The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-09-23
TATION.

Postmaster George Wise has received
letter from an AngiO-BoliyIan, Mr..
James W. stuart-Nenti.ia, Of coeha-
baniba, a large provincial city in the
interior OF this !aud-lOcked and least
known OF South American republics. in
which he enclosed a letter that he re-
quested be handed to a Wheeling firm
engaged In C6e construction Of nachiu-
cry for stern-wEsel river steamboats,.
Mr.. Wise viii hand over the letter TO a
iirm here. who may be able 10 IN the
prospective order.
The letter states, among other things:
II am anxious TO receive some Informs
ti0n from you IN regard to machinery Tor
Etern-Wheel steamers Of light dTaught,
with view 10 placing a steamer on some
OF the riverB In the interior OF Bolivia.
II would like to know how soon after
receiving q cable order you could ship
machinery and boiler. The boat would
be built OF wood In the interior OF BOLIVIA,
50 would wish \ plan showing the po-
the holding down bolts, 30 IS 10 be able
to 20 on with the boat and have IL ready
for the machinery by the time it arrives.
The boaf would be required 70 fulnH the
''Speed-Ssven miles per hour. with
eighteen tons tEnglish) OF cargo on q
loaded draught Of twenty.four Inches.
i''The machinery would have TO be as
erection inside: all the corresponding
parts 10 be marked. No part OF the ma
chinery should exceed los pounds in weight
when taken to pieces, for the sake OF mule
'Thse engine with two simple high pres
sure steam cylinders: all bearings TO be
made 80 that iron-wood could be used In
event Of repairs.
''The boiler had better be OF the loco
motive type, unless you have a very SIM
pie water tube boiler, lighter IN weight,
and which could be more easily taken 20
pieces and put together inside where "A,
Dor IL scarce ard not skilled. The iuel
would be q wood: there Is no coal ai;,, A,r.
'.The boiler had better be fed by two
feed pumps to be worked on the driving
shaft, one to be spare in case OF aeel-
dents.
an. case Of necessity, a piece Of 90
pounds could be carried by mule. but u
would be much the best u nothing eX-
ceeded Jos pounds. The goods would have
Chile coast. thence By rail 70 OFuyo. and
by mule on more or less 80 miles. In quot
Ing prices please include few spare
ANY Information you can siye me IL
regard 10 running or working II shall
be pleased TO receive"
Cochabamba province Is in the north
ern ceutra. portion OF Bolivia and Is the
most prosperous section Of the republic.
being the wheat producer for most OF
BolvIa and part OF Peru. Il Is Of course
east OF the Andes. and the rivers over
which the boat would ply either are
branches Of the Rio de Ia Platte, which
reaches the Atlantic AZ Buenos Ayres,
Argentina, or OF the Amazon. Other
rivers. too. empty into q large lake.
which has no outlet.
The enterprise in operating steam
boats on some Of the rivers Of Bolivia
is not recent. More than forty years
ago the Importance Of opening up
river highway from eastern Bolivia TO
the Rio Paraguay had impressed Itself
strongly upon the government says a
stAtisticA. work. Large grants and pTi-
viieges were offered IN encouragement
OF the project As yet, however.
though the plan has been frequently re-
YlYed u .lennlte progress has been
made, and perhaps Wheeling Will fur
nlsh the machinery for the first steam
boa, In the republic. To the west the
Andes form huge barrier, and It 10 by
the rivers flowing eastward that Boz
Hv!A must seek TO reach the markets Of
the world. Al present the Republic Is
land-locked and almost Isolated from
Communication with the world.