The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16
NEW RAILWAYS IN THE CLOUDS
TWO ROADS BUILT BY AMERL-
CANS IN THE ANDES.

Trains Now Running on the Bolivian 4
From Lake Titicaca TO OrurO, $4,000
Feet Up-The II 900 Foot Climb From
Quay anuil to quito Also Finished.
They are celebrating the completion OF
two important railway projects in South
America. In Bolivia there Is the line across
the plateau from Lake Titicaca to Oruro.
II was only two years ago that President
Monies and other officials inaugurated the
building Of the road.
The railway is pretty high up, being one
Of the highest long stretches in the world,
: for it runs across the plateau at an elevation
,sof from ~ 900 to 1900 feet. 1t starts in at
Il, 500 feet at viachal. forty miles from Lake
Titioaca, 80 that there is not much climbing,
but it is laid out on the rim Of the South
American world.
After a time II will drop down below the
rim and get into some Of the valleys. 1t
also will climb a couple of thousand feet
higher from Oruro to the Potosi silver mines.
The section which has just been completed
10 $50 miles long, and when the system Is
finished there will be 1000 miles Of it.
The gauge Of the line, which will be that
OF the entire system, is one meter, or 8 feet
81 inches. Sixty pound steel rails from
American mills have been used, and the
equipment is OF the American standard. The
.ensines are heavy and suitable for steep
grades, and several Of them are OF the
powerful Mogul type.
Passenger cars Of American make, both
) for fret and second class passengers, are
TO be employed. The freight cars are Of
thirty tons, with an excess capacity Of 10
per cent. This introduction Of high class
American material is exceptional in South
American railroad enterprises.
There are nc unusua engineering feat
ures, but in getting across the clay and
gravel beds OF the central plain there are
many dips, and the arroyos or mountain
streams. which become torrents in the rainy
season. have required a good deal Of bridge
work and viaducts. When the Potosi SEQ
ton ome to be built there will be sleeper
grades. and This will be the case also with
the section which will connect with the
Argentine railways.
The cost Of the Viacha- Oruro section,
Including grading, masonry. bridge work,
rails and rolling stock, terminal facilities
and engineering and office expenses, has
been bou 81 1000, 900, or sS2 900 a mile.
1t IL not expected that the remaining SEQ
tions. which will have the more difficult
mountain regions to cross, can be con-
structed so cheaply. The capital has been
furnished jointly by the Bolivian Govern
ment and a New York syndicate.
The typical railway camp has been at
Viacha, but it will now be moved on to
oruro, which is a lively little city Of is, 900
Inhabitants in the heart of the tin mining
region. Some hundreds Of Americans at
different times have been employed in
this Bolivian railway construction. Most
OF them we're from the Southwest, and in
many cases they were chosen because
they could speak Spanish.
Many of them had worked at building
the Mexican railways and operating them.
Some drifted Town to Bolivia because thew
heard that there was something doing in
the railway line there, but o~thers-and
these included the important oflcials-came
under contract.
With many it was simply a case of moving
on in order to crafty the wandering in.
stinct, and not all Of these were from the