The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-15
RIDE DOWN THE ANDES ON A HANDCAR|

\ IN GlRulWgQk|.I
often In my threat. but Will saw ,a.. e.
experience MAS such that, kuowirr -
now do, would take the Journey -
TO Fs~i the same exhilarating sens ?.
pleasure and danger combined.
On the loR ef the Andes.
The sensation OF standing On the IA,
TIE Andes was worth having a.
climbed up and above CasapaleA -
air Grew colder and rarer. We res. -
% a heavy rain into dense snow s,e.~
soeh We were IN banks OF s.low ~
tas mist and tae clouds surrounded n !.
We eon.a nos see twenty feet heyesd =.
car We rode through the clouds and -
tae storm sweep down the AIDES ~
rs, As the mis-; disappeared We canra.
shmpse OF the country through which -
had been passing and shGddeses A. -
prscipices over which We had gone. Naa-s
Meisss was almost straight above us ~
We stopped the engine a moment In srg-.
OF TIE BLACK mouth OF the Ga.era ,annss
on the very ro0f OF the South Amars,.s
continent. Behind lls all the waters -.
howsng into the Pacific ocean. On the u.
posiie side Of the tunnel all of the wa.s,-
hnu their way through the Ana.nr s,.. 4,
Inc Atlantic. The dividing OF the MAJ
Is. IN Tact, within the tunnel itself 49,
YOU could really stand at a certain ss,s,s
IN the Gaiera tunnel and spit In hs-s
oceans without taking a step 10 aae "a.
or the other. | did not do this. for =.
interior was as dark as pitch, ana ~.
too anxious 10 see the other Side OF -
AndeS. We went through the ts,nnel All
stopped TIE tavoriia at the other sass
among some of the grandest scenery OF n.
trip. The mountains AL about us xes
capped with snow. Over LIS towers
Mount Meiggs. i..a,5 fe; high, its ton hs's
mile ABOVE where We stood. Our ai,,sss
was morde than three miles above the ssz.
We were on the highest railroad polns )
the world. Think of II, We wers q.
above the height OF the top OF Fugivans
the snow-capped mountain OF Japan q,
nearer the heavens than the top OF Moas,
stanc or any point In Europe, a fhoussss
feet higher than Pixies Peak or any mau..
tain in Colorado, above Mount Wh,tDer
and. In fact. far higher than any n,o,,u,.
ain in the United States outside of Alaska
As L looked AT the grandeur about m.
felt ike The expressive but not irreyerens
cowboy. who awoke one nornlng in ~.
midst of the Alps. His methbi of shoxlss
his appreciation had always been by I'M.
rah. and when he looked up al snor.
capped peaks rising one upon another -
far as his eye could reach he could con.
tain himself no longer, and he threw Nj
hat into the air. and with a cowboy ysE
exclaimed: "Hurrah for God,''
The Terrors of soroche.
This was how / felt. I acted far dire..
emily. My voice was SO weak from M
rarity OF the air that I could not hays
whistled dog. At about ten fhousa,A
feet above the sea conversation began d
lag IN our party. Ii vas almost impos.s
HE To talk kNr n,, ,ha 2
platform OF the Favorita, and found nj.
self again and again weighing N
thoughts TO decide whether they ven
worth the breath il would take 10 u,,sr
Them All sorts of exertIons took tgiph
strength TO perform them. I found nv
boots grow suddenly heavy. and ehansH
my step TO that of an old man. At 10
eastern end of the Galera tunnel "
stopped amid banks OF snow and VI
Sherman and myself had a snow-bsilia
hight away up there in the clouds. II WI
not an exciting contest. however. Ever
throw sent our hearts into our thyoaA
ami We had TO stop and pant for brean
When We walked at all after this We ha
TO go very slowly and I'm Climbing I'D ~
hills we crawied. As the day went on IN
uncomfortable feeling from the extrsf
binary height and our quick jump From
the sea TO the tops OF the mountains n
creased. We descended about i,eH MT !
and stopped for the night at Casapaha
where there IL a big silver ard copper
smelter owned by Backus. Johnson o.
an enierrrislng firm which shall deserve
In another letter treating of the mines 4
Peru. We were received here by ~
vice president OF the company Capt
Guyer an Idaho mining engineer. w
made us at home and put us up for II
night. Before We got To the house n
Frenchman and Mr.. Pierson were attaeia
with soroehe. or the mountain sickneMs Il
disease common To strangers In high IL
tudes. and later on the whole OF the pss1l1
were more or less affected. Ny attack a
not come until midnight. I awoke feelH
as though the top OF my head was risn
into the mir. l had terrible pain In III
temples. cramps In my legs and at ~
same time strong inclination 10 Won't
] lay on my back all night to give ~
lungs as ftsl. play as possible and hard
slept a wink. | managed 10 get up
daybreak. and although there was cd
on my tongue as thick as the fur Of g
Alaska seal, | drank some coffee and
keeping out OF doors was sufficiently r
covered to take my hand-car ride dosf
the mountains. Mr.. Sherman Jared esa
better than T. but Secretary Neal said IA /
between the smell of the sulphur from ~
smelling furnaces and the soroehe
thought he was In hell. and dreamed y
night that an hundred devils we're dantsa
on his chest, while Mr.. piersou looked q
though he had lost all his friends and -
he longed for home. Capt. Guyer t1a
that almost every one VINO comes up "
mountains Is similarly affected. ana 'sA
some fare much worse. week or - sp
Mr. Stuart, the former United States ~
lister 10 Paraguay, came up 10 casapass
with his wife. The madame tainted F'As
she could get from the train 10 the ocaT
and was terribly sick all night. The m~
lister got along very we'll TIL near dihp1
time, when he was attacked win yoM.r
ing. diarrboea and "A fainting speli ana =
was also sick for the night. the sof.a,
is common throughout the Andes, sao
fear shall have more OF 1t before my ..
In over. 1T usually begins al the aihsss
OF Il. 60 feet. With some IL does no. =
more than day or so and then passes -
With others IL is very serious. Ins -
symptoms are pains in the head ana - ~, 7
sea. Then comes vertigo. diEness Oh 80
and hearing: fainting fits follow ana -
flows from the eyes. nose ara lips - -.
who have weak lungs are liable To 80
rhaves and those whose hearts sft 80
sometimes drop dead. II Is sspeed'r -. -
on suji-bLooded and stout peorse ana .a
addicted to liquor and high living - 8
Thin peopIs % temperate hatns sou
over Il. and as | am OF that class, s-t