The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-29


Argentine by Il locomotive; joining the
Atlantic and Pacific 10y an iron band
this is the problem, the completion Of
which is now agitating the Argentine
Snd Chile 1t is problem almost solv
ed. The clouds of war as to the
boundary question have cleared away.
Beth countries are now financially In
better condition, and they Will soon
have money for public improvements.
Chile is especially anxious that the
road should be completed, and l was
told at Santiago that almost any re-
SponSible American syndicate can get
the job with a surety IF per cent, and
q fair chance for a b interest on its in
Vestment.
FORTY MILES TO BUILD.
AS it is, the railroad is almost COM
pIeted. There are less than forty miles
yet to build, when there will be an iron
track from ocean to ocean. The rail-
read from Mendoza TO Buenos Ayres is
excellent, although the distance is 654
miles. There is also fairly good line
from here almost to the tops of the
Argentine Andes. l 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,
ished part in day on mules or in car
riages Even old people and little chill
dren make the trip without much in
convenience. and during the summer
there is plenty of travel. With the
stops II requires now only four days to
cross South America by this line, and
when the last link IS joined I am told
that the trip from Valparaiso to Bue-
nos Ayres will be made in twenty nine
hours.
COST THREE MILLION DOLLARS.
The actual cost of the completion of
the road is estimated at about So ,000-
GOO. l 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 Chill
can government would award them the
contract, but for some reason or other
the deal fell through. While 1 was in
Santiago | had conversations with
prominent officials close to the presi-
dent who told me that the government
was open TO an offer and that it would
probably guarantee a certain rate on
the capital required I was also told
that an American syndicate would
probably get the preference
The road will pay very WELL When
completed it will be just about as long
as from New York to Chicago. and
IN d.
raise 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
Australian 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 Europe via the Stra
of Magellan. 1t requires about six teen
days to steam from Valparaiso to Bue-
nos Ayres, and from Buenos to Liver
pool is about twenty days more Via
the railroad one can go across the con-
tinent in less than two days.
MILES OF STONE SHEDS.
AS it is now 1 am told that the road
is profitable during the summer
months Notwithstanding the enormous
cost of transportation between the
sections. When it is completed, traffic
can be carried on throughout the year
AS it is now, during the heavy snow
falls in the Andes, passengers 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
trans-Andean route, however, will not
need so many, nor will it have such
heavy nor such long lasting SHOWS.
ANDES VS.. THE ROCKIES.
The crossing of the Andes here is
not greater job than the crossing of
the Rockies. The mere fact that it is
the Andes has exaggerated the diff
ficulties, but the truth is that the h gh-
est point of this road when comp ct d
will be about 200 feet lower than Mar
shall pass on the Denver & Rio Grande,
and less than 500 feet higher than
Leadvile. The Uspallata pass, where
the road crosses the mountain, is 49,,
600 feet high, but the tunnel which
passes through this will be only 1862
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 railroad from
the sea up to Lake Titicaca on the
Bolivian plateau.
The building of the road is merely
matter of money. 1t has no engi-
ueering difficulties which cannot be
easily surmounted, although the Andes
are very steep just at this point, max
ing necessary different kinds of track;
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, l understand,
as that up Mount Washington and
those on Pixies Peak and the Right.
Similar roads are also used to climb
the mountains of Brazil back of Santos
and Rio Janeiro
A great objection, it seems to me, in
this mountain line is that it is mar
row 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 will 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 Pacific and remain on the cars I'M
til they are landed on the Atlantic,
and vice versa.
ACROSS 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 100000 people, and its houses are
as fine as those of any European sea-
port They are built in terraces rising
one above another in the shape OF an
amphitheater around a magnificent
bay. There are green trees among them.
and the flowers bloom all the year
round. We step out of the beats onto