The Washington weekly post., 1900-05-22
special eorTsspoadsnes o, The Post,

des- distance Of l3U miles II is the only
railroad IN all South America that reach
es the summit Of the Andes This great
/ height vas attained al an elevation of
1000 feet after one OF the most extTaord-
| mary struggles IN engineering and me
chanical skill on record. No other rail-
road IN the world has ever yet reached
| this immense height. If you can imagine
| Mount Washington piled on the top of
/ Pixies Peak, you will be able TO form
/ some idea OF the great achievement The
combined height of these two peaks is
/ less than 2.0Jo feet higher than the point
reached by the OrayO road. Mount
! MeigSs. which stands like a mighty mon
| arch with a snowy mist thrown lightly
over his head d little to the right of the
point at which the road attains its great
est height, Is 1900 feet high, but | am
assured on the best authority that there
is still another peak a few miles toward
the north that reaches the enormous
height Of 1900 feet
Il Will be seen from these facts that the
Drayo line is three miles higher at one
end than at the other. which gives 1t an
average grade Of 3 per cent. or about $50
feet 10 the mile. The next highest point
reached by any railroad in South America
is at CrucerO Alto, station on the
Southern Railroad Of Peru running from
MO!leHdO, on the south coast, 10 PunO. a
distance OF 20 miles. The height of this
station is 1866 feet.
Five Days Over the Mountains.
] had the pleasure short time since Of
going over the Orange line, In company
with John J. Impett chief engineer and
CaI u
american consul at this port. We con-
sumed h.e days IL making the trip in a
private ear. in which We were comforta-
bly, quartercd. through the kindness of
Air. ImUstt who : thorough railroad
man. He began his railroad career in
England as an office boy. and has gradu-
ally risen, step by step. in the better
school Of actual experience. until a few
years since he reached his present i'm
pcrtant position. This road had run down
very much when he took charge OF it
some eight years ago. but since then it
has been placed on a solid foundation
again by his careful and economical ad-
ministratiOn OF its affairs.
The first wonderful thing that struck
ne in making this trip was the great va
ration In the climate In going so short a
distance. ! once experienced all the diff
f,renJ seasons of the whole year within
;he briet space Of only three months. in
coming from New York TO the Pacific
coast by way of the North Sea. on the
eastern continent, and the Straits Of
Magellan, on the western, but never be-
fore have I had the same weather
experience that / have had here in the
short space of only tWenty-four hours. Al
o'clock on the afternoon of one day |
was struggling along among The snow
and ice Of the summit Of the Andes. and
at the same hour the next day | was
taking a refreshing bath here in the Pa
cifc Ocean This was practically a lily
ing trip from the arctic regions 70 the
tropics, without the dangers Of an ocean
voyage or the lapse Of any time.
Gateway TO the Mountains.
Our first stopping place was Lima, nine
miles from here. We next STONED at
Chosica. This is thirty-three miles from
this city. and when We had reached there
We had already attained an elevation of
2S00 feet. This is just within the great
gateway 10 the mountains. and when the
railroad WAS built some thirty-five years
ago was nothing but small Indian set
tlement. Ii now has a population of soma
three hundred. There is a comfortable
hotel at the station, and the place IS
quite a summer resort during the three
hottest months of January, February. and
March. 1t must not BE- forgotten that the
equator is the great dividing line Of the
seasons; or. in other words, that when il
is winter in New York II is summer In
this latitude. ChOsica is closely hemmed
in on all sides by abrupt. barren, rocky
mountains. some 200 feet high except on
the west, where a beautiful valley opens up.
through which the River Rimac, very
swift and turbulent stream, rusheS by
the place on its way to the ocean. This
: the rainy season in the mountains, and
consequently the waters were unusually
high.
We were joined here by Frank MerTiCks,
an expert mining engineer from London.
who was on his way TO Corro de Pasco,
on the top o. the Andes, the Richest
mineral district in Peru, to examine some
gold mines for an English syndicate.
We did not reach Matucana. the next
most important station. till after mid
night This place Is sixty-three miles
from here. ard has an altitude of 77&
feet. The delay was caused by several
washouts on the way from Chosica. We
were now already nearly 1900 feet higher
than Mount Washington. Matucana Is
only a small place like Chosica. with a
comfortable hotel at the station.
Pushed BY EighI Men.
We left here on our way up the noun
tain at 2:2U in the morning, but We had
gone only few miles when We met with
Syill another and more serious obstruc-
ri0u. A culvert had been completely
washed away This compelled US 70
abandon our car, and the workmen. eE-
gagged in temporarily repairing the dam
age. carried our baggage across the ra-
vine ana with some difficulty We fol-
lowed. Our baggage was then placed on
a platform car. and with Us on top Of the
baggage, We were pushed along up the
track by eight strong men some three
miles 10 TambOraque, a distance Of seV-
enty-fOur miles from this city.
This ride on the platform ear was the
most interesting novelty yet Offered on
the trip. The bright light OF The full moon.
just descending in the western sky. gave
d remarkable diStiuctneSS 10 the queer
shadows and frishtful figures thrown all
around Us by the splintered rocks and
SCraggY peaks. towering high above Us.
II was such a scene as ] shall long re-
member, and il i no wonder that Col
Diekey, VINO. I believe is not al all pro-
fame, suddenly exclaimed, 10 the amuse-
menr of all. at one point Of the ride
What IN the devil is that" SeiZing me
tightly bv my arm, as though terribly
frightened.
TambG.aqUe has an elevation OF nearly
l0Ul0 feet !, j. nothing but 4 railroad
station. with a few buildings or IND an
huts aCouJ il. Il stands on the banks Of
the RiMac. which TuShes down the noun
tain sides IN a perfect torrent The noun
raius run up on two sides or II 10
height Of nearly 700 feet and. strange 10
say are cultivated almost 10 the very
top by the Indians Notwithstanding the
great height of The place. everything was
a~ fresh and green-lOo-lug a. al home n
the month of May Wr had sl-gt few
hours after or arrival. and when / arose
in the morning / was greeted by a per-
Zee. chorus Of spring birds, the first /
had ever heard in Peru. II never rains
along The coast. bot r. rains here, and
OCCASIONALLY the rains extend down the
mountains a. far a. ChOSica. This gave
al nature heIr L bright, 1pTins-!ike al
E-irauce
e Tho construction - factory AZ this
plac- for the manufacture OF carbide Of
90 . ....ssa afr.s.a