The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-15

ty-five degrees. and many of the severest
grades We're along the edges of the preci-
pices or where we seemed to be clinging to
the walls of rock. i cannot say that l was
not afraid nor that my heart was not OFTEN
in my throat, but l will say that the ex-
perienee was such that, knowing what
now do, I would take the journey again TO
feel the same exhilarating sense of pleasure
and oanger combined.
ON THE TOP OF THE ANDES.
The sensation of standing on the top of
the Andes was worth having. AS we
climbed up and up above Casapalca the air
grew colder and rarer. We rode out of a
heavy rain into dense snowstorm. soon
we were in banks of snow. Now the mist
and the clouds surrounded US so that we
could not see twenty feet beyond the car
We rode through the clouds and saw the
storm sweep down the Andes below us. AS
the mist disappeared we caught a glimpse
of the country through which we had been
passing and shuddered at the precipices
over which we had gone. Mount Meiggs
was almost straight above us and we stop
ned the engine moment in front OF the
black mouth of the Galera tunnel on the
very roof Of the South American continent.
Behind US all the waters were flowing into
the Pacific ocean. On the opposite SIDE OF
the tunnel all of the waters find their way
through the Amazon into the Atlantic. Inc
dividing of the waters is, In TACT, Wlthn
the tunnel itself, and you could really stand
at a certain point in the Galera tunnel ana
spit in both oceans without taking step
| to one side or the other. I did not do this,
for the interior was as dark as pitch, ana
I was too anxious to see the other side OF
| the Andes We went through the tunnel
| and stopped the Favorita at the otner sue
| among some of the grandest scenery OF the
| trip. The mountains all about US were Cap
| ned with snow Over US lowered Mount
Meiggs, 1855 feet high, its top hair mile
| above where we stood. Our altitude was
more than three miles above the sea- we
were on the highest railroad point in the
world. Think of it! We were far above
the height of the top Of Fugiyama, the
snow-capped mountain of Japan, far nearer
| the heavens than the top of Mount Blanc
| or any point in Europe, a thousand feet
| higher than Pixies Peak or any mountain
| in Colorado above Mt. Whitney, and' IN
| fact. far higher than any mountain In the
| limited States outside Alaska AS l looked
| at the grandeur about me / felt ike the
| expressive. but not irreverent, COWBOY, VINO
awoke one morning in the midst or the
| Alps. His method of showing his appropa-
| ton had always been by hurrah, anu
| when he looked up at snow-capped peaks
| rising one upon another as far as MS eye
| could reach he could contain himself no
| longer. and he threw his hat into the ar
and with a cowboy yell, exclaimed: HUI
| rah for God!'
THE TERRoRS OF sOROCHE.
| This was how 1 felt acted far differ
| emily. NV voice was so weak from the
| rarity of the air that l could not nave
whistled dog. At about ten thousand feet
| above the sea conversation began to lag
in our party. 1t was almost impossible to
| talk to one another on the outside platform
of the Favorita, and 1 found myself again
and again weighing my thoughts to decide
whether they were worth the breath It
would take to utter them. All sorts or
exertions took trIple strength 10 perform
them I found my boots grow suddenly
heavy and Z changed my step to that Of
an old man. ut the eastern erd CT the
Galera tunnel we stopped amid banks Of
snow, and Mr.. Sherman and myself lad a
snow-balling fight away up there in the
clouds. 1t was not an exciting contest,
| however. Every throw sent our hearts
into our threats, and we had to stop and
pant for breath. When we walked at all
after this we had to go very slowly ard in
climbing up the hills we crawled. AS the
day went on the uncomfortable feeling
from the extraordinary height and our quick
jump from the sea to the tops of the noun
tains increased. We descended about 1000
feet and stopped for the night at Casapalca,
where there is big silver and copper smell
ter owned by Bakus, Johnson & Co., an
enterprising firm which 1 shall describe in
another letter treating of the mines of Peru.
We were received here by the vice presi-
dent of the company, Captain H. Guyer, an
| Idaho mining engineer, who made us at
home and put us up for the night. Before
we got to the house the Frenchman and
| Mr.. Pierson were attacked with soroche, or
the mountain sickness, a disease common
to strangers in high attitudes, and later on
| the whole party were more or less affected
| My attack did not come until midnight. I
awoke feeling as though the top of my head
was rising into the air. had D terrible
pain in the temples. cramps in my legs and
at the same time a strong inclination to
vomit. lay my back all night to give
my lungs as full play as pos
sible and hardly slept a wink. 1
managed to get up at daybreak and al
though there was a coat on my
tongue as thick as the fur of an Alaska
seal, 1 drank some coffee and by keeping
| out of doors was sufficiently recovered to
| take my hand-car ride down the mountains.
Mr.. Sherman Jared even better than l. but
| Secretary Neal said that between the smell
| of sulphur from the smelling furnaces and
| the scroche he thought he was in he'll and
| dreamed all night that an hundred devils
were dancing on his chest while Mr.. Pier
| son looked as though he had lost all his
| friends and said he longed for home. Cap
| tain Guyer told us that almost every one
who comes up the mountains is similarly
| affected, and that some fare much worse
| A week or so ago Mr.. Stuart, the former
| United States minister to Paraguay came
| up to Casapalca with his'wife. The madame
tainted before she could get from the train
to the house and was terribly sick all night
| The minister got along very we'll till near
| dinner time. when he was attacked with
| vomiting, diarrhea and a fainting SPELL
and he was also sick for the night The
soroche is common throughout the Andes,
| and l fear shall have more of it before
my trip is over 1t usually begins at the
| altitude of 1900 feet. With some 1t does
not last more than day or So and then
passes off. With others it is very serious.
The first symptoms are pains in the head
and nausea. Then comes vertigo, dimness
of sight and hearing; fainting fits follow
and blood flows from the eyes, nose and
/ ill.,, ~rx.l~o l..