The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-21
Leavenworth Man Home from
Ecuador Trip.
Spent Year in South America
as Civil Engineer.
NATIVES DO THE WORK
Americans Hold All Good Po-
sitions With Pay.
Eighty-three Bridges Made in
Forty Miles.

Leavenworth. Aug. 21-Just back
from a years sojOurn in the Republic
of Ecuador, E. H. Allen, an engineer
and bridge designer, was in Leaven-
worth yesterday. He said:
II was in Atlanta. Georgia, a little
earlier than this last year when in the
course of my professional work as an
architect and bridge builder the men
who had the contract for the construc-
ton of a railroad in Ecuador came to
me and asked for my services in their
work. The price they offered me to
go being good, accepted and without
delay started for Ecuador, 10 begin
work on the railroad. 1 went from
Atlanta to the coast at st. Augustine
Fla, by rail and from there took a
fast South American bound packet for
my new fields of labor. Others be-
sides myself who intended to work on
the railroad were aboard ship and we
never for a moment found any dull time
on the trip south All those from here
were Americans and to all it was an
altogether new business, this getting
into the worst and most sparsely in
habited part of South America, but no
one was in the least bit worried over
the prospects because we knew the
company that had employed us was
perfectly responsible and again because
we were, one and all. anxious to see
South America and to learn something
Of its and its people.
Like the rest OF the American public
we had read great deal of the wonders
of South America and soldier of fortune
like we were going to get there and
see everything that was worth seeing
even IL we butted into a full grown
Latin revolution.
THE trip down the gulf and across to
Ecuador, to Guayaquil the principal
NrrfF
made in a short time. But once land
ed in our new home things began to
assume a lively hue and never for a
moment during the whole year 1 was
there did l find time hanging on my
hands or find myself wishing 1 was
back in this country where 1 would be
sure of finding something that would
help to pass away the time.
First of all. party of u.s. as soon
as we had landed, was loaded aboard
pack mules and started over the trail
for the point on the proposed route Of
the railroad where we were to begin
work. OF this party was in charge,
that is, / pretended to be, but there
wasn't much bossing of it for when we
got out where we could see no one
but natives there was no need for a
boss. We stuck closely together and
the suggestions and advice of anyone,
no matter who. just so it seemed good,
was gladly accepted.
The line Of the road had already
been extended out for some distance
on the road from Guayaquil Git was
run from that place to Queto, the cap
itaD and the work to which myself and
party had been assigned was the cree
ton of the bridges from the point to
which the work had been carried to
the termination at Queto.
The country taken as a whole is very
rough and broken and the portion
through which the road was being built
was the most rugged and broken of
AnV for n hf1fIHino he
bridges the culverts we had plenty to
do. We lost no time but as soon as we
had reached the place where we were to
begin went to work. Would you be-
lieve it? there was one place where the
right Of way, the smoothest stretch we
could find was so broken that in cover
ing 40 miles we had to put in SO bridges,
all of pretty good size and one or two of
which were quarter of mile long.
That will give you an idea of the
brokenness and general roughness of the
country and here is another fact that
will prove that though few railroad men
may believe it, All the way uD till we
reached the top of the divide it averag-
ed an up grade Of 5lh per cent Figure
such grade as that out for mile and
you will see that it is uncommon except
IN the mountainous parts of this coun-
try and even there such grade never
continues for miles as it did down there
AT first our work was under the sup
ervision of the J. p. Mcdonald Contract
company of New York who had taken
the contract al the start for building
the road. From Guayaquil to Queto the
distance was 25e miles and the under
taking to build this had not looked too
great for the Mcdonald company but it
soon proved so and it was turned over
to other firms under the dictatorship of
the government of Ecuador. These
American contractors were subsidized
by the government. This was done in
order to get them to take hold of the
work for the companies did not fall over
each other in order to get the contract
you may be sure.
There were few white men on the
work. those who were busy as surveyors
or superintendents or foremen being the
only ones. The hard manual labor was
done by either natives or Jamaica ne
groes who had been imported for the
purpose. These men were found to be
hard, industrious workers and the work
done by them was always satisfactory
although to tell you the truth it never
came up to the standard of that done by
American labor. And another thing
they never did as much, but taking the
situation and circumstances into consid-
Grafton their work proved very good.
The road We We're a work on is the
only one in that country and before its
construction the principal means of
communication was the pack train
Queto. the capital. was connected to
Guayaquil, the principal port, in the an
uquated way. The road. as YOU can
easily see, was of inestimable value to
the country, connecting as it did these
two places.
we sometimes had great times in
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