The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-07
NEW YORK TO
BUENOS HYRES BY Rail
Prominent Men Wn Begin Active Work This Plan
During This FAIL

prise was to secure data which would
be available for persons wishing to
invest money in the project in the or
ganization of construction company.
This report would give complete in
formation as to the resources of the
country to be traversed by the line.
the location and condition of existing
railways, the amount of traffic carried
by existing railways, and its charac-
ter, the amount of local and through
traffic that could reasonably be ex-
pected by an intercontinental line, and
the character of the concessions and
the amount of assistance that would be
given by the governments of the sew
eral countries that would be traversed
by the line.
The complete project for the Inter
continental Railway contemplates the
construction of a line that would con-
meet the railway system of the United
States on the north, with the systems
of the Argentine Republic and Chile,
on the south. The surveys made by the
Intercontinental Railway Commission
showed that the total distance from
New York to Buenos Ayres by the
route which it was proposed to follow,
would be 1929 miles. At that time
there had been built, principally in
the United States, Mexico and the Ar
gentine Republic, All miles of rail-
way that would be available, leaving a
little more than half the total length
to be built. Since that time there has
been considerable railway construction
in the countries south of the Rio
Grande, and it is estimated that less
than 5000 of railway construction
would complete the line.
The route surveyed by the Intercon-
tinental Railway Commission, begin
ming at the southern terminus of the
Mexican Railway system, traverses
Central America and follows down the
line of the Andes mountains to a point
in Bolivia from whence it crosses over
into the Argentine Republic, Para
quay and Uruguay, with a branch line
into Brazil, while another branch line
runs to Chile. Another branch line
would eventually be run from a point
in Colombia to Caracas, in Venezuela
Since these surveys have been made
there has been considerable railway
construction in the Argentine Repub-
lie. Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile, that
would be available, and the Argentine
system now lacks only a few miles Of
being connected with the existing Bo-
livian railways, thus filling up one of
the most difficult gaps in the entire
line.
Those interested in the project are
especially anxious to have the line
DullC down as tar as the site OF the
Panama canal with the least possible
delay. 1t is realized that if the road
could be in operation during the build
ing of the canal it would be in opera
ton during the building Of the canal
1t would have a great deal of traffic
for the United States government, and,
on the completion of the canal, 1t would
do large business in traffic between
ports on the west coast of Central and
South America and the United States
the traffic being by rail between Pan
anna and the United States, and by
steamer the remainder of the
distance. To complete the line to the
canal site would require the building
of something more than 1000 miles of
railway. The Mexican system is now in
operation as far as the isthmus Of
Tohuantopec and is being extended u
the boundary of Guatemala. There are
few little pieces of road through the
Central American countries that could
be utilized and there is no doubt that
the line could be running to the canal
site in ample time to be of great use
in connection with that great work