The San Francisco call., 1904-03-15
AN INTER-AMERIcAN ROAD.

" He very fu account OF the report or Commissioner
Pepper on the nter-Amercan railway. which The
Call has published, will be taken satisfactory
report progress in that project Such railway
the Rio Grande with the Rio de la Plata, and
give all rail from all parts OF the United States
and Canada Buenos Ayres must OF necessity be built
down the side OF the Andean range On the east
the obstacles presented by the mountains the
OF the difficulties be by engineering
The swaps OF the Orinoco the Rio Negro, and be-
yond them the tropical forests and marshes of the ANA
and its tributaries Instructions that can be
quered only by ehaustng the wealth OF the world and
tropical poison of the climate would defeat the
purpose such enterprise which is the union of the
of the hemisphere by rail- and the supplying of
rapid mail facilities and OF communication and
commerce, useful the peoples of both continents.
We have very convenient rail communication with
Mexico and American capital has been largely invested
construct It. It's projection southwark has reached
72 miles OF the Guatemala line. Thence souther
ly, dsjointed projects contemplated under
strucon that will carry lines the Central Amer
Salvador has long had line in contemplation
from the valley Of the San Miguel Fonseca Bay and
construction has been done upon it 1t may be met
by line from Guatemala easy OF construction down the
valley of the Lempa, and ntersected by lines from the
seapors Acautla, La Libertad and FL Triunfo
To that country such line would be the equivalent of
our railways down the Atlantic coast by which New
York Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah,
Mobile and New Orleans connected 1t would ira
the rich aluval of Salvador, believed to be
The richest part of Central America in its agricultural
possibilities
Passing Honduras there is line already in oper-
aton built by American capital. Nicaragua and Costa
Rca backward in construction but their topography
offers impossible obstruction to road Once
Panama by hugging the rather closely the
tans of Colombia may be avoided and when the line
Ecuador there nothing in climate other ply
sical conditions hinder easy construction connect
existing links through Peru and Chile the Andean
mel through which the road pass the side of
the mountains into Argentine territory.
Already roads from either side aimed that
crossing, respectively from Buenos Ayres and Valpa-
raso Passengers regularly make the transit now, by
portage the summit altitude of 10000
feet But the trip with saddle and pack animals very
trying and offers facility to commerce When the
tunnel is bored it will be- all rail goods trains
carry trade between the of South America.
Heretofore the difficulties have been political rather
than Typographical financial After crossing the Rio
Grande this American field has eleven
different nations No other line in the world has to deal
with many jurisdictions and separate sovereignes.
Many OF them nations frequently at with each
other by internal dissensions and domestic
lutons By the last was reported that Central
America is chatting under such long period of peace.
Salvador has had revolution since Regalado smote
Gutierrez of the Presidency in I8o8 and Honduras
has been quiet nearly year. Colombia is biting her
thumbs over the loss of Panama and is probably to be
the prey OF Venezuela
All of them would be made peaceabe and prosperous by
the of this railway which would make their
products readily exchangeable, give them quick mails
and bring them into the world and of their secu-
sion. 1t would touch the business ambition of their
people, promote production, the standard of life
touch their politics with the public welfare
1t would be the greatest north and south highway in the
world ecipsing Cecil Rhodes Cape to Cairo dream of
dinaI linet 10
6s degrees of latitude The American project from
the northern line of Mexico would 70 degrees
His line would be inland the whole distance The inter
American railway would let the Pacific with access to
the seaports of Mexico Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras
Panama. Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. AS
links aggregating only $500 miles built to
complete the American line, cost of $Isooooooo It
will be completed long before the Cape to Cairo plan is
accomplished