Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-29
ACROSS THE ANDES BY RAIL
Trip Over the Steel Highway Connecting the
Atlantic and the Pacific.
WITHIN FORTY MILES OF COMPLETION
Dimcuit Engineering Problems Over
cOmc-Uow the ROnd climbs the
Andcs-Thc Country and
People.

Copyright, 1899, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
MENDOZA, Argentine Republic, Dec. 10.
Especial Correspondence of The Bee.)-
Across South America by railroad; climbing
over the Andes on iron tracks; pulled
through the vast pampas OF the Argentine
by a locomotive; Joining the Atlantic and
Pacific by an iron band-this is the problem,
the completion OF which is now agitating the
Argentine and Chill. 1t is a problem almost
solved. The clouds Of war as to the bound
airy question have cleared away. Both
countries are now financially in a better
condition and they will soon have money
for public Improvements. Chill is espe-
cially anxious that the road should be COM
pleted and l was told at Santiago that al
most any responsible American syndicate
can get the job with a surety Of D per cent
and a 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 Mem
doza to Buenos Ayres is excellent, although
the distance 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, Chill, on
the Pacific, to very nearly the Argentine
boundary. 1t is well built.
At present trains are running over the
whole road three times every week, travel
ers 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 l 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 SO, 900, 900. I
understand that this was the sum for which
w. r. Grace G. Co. OF New York City Of
fered to finish it. For a long time it was
thought that the Gillian government would
award them the contract, but for some rea-
con or other the deal fell through. While
l was In Santiago l had conversations with
prominent officials close to the president,
who told me that the government was open
to an offer and that it would probably guar
antee a certsin rate on the capital required.
] was also told that an American syndicate
would probably get the preference.
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 a line of ships between Valparaiso and
Australia will be established. so that Aus
tralian passengers will com from Europe
to Buenos Ayres and thence go across to
Valparaiso. 1t now takes thirty-seven days
to go from the chief ports of Chill to Eu-
rope via the Strait of Magellan. 1t re-
quires about sixteen days to steam from
Valparaiso to Buenos Ayres and from Bu-
enos Ayres to Liverpool is about twenty
days more. Via the railroad one can 60
across the continent, in less than two days.
As it is now l 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 1t 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
1t have such heavy nor such long lasting
SHOWS.
The Andcs vs.. the Rockies.
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
..-.l. T.. ,h,t tl,n l;rhagt ynipt .f This rpoI
when completed will be about 200 feet lower
than Marshall pass on the Denver & Rio
Grande and less than 500 feet higher than
Leadville, The Uspallata pass, where the
road crosses the mountain, is 5000 feet
high, but the tunnel which passes through
this will be only 0,642 feet above the sea.
1t will be almost a mile lower than the
tunnel through Mount Meigs, on the rail-
road which goes across the Andes back Of
Lima, Peru, and more than three-quarter
Of a mile lower than the railroad from the
sea up to Lake Titicaca, on the Bolivian
plateau.
The building Of the road is merely a mat
ter of money. 1t has no engineering diff
fculties which cannot be easily surmounted,
although the Andes are very steep Just al
this point, making necessary different kinds
OF tracks to get over them. The summit
will be reached by a racked rail In the
center 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 1t seems to me in this
mountain line is that 1t is a narrow gauge
while both tho Gillian and the Argentine
railroads which connect with il are broad
gauge. The cog line is only three feet three
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