The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-11
RAILROAD NEWS.
Plan for Connecting the Ameri-
cas- by Rail.
Will Bind Together New York
and BuenOs Ayres.
A GIGANTIC SYSTEM.
Would Reach Principal Cities
Of All the Countries.
Road to Be Completed in a Few
Years.

With the purpose of bringing the
principal nations of the Americas into
closer commercial and social relations,
a number OF men met in New York
few months ago and projected a scheme
for constructing a railroad from North
to South America, connecting the cities
of New York. metropolis of North
America, to Buenos Ayres. the leading
city of the southern continent.
1t is a dream that may become re-
ality within the next few years, and by
1910, if not sooner, it may be possible
10 board train at any railway station
in the United States or Canada and
travel by rail all the distance to any
capital in Central or South America
A conference was held in New York
last winter and besides adopting reso-
buttons favOring the plan preparations
were made for continuing the scheme
of constructing the line. An interna-
tional committee was appointed to con-
tinue the plan for pushing the project
to successful completion. 1t also invited
the United States government to coop
crate with this committee with the
diplomatic representatives of other
American countries to take steps look
ing to the sending of other persons
competent to the task, to Central ana
South America for the purpose OF pre-
pairing report on what commercial in
dueements there were for the plan-
Henry G. Davis, former senator from
West Virginia was made chairman he
as a member of the first international
American conference, members of the in
tercontinental railway commission of
1S90-9S, chairman of the delegation OF
the United States in the second confer
ence and chairman of the Pan-Amerl-
can railway committee in that confer
ence, had been more closely connected
with the intercontinental railway pro
ject than any other man. He named as
the other members of the committee
Andrew Carnegie, who was also a mem
80 hnf
Manuel de Azperoz, the Mexican am
bassador to the United States; Senior
Don Manuel Alvarez Calderon, the Per-
uvfan minister to the United States,
and Senior Don Antonio LaZo Arriaga,
the Guatemalan minister to the United
States.
Not OILY the committeeman but out
siderS who are interested in the Guilt
walton of better relations between all
the countries are enthusiastic over the
project and are doing all possible to
push the scheme. 1t is thought that by
the first of the year the plans or the
company will be well blocked out
The practicability of the enterprise
has been fully established by the sur
veys made under the direction of the
intercontinenta1 railway commission. 1t
was shown that there were no insur-
mountable engineering obstacles in the
way and that the road could be built
at cost that would bring it within the
limits of a safe commercial investment.
The complete project for the intercon-
tinental railway contemplates the con-
struction of a line that would connect
the railway systems of the United
States ON the north with the systems of
the Argentine Republic and Chile on the
south. The surveys made by the inter-
continental 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 Argentine Republic A.,
I'll miles of railway that would be avail
able, leaving a little more than half
the total length to be built. Since that
time there has been considerable rail-
way construction in the countries south
of the Rio Grande, and it Is estimated
that less than 5000 miles of railway
construction would complete the line.
The route surveyed by the interconti-
mental railway commission, beginning
at the southern terminus of the Mexi-
can railway system, traverses. Central
America and follows down the line of
the Andes mountains to point in b.
nvia, from whence it crosses over into
the Argentine Republic, Paraguay 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 those sur