The sun., 1903-11-26
A ROUTE INTO THE HEART or
SOUTH AMERICA.

In the treaty between Brazil and Bolivia,
by which the latter republic relinquishes all
claims to the territory OF Acre, Brazil agrees
to build railroad around the falls OF the
Madeira River and admits the perpetual
right Of Bolivia TO utilize this great route
to tho Atlantic.
The Madeira Is the largest tributary OF
the Amazon 1t discharges into the great
est OF rivers no less than an average OF
400 900 cubic feet of water a second. which
Is larger than the food discharge through
the channel of the Mississippi into the Gtli
| of Mexico In times Of extreme high water,
100000 cubic feet second have pissed
the mouth Of the Red River In Louisiana;
but 30 much has always escaped by the
collapse Of levees below the Red River that
the lower end OF the Mississippi channel
has never carried more than 200, 600 cubic
feet a second.
This comparison gives All idea OF the
enormous out flow from the mouth of the
| Madeira Below the obstacles In the upper
| river the Madeira flows through the al
| luyial plain, about 700 miles to the Amazon,
with a peaceful though somewhat rapid
current and a depth nowhere less than six
| teen feet at low water: while in places the
| depth exc eeis 500 feet. At its mouth the
| river is 200 feet wide. Its course is strewn
with islands with wide channels between,
affordine ample passa &c room for the largest
steamboats,.
This river has always been the main high
way between the plains Of the Amazon
and the plateaus Of Bolivia Unfortu-
nately, soon after the large Benz and Ma
more rivers of Bolivia unite on the Bra
| tk~a h,Ia
| river passes across a zone of granitic rocks,
| 240 miles in width, forming rapids and cas-
| cades The highest fall has drop of forty
| feet, and the Others vary from thirty feet
| to few inches. In this stretch of 240 miles
| the native boatmen have to haul their boats
and freight around the forty-six falls, 30
laborious process that from two to three
months ore required to make the ascent
from the lower to the upper reaches.
| There has been much discussion for
twenty years over the improvement OF this
part of the Madeira. Though there are
| a few falls Of considerable height, the total
| incline of the river bed throughout these
24O miles scarcely exceeds 200 feet. En-
gineers have discussed the practicability
| of making lateral canals around the chief
obstacles and improving navigation in
other places. but Brazil did not care to
assume the great cost which this scheme
| would involve. The idea Of building a
! railroad around the falls seemed more
hopeful, and preliminary steps were taken
to carry out the plan, but the enterprise
was not pushed beyond the initial stages.
Brazil has now agreed to build the rail-
road and thus completely circumvent the
obstacles In the Madeira When the road
is in operation the cost Of transport between
| the land and water routes will, Of course,
add something to the price Of transporta-
| ton; but Brazil will secure splendid route
across the southern part Of her territory
and Bolivia will have what she sorely needs,
an outlet to the Atlantic Her exports are
now carried, at great expense, only to the
Pacific, where they are still many thou
| sands Of miles from markets Few Of her
products that are less valuable than silver:
tin and copper can bear the high tax OF
such expensive transportation. In fact
while her mines are the greatest resources
Of Bolivia. the cost Of marketing the metals
has for years retarded the further develop
ment OF the mining industries.