The Lamar register., 1906-02-21
OPENING OF IMPORTANT LINE.
Trans-Andean Railway to Connect
South American Cities.

AS rule the Americans who keep
pace with the worlds development
are not in active business and If they
make any suggestion they are ignored
or snubbed. We have had more or
less business relations with Mexico,
Just across line, for century and
have not yet learned how to pack the
things we sell to its people so that
they are willing to receive them.
We know little of the progress of
development in the interior of Africa
and less of the interior of South
America, SO that probably half of us
were surprised to read of the opening
of the first section OF the Trans
Andean railway. which is to connect
Valparaiso, the chief port of Chilli on
the Pacific, with Buenos Ayres. the
chief Fort of Argentina on the Allan
tic. Roughly speaking. the completed
line will be something over 1000
miles long and its effect on trace
movements is likely to be marked.
For most of the traffic round the
world from the East Indies, as we
once called the tropic east. to Africa,
South America and the vast British
colonies of the remote southwest this
line cuts off all the perilous naviga-
ton around Cape Horn and will save
distance and time enough in many
cases to justify transshipment.
Lines of steamers have long piled
between Europe and Buenos Ayres,
and the opening of this railway line
is certain TO be followed by steamer
lines leading from Valparaiso to Aus
VII, 4 xx.i,h
others eastward from Buenos Ayres
to the South African ports.
When the isthmian canal is COM
pleted that and the railway will open
a new and greatly shortened route
from the Mississippi valley into Ar
gentina, potentially one of the richest
regions in the world. AT present
there is no way from New Orleans,
for example, into Argentina except by
sailing eastward 1000 miles. or nearly
to the longitude of Ireland, in order
to get around the eastern shoulder of
Brazil. and then sailing back hundreds
of miles westward to Buenos Ayres
and there enter the continent from
the east. From the opening of the
canal the route from New Orleans
would be almost directly south through
the canal and down the western coast
to Valparaiso. there entering the con-
tinent from the west and saving half
the distance. We do not appreciate
that practically all South America lies
east of the longitude of the Mfssissip-
pi
Commercially the opening of this
line will have effect on the trade of
the entire southern half of the globe.
New Orleans and the great river of
our valley will be nearer TO Argentina
than London now is.
Another interesting effect will be
the clearing of the atmosphere of mys-
terry from the Andes, one of its last
strongholds on the globe. Railways
have disenchanted India, begun the
same process in China, made the red
Indians ghost dance little more than
n tradition and scared the romance
and the slave trade out of the heart
of Africa. When the locomotive shall
go roaring under the pierced bases of
the Andes and fling back triumphant
scream as it energies the mystery of
the Andes wilL begin 10 pale into COM
monplace., De Quincy would no longer
find among its crags the solemn thrill
that crowned his Spanish Num-
Chicago Chronicle.