The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-15

gonia to the Andes. 1t Will eventually cross
the Andes and come out on the Pacific at
| the port of Valdevia, making the shortest
road across the continent.
The Southern Railway might be called the
| Pennsylvania Railroad of South America.
1t has now two thousand miles of track
and is putting down new roads at the rate
Of three miles per day. Eight years ago
the track of this company was only SSS
miles 1t now has a big reserve fund and
it paid last year a dividend of 51s per cent.
Since it was organized it has never paid less
than 5 per cent
Other great roads are the Central Ar
gentine, the Rosario and the Western Pa
cific All Of these companies get much of
their rolling stock from England and most
Of them are now making their own cars.
As to the Argenhnes themselves. they have
not been successful in running railroads,
nor do they succeed generally in the man
agement of business.
POOR MEN WHO HAVE RISEN.
have met a number of prominent rail-
way men in South America who came here
poor, but who have made fortunes. Mr..
| Barrow the general manager of the South
ern, came to Buenos Ayres ten years ago
to work for the Southern Railroad at $50 q
| month Within eight years he was at the
head of the system, and he is now the most
| influential railroad man in the Argentine,
with an annual salary. it is said, of some
| thing like $25, 600. II. H. Loveday the gem
eral manager of the Central Argentine, be-
gan as the traffic manager of a little PAM
pa railroad twenty-five miles long. He has
now charge of one Of the greatest railroads
of the country. Duncan Monroe, general
manager of the Central Cordoba Railroad,
whose salary is said to be half as large as
that of the President of the United States,
came to the Argentine as a railway clerk,
and there are a number of instances of
rises equally remarkable.
Among the railroad constructors there are
Americans, Swedes, Germans, Danes and
Englishmen, and I am told that the con-
structing companies are always on the
! lookout for good men, although they do not
care for persons who cannot speak Spanish.
No American should come to the Argen-
tine without a knowledge of Spanish. This
is the language in general use, and without
| it a man cannot direct his employees nor do
| business of any kind. The Argentine is no
place for men without capital, unless they
have extraordinary business brains and a
knowledge of the Spanish People with cap
ital can buy their interpreters, but they
will labor under disadvantages.
There should be many opportunities for
investments. So far the electric railway
system of the country is undeveloped. The
street-car system of Buenos Ayres would
be a fat concession if electricity could be
applied. It's only electric railways at present
are suburban lines Rosario, which is a
town of 10000 people, is now using moth
ing but horse cars, and Cordoba and Bahia
| Blanca could use electric railways with
| profit.
MONEY IN LANDS.
There is a chance to make money in
| Argentine lands, if a man will be content
to buy at present prices and hold on. Real
estate is steadily going UP, and has been
for years. Shortly after the Indian troubles
in Patagonia public lands were sold for
$500 a square league. A square league is G, 666
acres. Such lands were scattered through
out the different provinces, and many of the
men who invested in them grew wealthy.
Two American photographers of Buenos
| Ayres, Messrs. Chute and Brooks bought
five leagues for 81, 900. An American dentist
took sixteen leagues at the same price, and
another American got five leagues.
Some of this land is now worth about
$4,000 a league, which is very respecta-
bic rise from $500. OF course, such chances
are not common.
There is, however, a steady increase in
values and there are, l am told lands on
the Rio Negro near the Atlantic coast
which are worth $50, GOO league, and plenty
OF good sheep land in the province of Buenos
Ayres which will bring from $4,000 to $780,
OOO. Right near Buenos Ayres city there are
lands which are worth half a million a
league while far off on the frontier property
is sold for $1,000 league and less.
ST H.,
some one. There is comparatively little
good public land left, and the greater part
of the real property is in the form of large
estates which by the Spanish law of in
heritance must necessarily be subdivided
every time tho head Of the family owning
them dies.
When we have our own steamship line to
| the Argentine the chances for Americans
will be materially bettered. This will be
especially so as to our import and export
trade. a nation cannot work well CONNER
cially without tools any better than an in
dividual can. Our greatest trouble is that
we have not the best tools of commerce.
Steamers are among commercial tools. and
the European nations have all the steamers.
There is to-day not a single maritime port
of Importance on the coast of Europe that
{ has not its regular steamers for Buenos
Ayres, and the Argentine merchants can
order by cable and know that they will
surely get their goods within twenty-five or
thirty days.
The lines from and to New York are all
English, and they are so slow that 1t takes
thirty days to make the actual voyage. and
they are so far apart that replies from ca
BILE orders are uncertain. There is a steam
er from Europe to Buenos Ayres almost
every day in the month, and one can leave
Buenos Ayres for Europe nearly every day.
The steamships which go to Europe are
much finer than those which go to the
| United States, so much better, indeed. that
passengers to New York often go there by
way of Liverpool or Southampton rather
than direct. The fare is not very much
more and the time not much longer, al
though the distance via Liverpool is greater
by more than 3,OO0 miles
BIG PROFITS OF STEAMSHIPS.
The steamship lines WIKI ply between
Buenos Ayres and Europe, as we'll as those
which go from New York TO Buenos Ayres.
are making money. 1 am told that the lines
| between Buenos Ayres and New York an
nually divide profits TO the amount of Is
per cent. of their capital stock. They
charge from $16O to s175 for passage, and
their freight rates are considerably higher
| than the rate to Europe.
The European steamers are managed by
| companies with large capital. The Royal
Mail steam packet line which plies between
Buenos Ayres and Southampton has a can