The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-29
The Great Transandean Railway
Line which VIII Connect the At
Iantic and Pacific Oceans.
ONLY FORTY MILES TO BUILD
CLIMBING THE ANDES THROUGH
SNOW SHEDS AND LONG TUNNELS.
Features of Argentine Railroad Build
ings-saiIs for Freight Cars in
Land Where 1t Rains Mud.
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MENDOZA, Argentine Republic, Dec. Is.
Across South America by railroad climb
ing over the Andes on iron tracks; pulled
through the vast pampas of the Argentine
by locomotive; joining the Atlantic and
Pacific by an iron band-this is the prob
lem, the completion of which is now agi-
tating the Argentine and Chile. 1t is
problem almost solved. The clouds of war
as to the boundary question have cleared
away Both countries are now financially
in a better condition, and they will soon
have money for public improvements Chile
is especially anxious that the road should
be completed and 1 was told at Santiago
that almost any responsible American syn
dicate can get the job with a surety of per
cent and fair chance for a big interest on
its investment.
AS it is, the railroad is almost completed.
There are less than forty miles yet to build,
when there will be an iron track from ocean
to ocean. The railroad from Mendoza to
Buenos Ayres is excellent although the dis
tance is 654 miles. There is also a fairly
good line from here almost to the tops of
the Argentine Andes. Travelled upon the
track from Valparaiso, Chile, on the Pacific,
to very nearly the Argentine boundary. 1t
is we'll built.
At present trains are running over the
whole road three times. every week, trav-
elers being taken over the unfinished part
in a day on mules or in carriages. Even
old people and little children make the trip
without much inconvenience, and during
the summer there is plenty of travel. With
the stops it requires now only four days to
cross South America by this line, and when
the last link is joined / am told that the trip
from Valparaiso to Buenos Ayres will be
made in twenty-nine hours.
The actual cost of the completion of the
road is estimated at about three million
dollars. I understand that this WAS the sum
for which w. r. Grace & Co, of New York,
offered to finish it. For a long time it was
thought that the Chilean government would
award them the contract, but for some rea-
son or other the deal fell through. While
1 was in Santiago had conversations with
prominent officials close to the President
who told me that the government was open
to an offer and that 1t would probably
guarantee q certain rate ON the capital re-
quired 1 was also told that an American
syndicate would probably get the prefer
enec.
WOULD THE ROAD PAY?
The road will pay very well. When COM
pleted it will be just about as long as from
New York to Chicago, and will reduce the
time between Valparaiso and London by
more than two weeks 1t will get all the
travel which now goes from the west coast
around the Strait Of Magellan to Europe
and line of ships between Valparaiso and
Australia will be established, so that Aus
tralian passengers will come from Europe
to Buenos Ayres and thence go across to
Valparaiso. 1t now takes thirty-seven days
to go from the chief ports of Chile to Eu-
rope via the Strait of Magellan. 1t requires
about sixteen days to steam from VaIpar-
also to Buenos Ayres and from BuenOs
Ayres to Liverpool is about twenty days
more Via the railroad one can go across
the continent in less than two days
AS it is now 1 am told that the road is
profitable during the summer months not
withstanding the enormous cost of trans
portatiOn between the sections. When it
| is completed traffic can be carried on
throughout the year. AS it is now during
the heavy snowfalls in the Andes passen-
gers have to wait for days at one side or
the other. This will be obviated by the
snow sheds which are being cut out of the
solid rock, so that the cars can go through
whether it SHOWS or not. There are forty
miles of wooden snow sheds on one of our
roads in the Rockies. Here stone sheds
will be cheaper. The transandean route
| however will not need so many, nor will
| it have such heavy nor such long lasting
| SHOWS.
The crossing of the Andes here is not a
greater job than the crossing of the Rock
les. The mere fact that it is the Andes has
exaggerated the difficulties but the truth
| is that the highest point of this road when
completed viii be about two hundred feet
| lower than Marshall pass on the Denver
& Rio Grande, and less than five hundred
| feet higher than Leadville. The Uspallata
| pass where the road crosses the noun
tain, is 1900 feet high, but the tunnel
| which passes through this will be only
1852 feet above the sea. 1t will be almost
a mile lower than the tunnel through Mount
Meigs on the railroad which goes across the
Andes back of Lima, Peru, and more than
three-quarters of mile lower than the rail-
road from the sea up to Lake Titicaca on
! the Bolivian plateau.
The building of the road is merely mat
ter of money. 1t has no engineering diff
| culties which cannot be easily surmounted,
| although the Andes are very steep just at
this point, making necessary different kinds
! of tracks to get over them. The summit
will be reached by a racked rail in the cen
| ter of the track, the cars being hauled by
| locomotives on cogged car wheels, which
work in these racks. The track will be
| about the same, 1 understand, as that up
| Mount Washington and those on Pixies
| peak and the Righi. Similar roads are also
used to climb the mountains of Brazil back
| of Santos and Rio Janeiro.
| great objection it seems to me in this
mountain line is that it is a narrow gauge,
while both the Chilean and the Argentine
Railroads which connect with it are broad
gauge. The cog line is only three feet three
inches wide, and transfers viii have to be
made at both ends of it, so that altogether
the plan of construction seems bad There
should be one gauge from ocean to ocean,
| so that goods can be taken from the Pa
/ cific and remain on the ears until they are
| landed on the Atlantic, and vice versa.
ACROSS THE ANDES BY RAIL
This railroad when completed will be one
of the great scenic railroads Of the world.
/ Suppose we cross the continent by It. We
start at Valparaiso, the great seaport of
Chile, on the Pacific 1t has 10000 people.
and its houses are as fine as those of any
European seaport. They are built in ter
races rising one above another in the shape
| Of an amphitheater around a magnificent
bay. There are green trees among them,