The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07

! zueta to the sea is estimated on an air
! line to be seven miles, bag & :counta in
range lies between Caracas and La
| Guayra, SO that the train runs over some
| thirty miles of rails in single trip from
the seaport to the capital, says the New
York Commercial Advertiser. When
| viewed from the sea this mounta n
| range seems to rise straight up from
the waters edge. The houses of the town
straggle along the flrst slope of the
range, with the outlying huts lifted high
| above the beach. clinging to the side Of
! the mountain. AS the captain expressed
| it: IF you gave one of those houses a
kick it would roll plumb down into the
ocean" The crest of the range draws
| high, strong outline against the pale
blue background of the sky.
And the railroad has never had an acct
Gent. You are first acquainted of this
fact by the chief custom house official
who wears a kind Of naval uniform OF
white duck. who has neglected to shave
for several days, and VINO welcomes you
most profusely on your first stepping
| ashore by asking you how you like the
country bowling politely at every other
word and lifting his hat at every possible
opportunity. Then in your journey from
the wharf through the custom house to
the station you are told the same story
by tie cabman, who wants you to drive
| the hundred yards In his ricketty Vehicle
by the official who examines the trunks
| and spills cigarette ashes on the shirts
and by the railway porter who carrie2
the trunk to the station, AMI desires
tip for telling you.
Pine tracks," explains the porter Zig
| engines. Never smash
Like all mountain railways this road
is regarded by the people who live in it's
vicinity as one 81 the greatest feats of
| engineering skill in existence. Scarc-ly
| two feet Of the track are level; hardly
| two feet lie I'm a straight line. Swinging
around the lateral buttresses which
! wrinkle the face of the range, running
| into the deep gullles between the but
! tresses; now shooting outward as If 1t
! would dive into the sea, now rushing into
| q valley with the evident intention OF
plunging INTO the great wall of the noun
tains; first headed straight far Caracas
tten turning in the opposite direction
TO the north, TO the east, or the vast.
but ever climbing steadily upward 20 the
crest. the train pu(fs and rumbIes through
| the still hot sunlight which shines down
upon the mountains and the sea. The
| train in it's course resembles the antics
of an inferior skater trying to execute
the "outer edge"
For the first two mil after leaving The
station the tran rCns partly through L c
! main street of the town. where the lines
of pack donkeys plod through the thick
dust unmiEdful of the rafting engine. ana
partly along the stone seawa l. with Il @
spray from the breaking combers leap ng
up into the wind and scattering aga INST
the windows of the cars. The ira. n
stopped at the first station a. small
village. where stands a church with
grotto attached. Down Over the rocks { T
this grotto there flows small srean of
, water which contains the same power Of
! healing the sick as Is held in the wa-Cr
at Lourdes. At the time when we trava--
ed over the railway the THREE days p =
gr!mage TO this grotto was in progress.
| The station latform was crowded WIN
people dressed in festival attire. Some
Of them spoke through the windows TO
the friends in the train On either S.Ge Of
the broad street. leading up 10 the
church. a number of temporary boot 8
had been erected. where cakes and all
kinds of drinks were sol ! The inceSsaat
talk of the crowd, broken now and ag II
by loud laughter, the shri ks Of the Oh =
dren calling to enc another. the white
dresses of the women with gay r.t-0i $
and flowers n their hats, above al { G
constant slow movement OF TIE CT )wds--
an expression of listlass enjOym nt-sug-
gested more a Sunday scene at Co1ty
Island than a p lg!im Sc of the falt and
the blind.
I The train pulled away from the st ltion
with the crowd OF pi griTs gaz ng from
the platform in lazy curiosity.
Hope they con think " J, te fit SUI
jects for that water tomorrow" remarked
fat perspiring man in the opposite scat
who came from Illinois. 1t gets retty
tickli:h later on But YOU lsrow they've
never had an accident"
Presently the train com nc y d 70 sw ng
S1a .
engine came in heavy coughs, and the
woodwork of the cars crt2ke1 omtn OuSiy.
We lad begun to Climb over TIE ne.
Gradually She houses of La GGayTa re-
ce3cd i ehiad the cloui of white DIS
which chung to the rear CT the tram.
During the t.ree-Quar. ers of an ! our -6e
open windows afforded a broad view Of
tire Caribbean. Far below, tetween he
base of the mountains and the beach, iaY
a narrow plain, Gotted here and there
with chin groves Of palm trees. You
could see the waves breaking on he
shore, hut no soun1 could be heard, ard
in the sunlight abreast Of the ira three
vultures c.rclad IaZily rouni md round
against ths ky. The vs st eXpanse Of va
ter reached oItward to the n St 1irnmed
horizon. Al one pace STOOL a small
chapel SURROUNDED b. the white stones cf
a graveyard There were no houses near.
The chapel was alone in the empty pain
facing the sea.
At a sudden turn We saw above US an
other train wandering over tee face Of
the range. That ether train was just
above US and moving in the same direc-
ton on it's way down to La Gusyra. yet
a quarter of an hour had elapsed be-
fore we came to the halfway house VIII re
the two trains meet.
Immediately all the pass myers gath
cred in the space betH cen the cas-.
where, with much patting on the back
and loud talk and gesticulations they told
each other how glad they were to see
them, and each assured the other Of his
great friendship and undying affection.
After this had continued for some time.
interspersed with several trips to the sta
ton bar for brandy, the two engineers
evidently thought 1t was about time 10
proceed, for the two warning whistles
blew simultaneously. and with final
burst of patting on the back and express
sions Of mutual esteem tho passengers