The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-02
Remarkable Engineering Fests on
Roads in Russia and Peru.


0ondon GlobeD
AS the iron track is bound to force
its way into most corners of the world,
it is not surprising that some lines of
railway exist which are striking evil
dence of a singularly bold conception
carried out in the face of obstacles
which seemed almost insurmountabl BILE.
Sometimes the route of the future line
lies across a desert; then the great law
Of the compensation Of nature" seems
to make itself felt, for to balance the
saving of time and money due to the
fact that long tunnels viii not have to
be cut through hills or mountains the
engineers are confronted by the total
absence of three essential elements of
construction, namely, wood, iron and
water which have TO be transported
along the newly laid line as it stretches
its slow length across the desert Rus
sia's trans-Caspian railway, now
known as the Central Asian railway,
was built under these conditions; thou
sands of logs Of timber were needed
and the region traversed cannot boast
OF a single tree for more than 700 miles.
This timber was required for building
the long bridge, two miles in length,
over the river ANU Darya This bridge
highly important railway. and it has
been replaced recently by a stone
bridge. Between Merv and Charjui the
line had to be carried over shifting
sands sixty-foUr feet deep. When the
work is being carried out in such re-
gions the train becomes a little town
on wheels They are composed of two
tOried wagons, which contain sleeping
accommodations butchers stalls, can
teens, grOcers' stores and FORCES. AS
the traDsSiherian railway grew in
length il was resolved by the authori-
ties that the workmen should have
their own Church car" a wagon was
fitted up accordingly as a church. with
q little peal Of bells in the alcove above
the entrance.
The romance of mountain railways by
no means ends with their construction,
nigh altitude IS not a thing to be desired.
me Peruvian line running from CallaO to
OrOYa has a twofold claim to distinction !:
II Is built at probably the greatest altitude
OF any existing railway, namely. 1896 feet
ebOve the sea level. and it affords travel
ers certainly the, most unpleasant, "ex-
per1ence de voyage that can be i'm
agIned. As the result of travelling at
such an altitude, the passengers begin
by feeling great oppression. acCOmpanied
by pains in the head and limbs: these are
quickly followed by bleeding from the
nose and mouth. and then by momentary
blindness It is gratifying to know that
there is a certain variety in the effects
produced upon passengers at this point.
Thus. while some persons are seized with
glddtness, others entertain strange hallu-
cinatiOns. and others faint away: the last
class become so weak that any undue
exertiOn on their part often proves fatal.
But is is not all that one has to undergo
on the Callao and Oroya line. In due
course the skin becomes irritable and
sores break out. while the lips swell and
then crack.
On one of the traus-Andes railways the
passengers have to enter the train in a
most peculiar and probably unique man
ner. The line referred to is that in the
mort of Mellendo. in Peru. The line starts
from the quay side and the traveller can
PASS from the boat into the train. Tn
fortunately the boat cannot be brought
completely alongside the quay Disdain-
ing the usual gangwsy. Peruvian in
genulty hit upon very novel idea. Two
large upTights, with a strong crOss-bar,
were erected on the quay, and from the
cross-bar hangs an ordinary trapeZe. The
passenger wishing to land has to seize the
bar of this rapeZe, a few sailors sur
round him. and. when he gives the word.
they unite in hurting him into space over
the ships side. One such "send-Off'' is
quite enough. for with one swing the
traveller come sto land in the outstretched
arms of the railway pOrters. It is only
right to add that both the sailors and
the porterS evince an amount of energy.
delight and deXterity quite equal to the
nervousness Of their victims.