The Saint Paul globe., 1898-05-08
COAL JnINES OF THE ANDES
A Big Concession Which American Capita
lists Are Now Developing in Peru

coal mines, which lie up in the Andes
at a distance Of from rs to 125 miles
back from the coast, and has the ex-
elusive right to build and operate rail-
roads running to these mines. Its
concession was granted In 1892 to
Cuthbert B. Jones, and lasts for tWen-
ty years. The country covered by 1t, and
in which it can have no competitors,
runs for about one hundred miles
the state of Maryland. The company
is, 1 am told, prosecuting its work
with its own means, and 1t Is said that
there is plenty of money behind 1t.
Coal Mines of the Andes.
These American coal mines of the
Andes, with good railroad, would be
more valuable than gold mines. There
is practically no good coal on the west
Pacific coast of South America or
the 5000, 900 tons used every year the
bulk comes from Australia, England,
Japan and British Columbia. Chlle
has some mines, but none that are
very good. The coal sold on the coast
brings all the way from 81 to $20 ton,
and the demand will extend as far
north as San Francisco, which now
buys much of it's fuel from Australia.
Indeed, it is said that the largest meet
on the Pacific ocean Is the coal heet.
Mr.. Gardner tells me that when TINS
road is completed he will be able TO
mine and land coal at the coast at a
cost of 81 a ton, and that he sees no
reason why he should not supply 2,oOo,-
600 tons a year. He hopes to extend
the road later on to the Maranon river
a navigable branch of the Amazon.
which compares to 1t as u the missouri
does to the Mississippi. This, he says,
will require less than 300 miles OF ad-
Gitional road building, and will bring
the steamers of the Amazon to W1thln
about 400 miles of the Pacific coast. By
this extension the great Amazon coun-
try, with it's thousands Of miles or nav
isable waters, will be reached, and the
Andean coal will be furnished to the
eastern coast of South America.
Anthracite Beds of Peru.
The coal fields of the Andes include
both anthracite and Ignite coal. The
company now owns about forty anthra-
cite properties. The anthracite is prac-
tically unlimited, and it has been test
ed and found to be as good as that OF
the famous Lehigh valley. There is
some soft coal on the west slope of the
mountains, but the anthracite lies on
the east slope, about 1900 or 1000 feet
below the divide, and it will have to
De HIleu. lhdl HeiSHl vi tHe idiii o1u
before it can take it's long shoot down
the Andes to the Pacific The Andes
are, you known, nowhere very low, and
the railroad to the top will be eXpen-
sive, but the civil engineers tell me en-
tirely practicable.
The road will have to climb up the
Andes to an altitude of $4,000 feet, and
it will at that point not be more than
seventy-five miles in a straight line
from the coast. 1t will probably cost
more than any similar mileage in the
United States, but Mr.. Gardner says
it will pay almost from the start.
Leaving the Pacific it will go up a river
valley which is sunken in among the
sands of the Peruvian desert. This val
ley has number of sugar estates and
other plantations, and there are other
valleys which could be tapped later on.
The road winds about like snake on