Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-08
ALfAR0 N CONTROL
Famous Liberal Again the Die
tator in Ecuador.
REVOLT AGAINST GARCIA
Latter's Reactionary Tendencies Were
Objectionable.
RAILWAY TO BE COMPLETED
Dream Of the Progressive Element
Shortly to Be Realized-Daring
and Costly Engineer Work.
BY WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.

canic country. According to the news
paper dispatches Elroy Alfaro, for thirty
years leader of the liberal party, and the
stormy petrol of Ecuador politics, mas re-
gained power and is now at the head of
the administration, with a complete gov
eminent and the support of the army and
the progressive business element. Those
| who are familiar with affairs in Ecuador
believe that AIfaro has made himself prest
dent again in order to realize the object of
his highest ambition and the dream of his
life. which is the completion OF a railway
between Quito, the capital, and Glayaquii
| the principal seaport
The progressive people of Ecuador have
been trying to get a railroad for forty
years The conservative element, led by
the. clergy, have resisted all modern inro-
Vatlons for fear of losing their influence
over the masses. Several concessions have
been granted and loans have been made
LOT construction purposes, and sixty miles
| or rails were once laid through the jungles
| from Guayaquti. But 1t was not until All
| faro became president in 1896 that serious
work began, and contract was made with
! Archer Hartman, Virginian, who belongs
| 70 the southern colony in New York MIR
| Harman organized a syndicate of capital
| lists, in which the late Abram s. Hewitt
was prominent, made a survey incorpo-
/ rated construction company and com
| menced work in June, 1880, with his brother
MAJ. John A. Hartman, in charge as engi-
| neer-in-chief The latter resigned from the
regular army in 1899 to accept the posi-
! ton.
| Work Of Great Difficulties.
The work has been pushed along with
considerable energy, under great difficult
.les' chler or which was the lack of labor.
| Negroes were brought from Jamatca ana
other of the West Indies Islands to do con-
| struction work. The engineering problems
We're also perpIexing. The most available
pass over the Cordilleras at Palmiro. rear
| tne town OF Guamote, is something more
oHa n H,Uo feet above the sea. This is one
| OF the highest attitudes reached by any
| railroad, and Is exceeded only by the
| Oroya railroad in Peru, which crosses the
| oordilieras through the Gallera tunnel at
| an elevation of 15,665 feet, and the South
ern railroad of Peru. which crosses at cru
eero Alto (the high CROSSE at a height Of
! ,666 feet -
| On the new Ecuador line there is a grade
OF per cent for many miles. and the as
| cent or 1900 feet is made in less than 2JU
| miles.
the track follows the banks of the Cham
Chan river to it's junction with the Alau-
! 81 river, where 1T comes out of the noun
! "a esins under the shadow of a gigantic cliff
OF pecuilar formation known as 1.-THE Devils
Nose. The track goes up by switchbacks
ana then makes a complete loop, entering
tween c amy o at an an elevation Of be-
walls until 1T crosses the Palmiro pass over
into the great plateau of South America
between the two ranges of the Andes. The
descent of 1900 feet is made by SWITCH
backs in what would be less than three
| miles In a direct line Naturally the con-
! struction was very expensive and that part
| or the road cost not less than S2500OO a
| mile.
The track passes around the base of
Chln borazo, one Of the highest mountains
| IN america, and one of the most beautiful
ana II runs through a group of twenty vol
| canoes, three of them active. five dormant
| and twelve extinct. Nowhere on the
earths surface Is there such a group of
giants visible from a single point Eight
cen of the twenty volcanoes are covered
with perpetual snow; the SUBMITS of eleven
nave never been reached by living creatures
except the condor whose flight surpasses
| that of any other bird. Cotopaxi, the loft
lest of active volcanoes. has been slumber-
Ing for many years. The only evidence of
action is occasional rumbling and a
cloud of smoke that arises from a crater
more than 1900 feet above the reach of
man. Many have attempted to scale it. but
the walls are so steep and the snow is so |
deeI that the ascent is impossible Coto-
paxi lies to the east Of the right of way
which has been surveyed between Tatunea
the present terminus of the road, and Quito |
Its ultimate destination.
Trains Now Running.
By the middle of February trains will
be running far as Ambata, about 240 |
miles from Guayaquil, and the remaining
distance, which is about seventy-five miles,
VIII be completed during the present year.
The line has been surveyed, considerable
grading has been done. and the rails are
said to be awaiting orders in warehouses
a week each way They go up to Ambato |
one day and back to Guayaquil the next
leaving Duran, on the opposite Of the Quay
as river from Guayquil, at o'clock In the
morning and reaching Ambato about or Z
o'clock in the evening. Tho first three
hours are spent in the Jungles and cacao
plantations on the coast; then the train be-
gins to climb the mountains very slowly,
because the grade is so steep. The loco
motives are made in the United States.
The cars for first-class passengers were
also imported from this COUNTRY and are
built on the American pfdn.' The second
class cars are built In Ecuador with Inn
ported materials and. like those in Spain
and Italy, have plain wooden benches run
ming along the walls. From Anlbato to
Quito the journey is now made in a single
day, although the distance is seventy-fve
miles. The stages leave at O'Clock in the
morning and reach their destination some
time In the evening. according to the con-
dition Of the roads. An American company
is now arranging to put on automobiles
which promise to shorten the Journey to six
hours.
Gen. A. J. Sampson of Arizona. recently
United States minister to Ecuador. says
that the road Is already a paying PROPOSE
ton The people take to II. 1t Is not only
a. great convenience for commerce, but
novelty, and everybody wants to ride The
waiting all these centuries for a railroad
and now that they have one they are get
ting all the good they can out OF it. The
government has decided to build branch
from Ambato to the Curarey river. a branch
of the Amazon, which empties into the lat
ter near Iauitos. Peru. the head OF ocean
navigation and the center of the rubber dis
triet. This will give great impetus to the
development of that extraordinary country
that lies upon the eastern slope Of the
Andes.
Alfaro's Ambition.
AS have already said, the completion of
this railroad has been the ambition of Elrpy
Alfaros life, lie has called 1t the .obra
redentora' 1.-THE redeeming work of the
country, and believes that 1t win develop
the great material resources OF Ecuador, so
as 10 bring that country up to an equality
with the other South American republics |
He was the first liberal president Ecuador
ever had, and for thirty years was engaged .
In revolutionary conspiracies to overthrow
the clerical government. ,
ffa WI NJ x1fwo 90 Tnat - i