New-York tribune., 1907-06-03
CROSSING THE ANDES.
The Picturesque Trip from Chill to
argentina.
IS :he Hey. Francis Z. Clark. IL. u.

There IS as so only one practicable route across
couth America, and that in about south latitude
q wheEe t4e continent narrows 10 n width of some
iro hundred miles. and where it is divided between
tre two ci-ai powers OF Chill and Argentina
IF course there arc other passes if one wishes to
risk The aaueers and h1rdshins of n journey Of
many weeks mulcbacll over the difficult noun
,ain trails and down the interminable miasnnatic
stres-ls. 90 tle Amazon the La Plata to the seq
but 7cakine in general terms. tho only way for the
,r5i-a-s- traveller 10 cross South America is 10
,oIrrsv down the Greary desert of the west coast
~ stsane, Tor three thousand miles from Panama
until ho reaches Valparaiso, ana then by ra and
,osrh OF ca the back Of the patient mule cross
from the Tac.5c over the rocky backbone Of The
contincrr 20 Euenos Ayres, on the Atlantic Coast
Even This route is difficult and hazardous enough
N satisfg any one whose bump % adventure IS no5
abnormally developed.
The FIRST hundred and fifty miles Of the Journey
tr5m Valparaiso presents no difficulties and little
excitemeut 4 comfortable Chilian train. built on
TIE American plan and drawn by a German engine,
rNrries aAay from the dilapiGation and ruin of
esrthar1 Se-sLakcn Valparaiso. over the foothills
of tie Andes. and through the dusty valleys of
Chilli where Gu March, it has not rained for at
least seven months
one e.. make himself comfortable in a Pullman
6rauuz room car il his inclination is for luxury
and ear his dinner in a Well equipped dining car
The hear ard dust and other discomfoTts of travel
are further relieved by clusters Of delicious Mus
catel AMI Black Hamburg grapes COR varieties very
much ike J1an}, ny baskets of fine purple figs and
good looking but poor tasting peaches. pears and
appes .E'ga can he bought for a few cents at al
mos ar station. This is the fall of the year il
must b. ~eoembered, ard all kinds OF fruits are in
their glory.
~ Llat Llai (Which, being interpreted means
Winlv HIuGy} Is the junction for Santiago where
passsu-.s from the beautiful capital OF Chill join
nur train which keeps on. headed for the high
mountains Until il reaches Los Andes, where we
,,rsf Sion for the night.
II The traveller has let him prepare to shed
them now. for his serious troubles begin at this
point in the first place. he Is bundled out OF the
train Ler1 IN the deed Of night and must find
carriage 0f some sort or less diIapidated
Nhca VIII rattle his homes over the stones of Los
Andes er p tremendous pace for about a mile I'M
til b. reaches Il very poor inn with a very big
name-tn. Grand Hotel Central
Here Ee VIII get not over Cean bed in a dirty
three or four other fellow beings. But he is so
dead UIe4 tuat he would he thankful for a rug on
the landlord stacks his head through a hole in
the curtain which divides ms sleeping apartment
from The family bedroom and tells him that il is
tine io ger HIr as the coach goes to the train in
III traveller rubs open his sIeepyteyes. which
be feels have only just closed. dresses hastily,
drinks a cup of eNecrable coffee and a crust
Of HARD bread cut from the loaf the day before
paws 81 I'D tnllan money for this acct m0datiOu
and Is again ratified over lne stones. through the
black darkness that comes before dawn, TO the
TailWa- Sta.i don. Here he finds comfortable little
gauge train Of the rack and pnion noun
tain road awaiting him, and. while il IS Vet pitch
dark the train moves off ND the mountains 10
the Chilian side nf the Andes
Al hour after the train starts the stars fade ont
and the carly dawn breaks over the eastern hills
First they grow gray and cold. the gray turns 10
steeI blue. the blue 10 rosy pink. and. at last.
The and another glorious day has begun in the
high Andes Indeed. all the days are glorious in