miles long and the
tohquerors named it Dos Aquados. 1t is
still much used by the civilized Indians Of
To-Day, and by adventurous travellers who
prefer sublime scenery with all its discom-
forts to the greater ease of railway trans
portatlon. Later on in the history Of the
country, when the colonies were still
young, wagon road was built across La
Sllla, between the Capital and the sea 1t
still exists, but is much less used than the
mule-trail. Its abandoned gradients are
interesting relies Of Old time methods
which suggest that the American ahorig-
ines had task-masters as severe as those
who weighed the straw and tailed the
foot of the twelve miles was beautifully
paved. the roadway being laid out in par
aliel lines three feet apart. between which
were planted lines of cobblc stone set on
eigq Cross lines of stone We're then set
NJ, at Intervals of three feet, 50 that the
entire roadway is laid out in regular three
foot squares. These squares were then
filled with diagonal lines of cobble stones.
also set on edge
The third route to the Capital is over
the remarkable little narrow gllage rail
way which starts only two feet above high
tide level and reaches an attitude OF ].12S
feet in less than fifteen miles of tortuous
climbing; crossing gravines on high trestes,
/ piercing ridges by innumerable tunnels,
and winding around lesser peaks in the
most bewilderng manner Though Ca
racas is only just six miles from La Quay
Ia ''as the crow flies. it takes twenty
three miles of railroad track to connect
the tw, places Within mile from its
starting point the road crosses a tiemen-
dou> crevice made by the earthquake of
, 1872. The ravine thus opened has been
Tiled with adobe houses. and over their
tops and through the cocoanlt groves the
! traveller catches glimpse of the contour
( of the coast, and from that point til the
summit is reached. fifteen miles up the
mountain, the sea is never out OF sight ex-
cept when hidden by the walls of a tun-
mel. There is a loop on this line which
throws into insignitcance that OF the
Southern Pacific in California. and of the
Santa Fe in New Mexico. At one point
on this South American line You may look
below and see where You have Just been
/ winding three times round the same peak
and are about to cross on a hogs back
to the opposite side OF the canyon. so
close are the two tracks below that You
could almost jump from one to the other.
and yet the little locomotive has had
/ twenty minutes of hard pulling to traverse
| them. Across the ravinc halt mile
away, two tiers of rails one above the
/ other, stand out sharply under the lie t
OF the strong sun overhead: while a thou,-
and feet above another track toward
which you are aiming looks like a mere
thread of silver. Along the bottom OF
the ravine which debouches near the lit
tie village ot Magufeto, hundreds of lavcn-
deras (Washwomen.D may always be seen
beating clothes on the rocks and rinsmg
them in the stream as did the washerwo-
men Of ancient times. Fol two miles on
more the ferns aud bushes that fringe the
creek are white with drying linen as with
huge snow flakes.
When nearing the summit the painting
engine stops for few minutes as if to re
cover breath, and you may get out and
gaze upon the panorama which once seen
can never be forgotten, Away to tie east
and west stretches the sea- coast lined with
in front covered with craft Of all kinds
from the native punt to the palatial steam
ers OF the He'd d" line from New York
steamers English. German and French
ana N0nt>uoldH Wal Sll lS. lie sugar
loaf mountain on the island OF Curacao is
barely visible to the northward, and on
the east the islands ot Las Rogues and
Orchilo.
Two hours from the starting point the
train stops at the highest station on the
route, where only one building and a wat
er-tank can find lodgment and these are
propped up by stills in the rear Here tile
Cliff drops straight down thousand feet
to 4 noisy stream tumbling oven boulders.
The rocks above are gay with crimson and
purple flowers. and away down below par
lots, paroquets and mocking birds t1utter
in the foliage, but none venture to this al
titude. Farther on we cross a trestle-worl.
only hundred feet OF so long, but the high
est in the world. its timbers extending
downward $50 feet with 50 many timbers
that they seem a network of lines and an
giles. FROM this point We wind downward
along the mountain side, toward the smil
ing valley where the Spaniards founded
their Capital three centuries ago. There
is hardly a foot of this road that did not
have bed cIIt thl, it ont Df he side nf tIp