The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-06-02
ELEVATED ROADS IN TRUTH.
Part of a Peruvian Line Is 1858 Feet
Above the Level of the Sea.

- -----~
Above the Level of the Sea.
The highest point attained by rail-
road in the United States is in the
Rocky mountains, 9,o27 feet above the
sea- Trains on the Callao-Oroya line
in Peru are now ascending to height
as far above the great elevation as the
total height of Mount Washington. In
other words when a train on the Oroya
line enters the Galera tunnel to cross
from the western to the eastern slope
of the Cordilleras it is more than mile
higher above the sea than the loftiest
bit of railroad track in this country.
Some stretches of track in Mexico are
also higher than any railroad in the
United States. At present the Galera
tunnel is the highest elevation attained
by any railroad in the world. 1t was on
September % last that the. first
train from Callao passed through the
tunnel to the eastern side of the noun
tains. Twenty years elapsed after the
line was started at the sea before the
Cordilleras were conquered; and trains
have scarcely foot of level grade for
106 miles until they pull into the Galera
OuhhCl, lOsOOO 4CCU dUONc uh0 ocd, duo
emerge upon the eastern face of the
Andes. If this were not the loftiest
tunnel in the world it would still be
conspicuous as a specimen of railroad
construction. 1t was driven through
the rock distance of 1856 feet. If a
train happens to stop in the tunnel pas
sengers can hear water from the vaulted
roof pattering on the car tops. The
melting of snow that crowns the noun
tain summit above it filters through to
the excavation. Two channels are cut
in the rock to carry the water out of
the tunnel. One of them leads to the
head stream of an Amazon tributary
and the Atlantic; the other to the Rimac
river and the Pacific.
1t is doubtful if any other railroad
for general traffic will ever be carried
to so great an elevation. The surveys
for the PanAmerican railroad do not
thus far indicate elevations at all ap-
preaching that of the Aroya line. 1t
will be necessary here and there to
pass from one valley to another sep
arated by mountain ranges, but the
highest points along the line will not
be over 1000 feet above the aea II the
results of the preliminary surveys hold
good. South America will always beat
the rest of the world in elevated rail.
roads. The South Peruvian line from
Mollendo to Lake Titicaca attains a
height of 1864 feet, only e9T feet
lower than the Galera tunnel. The
remarkable 0hilian railroad, now near
ing completion, which, starting at An
tofagasta, runs hundreds of miles north
east into Bolivia, has it's highest point
at Carcoto, 12,OOs feet above the sea,
and it is a noteworthy coincidence that
the Trans=south American line from
Buenos Ayres to Valparaiso is also said
to be just 12, 00s feet above the sea at
It's highest point These results have
been obtained by triangulation, but for
ordinary purposes it may be as we'll to
lop off the extra feet above $4,000, just
as some geographers do in the case Of
Mount Everest. They say that the
figure, 29,Oo4 feet, given as the height
of this loftiest of mountains implies
refinement of accuracy in measurement
to which it is not entitled,-N Y, Sun,