The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-15

Copyrighted. 1855. by Frank G. Carpenter.
INA, Peru. April Is. iSss.-Down
the Andes on hand car.
EN Coasting over the steepest rail-
NJ road OF the world
Dashing through clouds to
find clouds below you.
Hanging 10 precipiees, flying on bridges
over frightful chaSms. whirfing about
curves now in the midnight darkness of
winding tunnels and now where the light
of day makes you shuader at the depths
below you.
This viii give you a faint idea OF the
last part of a trip from which nave just
returned. During IL / have assembled TO
the very top Of the mountains and have
come back again to this point which is
Just six miles from the sea. My trip was
over the famous Oroya railroad tie mos,
wonderful piece of railroad engineering
ever constructed or planned. The road is
all told only iss miles long. but 1t climbs
up the steepest mountains of the globe.
In less than 1an miles Ii ascenas more than
three miles. and at its highest point II is
lo,sss feet above where il starts at the
port Of Cailao. on the Pacific ocean. At
the top it Is still a.do0 feet below Tie sum
NIT of Mount Meiggs. II cuts right
through this peak by a tunnel which car
ries II 10 the other sida of the Andes. It
then descends to the valley of the Jauja
through the rich silver mining region of
Vault. and finally ends at Oroya. an In
dian market town l2,i1S feet above the
sea. 1t is one OF the most expensive
roads ever built. It was dear in both
money and men. Seven thousand lives
were, it is said, lost during its CONSTITUTE
ton, and the first eighty-s.x miles of it
cost s23.0oo.ooo. over $4,000 per mile.
Between the coast and the summit there
is not an inch of down grade. and the
speed Of our hand car in my journey over
1t was only regulated by the pressure on
the brake in the hands of the Indian who
acted as conductor. On many parts Of
the road the grade is over per cent, and
at such grades the track winds about and
up the Andes. passing through cuts in the
solid rock and through sixty-three tun-
nels. some of which are of the shape of a
letter S. 1t is of the standard gauge, its
track is well laid, and is In excellent con-
dition.
built by an American.
This road was built by an American.
though 1T was suggested by a Peruvian.
The man who constructed it was Henry
Meiggs. Meiggs laid out the road, acted
as its engineering chief. raised the money
TO build 1t. and, in fact, is entitlsd TO all
the credit of Its construction. The road
was originally intended TO reach She Cerro
de Pasco silver mines. but the 81 0,00d
gave out when about eighty-six miles were
built. and the extension is still some
forty-odd miles away from these famous
mountains of copper and silver. The por-
ton of the road above where Meiggs left
off was constructed by the Peruvian cor
poratfon under what is known As the
Grace contract. The ultimate intention is
to extend 1t farther on into the Perene,
a rich coffee-raisng district. and 20 the
head of steam navigation OF the Amazon
at Chanchacayo. The preliminary sur
veys for this have already been made.
The total distance from the sea to the
navigable Amazon is, / am told. not more
than 30 miles. but there Is at present no
sign of the road being soon completed. 1t
is doubtful whether the railroad now pays
much more than its operating expenses.
and II will be long before Ii viii give dlvi-
dends in proportion to its enormous cost.
Only TWO passenger trains are fdn over
ii week, and the chief freight down the
mountain is ore.
Climbing the Andes With an Engine.
The usual trip over this road is taken
on the regular passenger train, which car
ries the traveller up the mountains one
day and bring him back the next.
Through the kindness of the influential
American firm of Grace & Co. 1 was
taken up on little engine. and had my
ride down on the hand ear. l thus had
a wonderful opportunity for studying
both the railroad construction and the
mighty mountains up which 1t climbs.
ita." II was composed of the engine
proper and cab walled with glass and
fitted up with comfortable seats. This o.
servation compartment was A part of the
engine itself. taking the place that the
ordinary engine uses for coal. Our little
engine burned coal oil and II was u Peru
Wan petroleum that pulled us up the
Andes. The party consisted of tina Ameri-
can minister. Mr. Dudley; the secretary
OF our legation. Ar. Neal: Mr.. Sherman.
the manager Of the house of Grace at
Lima: a Frenchman named Piper. nd Mr..
Pierson. an electric street railroad man
from Ohio, who Is out here 10 see whether
the Lima tramways are worth buying.
The engineer and his helper were Peru
yians We left at 7 in the morning and
spent the whole day on the road, stopping
TO take photographs at the most inter-
esting points. and going on as fast or as
slow as we wished Lima. you know, is
situated in the valley OF the Rimae river.
II is right at the foot OF the Andes, and
our trip was up the mountains along the
course of this river to Its very source on
tht, summit. AT Lima the Rimac Is what
in America would be called a good-s!zed
creek. Ii Il nowhere nayigable, and is. in
fact a stream OF foaming white water
from the top % the Andes 10 the sea.
The descent Is so steep that quiet pools
are nowhere 10 be found, and the river
is succession OF waterfalls, foamlng
churns and rushing rapids. During the
ride We could often see the river above
and below us AZ the same time. and we
went up. up. climbing the sides OF the
mountains cheerea on our way by the
rushing OF the waters.
Among the sugar Cane and Cotton.
We passed through the sugar cane and
cotton plantations which I'LL the valley
above Lima. The fields look like gardens
gotten up for show. They are surrounded
by mud walls. and the crops are as green
SIS those of the United States III June.
Now we pass sugar hacienda IN whieh
on ore side or the track two steam en-
gines are pulling cable plow through the
field while on the other side men are
blowing with oxen and wooden plows,
urging the beasts onward with Eoads III
teen feet long. In the cotton fields gangs
OF Indian workmen are working under ov~
erseerS on horseback. TIE cotton plants
are in blossom. and the fields look like
vas. gardens Of pink and yellow roses
The men weed the plants and they are as
c,esn as any rose gardens az home. There
h. a COTTON mill. and farther On We pass
a SsYgar factory which griFds o3i thou