New-York tribune., 1906-07-22

Another link is in sight FOR the 5.ooo-miie Pan
American railroad which VIII some az enaoIe q
citizen % Alaska 70 make coauauOus train jour
ney through zones temperate. tropic and AGAIN
temperate. and At the Straits OF Magellan to oip
his hands in Antarctic chilled waters scenic ran
way crossing the Panama canai with grade
rising from below level 70 700 feet above on
The majestic pI1teaus OF the Andes.
Il IS dream Of erthusiasm2 Then must hard
headed bankers Of New York have suddenly become
overenthusiastlc IN supplying S5,0&Vo oi caplIal
and the President OF Bolivia quite lost his Wis
when the other day he started with so mucn ponp
the building OF the new railway lines IN his cocn-
try. speyer < Go. and the National City Bank
never accused of overenthusiasm before are the
capitalists They agree 10 supply another aooo1eD'
Il necessary. and the Bolivian government promises
70 make repayFnent within twenty-five years from
date More than 100000 IS 70 be provided FOR
railways by the people VINO name themselves at1ef
E IIbertador. Simon Bolivar, making the totaA
about S37,500Og0
II is true that this money will be largely used
On the lines of general system Of internal rail-
way development, yet Bolivia viii be hiseeted oy a
trunk road from Peru, on the north. TO Argentina,
or the south, following the surveyed route OF the
Pan-Arnerican scheme. The main lire Of this trunk
Will be 459 miles long. adding 25i miles TO the eE-
listing but Inadequate and probably TO be super
eeded route Of the narrow gauge Antofagasta Rail
road. All internal lines projected total distance
Of nearly one thousand miles. about five times the
length Of those existing. They include Niacha 10
Porto Pando 20l miles; Viacha to Oruro, 1S8 miles;
Oruro to Potosi, le5 miles Oruro to Cochabanba.
129 miles and Uyuni 10 Tupiza. l26 miles. From
two to ten wears Is estimated the Jime necessary
to complete the various sections.
OF the fifteen republics that are cooperating 10
startIe with the locomotive whistle the condor sail
ing over Andean abysses and TO compete win
llama donkey and Indian freight carriers,
Folivia and Peru are now showing the greatest
activity. The dizzy engineering feats Of climbing
the higher mountains Of the world. enlarging the
gold bearer Incas trail along precipces, tunnelling
through funpa ssabe rock walls and shutting back
and forth on steel spans across tortuoos ehasns
mover passed by man. have already been accom-
plished with large success in Peru The pioneer
genius Of Henry Meiggs has IT'S monuments
II fnsrires poet % think Of the snowclad peaks
rising four miles in air It makes railway trafnc
manager rub his hands when he considers the
present llama donkey Indian style Of transportation
at a minimum cost of 20 cents a ton mile. More
over, a railway at the same speed ana at eaua
cost in both directions What viii happen 10 inc
old established water routes of South America that
take twice as long and double cost TO go upstream!
il takes two weeks float a cargo Of rubber, gold
or coffee 1870 miles down the Madeira River, but
month for boats 10 up And in the dry season.
when the river low. traffic is at a standstiIl'
COST OF GREAT LINE.
The Pan-American line, as starting from the
present Mexican railroad terminus at Ayutla. the
northern boundary of Guatemala. and extending to
ahe river Quiaca the boundary between Bolivia
and Argentina whence existing lines run south and
eas) il is estimated viii cost S2O0000o00 Mileage
and cost are surpassed by single systems in this
country Il is pointed out. Some engineers, think
ing of the CULTS and heights 70 conquer, have
deemed the average estimate Of $4,000 mile opt-
mistic Yet the actual cost of a road from Lake
Titicaca the inland of South America. corre-
spending 10 Haikal in Siberia. TO Bolvia's capital
city of La Paz has proved to be only $4,000 mile.
This line begins TO run along the great central
plateau OF Bolivia, prairie 1900 feet above the
sea- and misty with clouds vet surmounted by the
lordly peaks. more than four miles high, Of the
Illampu Cordilleras. on this majestic plain the
present main line is being built. Here the engi-
neering difficulties practically nil. and there IS
no fear of encountering rich chimera as the NOV
ing mountain that lately baffled the builders of an
Argentine railroad. That mountain is great cone
Of mud that changes its shape when the river
Medic frets in the rainy season A steel span $50
feet long is believed to have conquered the un-
stable foe.
The broad. consistent and practical plan of the
Pan-American survey is illustrated by its coin
cidence with the Bolivian project of primarily IN
ternal development. Any could map out a
continental route on paper, but 10 make such a
route meet the economic, geogra phic and politi-
cal needs of fifteen republics was a larger under
taking. The line zigzags, avoids too great OBJ
stacles, connects capital cities and taps the rich
coffee, rubber and mineral districts along the way
All plans call for standard gauge Ooo many toy
railroads of 212 feet gauge exist South America
"'ANt Pei SS4iA AidAAiiiuil 6Iauthl anu ooS AeeL
the least radius of curvature. The Bolivian roads
viii have no gradient exceeding per cent and a
maximum curve OF l6 degrees
Bolivia. with population of 1720OOO including
Sl.0oO uncivillZed Indians" might never have en-
barked on the scheme OF railway development if
Brazil on agreeing 10 pay SlG,O00OOO indemnity IN
settlement Of the Acre territory dispute had not
stipulated that the must be spent on railroads
Andrew Carnegie. an enthusiastic Pan-American
was no doubt delighted by this imitation Of his
methods OF benehcence. With development OF the
mines OF Bolivia. that. territory OF the Peruvian
empire gave fabulous golden tribute to the Incas