The San Francisco call., 1908-09-13
AMERICAN PLUCK
WINS IN BRAZIL
indians, Fever and ALI Obstacles
Overcome in Superhuman
Work of Building Roads
Yankee Engineers Take Up the
Task When Men of Other
Countries Fail

viii it be left to American railroad
engineers to accomplish the almost
superhuman task of building railway
into the heart of South America? At
present there is a small party in the
heart of Brazil lighting fever, wild
beasts and hostile Indians in the prime
yal forests of that unknown land, lay-
ing steel rails to bring untouched
riches to civilization.
The task has been undertaken by
English engineers. who after short
their crews and were left alone in
pathless forests to ind their way back
20 the settlements.
FIRST ATTEMPT MADE IN 1879
When the flag of Portugal foated
over Brazil the wealth of this un-
known country was realized by eX-
plorers and we have records of one
Thaddeus Haenke, who in 1873 offered
his services to the king of Portugal to
open up this region.
In 1914 Jose Augustin 2Palacio made
a trip into the territory watered by
the Mamore river and brought back
almost fabulous tales of its riches.
In 1853 Lieutenant L. Gib5on OF the
United States navy explored the Ma
deira river and also told marvellous
tales of wealth
CANALS ARE SUGGESTED
In 1861 General Quentin Quevedo of
the Brazilian army went down the
rapids of the Madeira river and sug-
gested a system Of canals in the south
ern country TO get the products of the
land to the Atlantic.
In 1871 the government Of Bolivia
placed q loan OF SS,500,0oO in London.
A railroad company was organized and ,
railroad material TO the value of $1,000
900 was shipped to Brazil, then down
the Amazon river to where the Madeira
leaves the main stream. I
In 1873 the attempt to build the
road was abandoned. There followed
much litigation and parliament took a
hand in the business, with the result
that in 1873 work wss started again
on the road. and FIVE years later every
man except the engineers deserted and
with great difficulty they found their
way back to civilization.
Several attempts were made to re-
new the task. For years 1t seemed
hopeless. Engineers could not be
found fOr. the undertaking. though the
money was ready for use.
The English financiers OF the scheme
finally turned their eyes toward Amer
lea. They believed that in this coun-
try could be found a body of engineers
who were able to take up any work in
any place. They were not mistaken.
AMERICANS TAKE UP WORK
On April l9, 1897, party of engin-
eers was organized and shortly after
80 engineers from Philadelphia left
New York for the Amazon river. They
Were men who had built railroads in
all parts OF the world and one of them,
c. Breetz, is we'll known in this state.
A letter from him was received yes
terday by a well known engineer in
this city who was also TO have Joined
the party. but was prevented at the
last moment from going. Breetz writes
as follows:
\ sailed from New York on March,
25, arriving at Fort san Antonio May
J. which is in the heart Of Brazil and
about 500 miles from the mouth of the
Amazon.
The Madeira Mamore is a proposed
railway which is TO begin at San An
more river, about $50 miles This river
leaves the Madeira at the falls and
runs southeast into the heart of the
continent of South America
Il am with the location party, 35
miles south. The preliminary party is
55 miles south, near the river Jacy
Parana, where we expect to have
trouble with the hostile Indian tribes
or Barbaros.
is entirely uneXplored and progress in
surveying is slow on account of the
density of the virgin forests.
TELLS OF HARDsHIPs
The climate is about the worst l /
ever encountered. Nothing but fever.
One-tllird Of the engineer force is sick
all the time and it requires four la
borers to do the work of one"
The land is described as being ex-
tremely rich in temperate and tropical
products; wild cattle roam in the up
lands. cinchona and rubber trees -four
ish and the road is intended to haul
the products of the region to the Anna
zon above the falls of the Madeira and
thence TO the Atlantic ocean.
The engineers are under contract to
the Brazilian government, but the cap
ital for the undertaking is being fur
nished by English fnanciers, who ex-
pect to reap a rich harvest from the
toll of this band of brave engineers
building a railroad into the heart of
South America.
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