The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-25
ENGINEERING FEAT.
Guatemala Railroad Completed After
Thirty-six Years of Work.
New York SUM

A railroad which, though only 275
miles long, has been thirty-five years
in building. has just been completed.
1t is the Guatemala railroad, and al
though it has cost more than many
roads ten times as long, because of the
engineering difficulties presented, its
chief business for the present viii be
hauling coffee and bananas.
The chief Importance of the railroad
is in making accessible to Europe and
the eastern part of the United States
the attractive city Of Guatemala. with
its 100, 900 inhabitants, which previously
was as distant commercially as the Ha-
waiian islands. This city, which is the
center of almost the entire trade of the
republic, could be reached easily only
from the Pacific side on which coast
Guatemala has no. harbOrs. and pas
sengers and freight have had TO be
lightered from vessels some distance
out
With the completion of the new rail-
road Guatemala's coffee crop can be
delivered in New York with ease. Here
tcfore it was necessary TO lighter the
coffee TO steamers. then carry il 1000
miles TO Panama, thence across on the
Panama railroad to Colon, about a
month being required for this trip
alone.
In addition TO the expense of lighter
ing and transportation a heavy loss re-
suited through the exposure of the cOf-
fee to water on the various transfers
and through bleaching and deteriOra-
ton resulting from its long carriage in
hot climate. 1t has also taken a per-
son about three weeks TO travel from
New York to Guatemala City.
81 = L.
der TO bring the country within easier
reach of the world. took steps about
thirty five years ago toward the con-
structiOn of a railroad from the Allan
tic side TO the capital, about 200 miles,
and starting at Puerto BarriOs, the
principal harbOr on the Atlantic coast.
had succeeded in building 1874 miles of
the line up TO 1896. Work was sus-
pended then because there wasn't SUI
ficient money TO carry the railroad over
the difficult mountain section.
In 1904 the work was taken up again,
largely through the interest in it Of Sir
William c. Van Horne of the Canadian
Pacific. General Thomas H. Hubbard,
president of the Guatemala Central
which covers the seventy-five miles be-
tween Guatemala City and the west
coast, also took a hand, and the work
was pushed rapidly.
Now coffee and bananas which used
| TO require from two weeks to a month
for transportation from Guatemala City
to Colon. are delivered at Puerto Bar
rios in a day. while a traveller from
New York to Guatemala City makes
the trip i'm a week, instead of a month.
Among the highest peaks in the Cor
dilleras the railroad construction work
was attended with great difficulties on
account of the many deep ravines which
had to be crossed by bridges. There are
many short truss bridges, and an i'm
IN the arches.
1t was necessary at many points to
protect the railroad against the noun
tain streams by walls Of rubble work.
| The construction work is of a , erma-
nent nature, and no wood was used eX-
cept the creosoted ties. The old sec
ton had to be almost entirely rebuilt
while the new part was under eOnstruc-
| ton, I'm order that IT might be up TO the
/ standard.
Bananas will supply much of the
roads freight The paintings being
made by one concern along the road
require forty miles of plantation tracks
This plantation now extends continu-
ously for twenty-eight miles along the
main line of the road The new road
will probably make Puerto Barrios the
principal distributing market for the
| banana trade, instead of Port Limon,
Costa Rico, which has hitherto been
the chief source of supply as Puerto
Barrios is more than a day nearer New
| Orleans.