The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1901-10-05
(CIeyelsnd Plain Dealers

| NCIeNelSnQ Hldln bed'Si'J
T UTHER ELLSWORTH, United
States consul in Venezuela, who
is visiting friends in the city,
yesterday described in an entertaining
manner a trip that he took over the
Bolivar railway in Venezuela just Re
fore returning to this country.
Recently l was surprised by the gen.
tal manager of the Bolivar Railway
! company, calling and insisting that /
accompany him to his home at ArOa,
on the line of that railway" said Mr..
! Ellsworth, and 1 returned the COM
| pliment by Immediately accepting the
| invitation.
I'VE left Puerto Cabello the follow
ing day on the railway company s
steamer, Barquisimeto, arriving i'll
! Port Tucacas about o'clock p. m. On
the wharf of the railway company we
met Agent Kilgore and were rendered
! the hospitality of his home for the
night. which we accepted. Mrs. Kill
gore received us most cordially and
soon prepared a fine dinner and the
best tea had tasted since my arrival
in Venezuela
The following morning after coffee,
fruit, etc, l accompanied Manager
Thomas inspecting the property of the
railway company ana afterward | Wis
AISu lAlt lON II.
The port of Tucacas is the northern
terminal of the Bolivar Railway COM
pany and that company has there
good passenger station, freight depot,
shops, dwellings for employees,
wharves, drydocks. etc. The town suf-
fered many attacks during the last
revolution and was occupied by both
parties many times. 1t was here dur
Ing the last revolution that General
n n tefa Of NJ
was badly wounded and his forces de-
feated by Colonel Urbina. During
every battle in that town during that
revolution Mrs. Kilgore remained in
her house, and 1t was in an exposed
position and a dangerous one even af-
ter the railway company placed about
it heavy iron ties. 1t was pierced by
numerous Mauser bullets. but fortu-
nately they did not hit it's occupants.
The Bolivar Railway company is a
stock company. and its stock is owned
in England by Englishmen. 1t is about
100 miles long and is managed by Mr..
Arthur D. Thomas, assisted by the
following intelligent gentlemen: Major
Thomas B. Richards, cashier and &C
countant; John B. Prince, traffic man
ager; Samuel Hickins. superintendent
of motive power and shops; Messrs.
Boulton & Co.. Puerto Cabello. agents.
llC IOdQUCu vi lHiS railway Is tic DSSl,
and all of it's two feet six inch gauge
ffty-pound steel track is laid ON iron
ties. Its switches. signals, etc, differ
in pattern from those used in the
United States, but they have given ex-
cellent satisfaction to the management.
Its water tanks of boiler plate iron, set
twenty feet above the rail, are sup
ported by cast iron posts. Its stand
pipes and tank spouts are satisfactory,
by railways in the United States. Its |
bridges are iron truss. resting on solid |
masonrys Its switch shanties. shops, |
offices, houses for employees, etc. are |
frame, and finished with matched pine. |
have good masonry foundations and !
iron roofs. The rolling |
stock passenger coaches. freight cars,
engines. etc, are we'll made and present. |
4 good appearance. Then the company |
100000 acres of virgin soil in one of
he most luxurious valleys of Vene-
suela. 1y-
About s a. IN. the train departed
rom Tucacas station. and soon we
we're rushing through a genuine trop-
al forest, the sight 1of which heggars
description, and mysIiew of it from
he observatory of the private car of
hald6Sl 1hoiIidS was peIleCl' Inc
apid change from scene to scene, the
,randeur of nature. beautiful flowers,
rees. plants, bright iplumage of I'M
birds. wild animals ma
ives and things too numerous to men
ion made this the most enjoyable rail-
way trip / ever experienced.
AT Quebra Vara the train stopped
nd 1 accompanied Manager Thomas
n his inspection of the work he had
lnder way on an immense culvert. AT
l had time to view some
Iatiye architecture that would interest {
he most critical.