Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-05-31
ELEVATED ROADS IN TRUTH.
For Sale by DIR. j. D. Karr.

Fart OF Peruvian Line Is 1888 Feet
Above the Level OF the Sea.
The highest point attained by rail-
road In the United States is in the
Rocky mountains, soar feet above the
sea. Trains on the Callao-Oroya line
In Peru are now ascending to a height
as lar above the great elevation as the
total height of Mount Washington. In
other words when train on the Orova
line enters the Galera tunnel to cross
from the western to the eastern slope
OF the Cordilleras it is more than a mile
higher above the sea than the Hottest
bit of railroad track in this country.
Some stretches of track in Mexico are
also higher than any railroad i'm the
United States. At present the Galera
tunnel is the highest elevation attained
oy any railroad in the world. It was on
september % last that the first
train from Callao passed through the
tunnel to the eastern side of the noun
talns. Twenty years elapsed after the
nne was started at the sea before the
Cordllleras were conquered; and trains
have scarcely foot of level grade for
JOG miles until they pull into the Galera
tunnel, 1888 feet above the sea, and
emerge upon the eastern face of the
Andes. If this were not the Hottest
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 Pan-American 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 sea if 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 1854 feet, only 997 feet
lower than the Galera tunnel. The
remarkable Gillian railroad, now near
ing completion. which, starting at An
tofagasta, runs hundreds of miles north
east into Bolivia, has its highest point
at Carcoto, 12,OOs feet above the sea,
and it is 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
its highest point. These results have
been obtained by triangulation. but for
ordinary purposes, 1t may be as we'll to
lop off the extra feet above $4,000, lust
as some geographers do in the case of
Mount Everest. They say that the |
figure, $1,000 feet, given as the height
of this Hottest of mountains implies a |
refinement of accuracy in measurement
to which it Is not entitled.-N. Y. Sun.