Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-06
DEVELOPMENT OF ECUADOR
Progress on the Guayaquil and Quito
Railway.

Mr.. Perry Allen, attorney for the Guaya-
quill and Quito Railway Company, Ecuador,
Is at the Cochran. II have just returned
from Ecuador said Mr.. Allen to a repre-
sentative of The Star, latter an inspection
of the work of construction, which Is pro-
crossing satisfactorily. Ecuador is won
derful country, and I am more pleased with
the climate every time 1 go there The
railroad will be 800 miles in length, and
when L left 120 miles were completed. We
will eventually reach the high plateau Of
the Andes, a feat heretofore thought impos-
sible This will take us - 600 feet above
the sea. Ninety miles of the road is now
being operated, to Alausi, 1900 feet above
the sea. We are just completing the last
great bridge, q viaduct 643 feet long and
40 feet high. Much Of this work has been
done since I was here in the summer. The
road beyond the 12O miles is graded to
Guamote. and at this town begins the great
interandean wagon road to Quito, built
many years ago by President Garcia More
no. This road is famous for its construc-
ton, and In many places 1t is as level and
der Its franchise the railroad company Is
given the use Of this road, and will use it
as 1t is, with little grading. An English
construction company Is building the road.
corporation, being incorporated under the
laws Of New Jersey for 81, 500 900, Ameri-
can gold. The stock is owned about equally
In this country and England.
I'VE will depend mainly upon the interior
business of Ecuador for our profits, and will
do much business. For instance, we bring
together the tropical region Of the coast
and the temperate region of the high
plateau. where the thermometer sometimes
registers 60. This will create q considerable
exchange Of commodities. A friend of mine
found that the custom house receipts
showed an importation of 100000 pounds
OF American lard annually, and that it sold
for 20 cents a pound He discovered that
he could produce lard in the interior and
place 1t In the same market by the use Of
the railroad at cents per pound. Before
the railroad was built this was impossible,
because the hogs could not be driven the
long distance, and the cost Of mule trans
portation was bar to shipping the lard.
l left Ambato one morning at sunrise for
Quito eighty miles distant, by special
coach. and reached Quito at in the even
Ing. On the way l counted $40 loaded
mules. All this business the railroad will
get. That trip, by the way, was interesting,
but expensive. There were nine chang 80
of mules, and they galloped all the way.
My bill was $75, gold
president Plaza Of Ecuador is very popu-
lar. He is man about thirty-five years
OF age, and was elected without opposition.
The country is on a gold basis, and two
banks have authority to issue currency.
which Is accepted at par. The natives re-
fuse gold, preferring paper or silver. The
gold piece is called a CONDOR after the
famous bird Of the Andes which adorns the
piece. 1t is Of exact value and weight of
the English pound The exchange in silver
Is fixed arbitrarily by the government, and
silver Is taken at about 90 cents on the dol
lar. The law makes a condor worth $40 in
silver. and this esta blishes the rate Of ex-
change.
The country is improving rapidly, and
many Americans are becoming interested
in it. Guayaquil is reached in ten or twelve
days from New York by steamer, but most
Americans stop at Colon. The 100000
Indians of the country are peaceable and
will not interfere In any way with the de-
velopment Of the country. Beyond the
Andes. Of course. there Is still an unex-
plored Wilderness