The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16

to extend ita credit until II has guaranteed
about slt 100000 Of bonds. Harman's ex-
perieuoes would form q bulky volume oil
disoouraging circumstances, but these are
now Of the past.
While the line as q piece Of track laying
Toes not equal the tRlnk lines. say between
New York and Chicago, the trains are
running from 0uayaquil to the suburbs OF
| Quito, and can take the journey In
two days, there being q nights ia1over at
Riobamba, q fine little town on the flank
| Of Chimborazo. There 10 magnificent 500
merry from the time the lowlands are left.
! fifty miles from 0uayaquil, till Quito Ia
finally reached.
The road makes some pretty steep climbs
and gets across the flank Of ~Chimborazo
at an altitude above 1900 feet. In the
| clear season, on leaving Riobamba In the
morning, there is usually a fine sight Of the
snows Of ~Chimborazo. Later II Cotopaxi
! is In eruption. which ID usually the oase,
there Is the opportunity to witness the
| enormous pillar Of black smoke pouring
from It. and sometimes at night the live
volcanoes glow like a furnace.
The Devils Nose or Pistichi Mountain
and the Alausi Loop are the great eugi-
neering features Of the Guayaqlil and
Quito road. The grade or Pistichi Is over
come by mean Of ~switchbacks. This
Scratching the DEVILS Nose was one of
the engineering feats declared by ofHoe
experts to be impossible.
Major Hartman climbed the steep sides
with hand level and transit and ropes and
brought his workers after him to show that
It could be done. He was the real oon-
structing genius Of this railway. and II
was his personality that held the men to-
gether through the most ~discouragiug
period, when wages were months behind
and no one could tell where the next days
provisions were to come from.
He died Of yellow fever W. years ago,
after all tho engineering difficulties had
been ~surmounted aud the completion Of
the road was assured. he lie buried at
Huigra, on the line Of the railway at the
entrance to the grand canon, which is fol-
lowed In climbing up Pistichi.
The two notable engineering features
are the result Of the ledgelike drop Of the
Alausi River. The canon formed by this
river winds around the foot Of the Pistiohi
but does not afford o means Of sprmount-
ing it. So an ascent Of ITO feet was secured
by Q s~witchback. A further ascent Of 200
feet was secured by the loop.
In the boldness Of its curves and In the
mountain panorama which IL presents
this loop Is unsurpassed. Another an
cheering feature Is q tunnel through los
feet Of solid rock. From the foothills Of tho
Cordilleras at Bucay to the summit at
Palmira Pass there are seventy-two bridges.
In the construction Of which moro thar
1000. 900 pounds Of steel has been employed.
The Alausi River IL crossed twenty-six
times. Some grades are 4 per cent.
The Guayaquil and Quito Railway 10 Of
narrow gauge, and from Duran to Quito
the distance Ii 100 miles. The estimate Of
the total cost. including preliminary sur
veys. financial negotiations and engineer
ing and Office expenses. as well as grading.
masonry and bridge work and rolling stock,
is Sl4. 500 900. or about $50. ooo q mile. The
original estimate was $4,000 q mile. but
as Ia usual with mountain railway building.
tho cost kept piing up.
Most Of the money has come from the
British and French investors who took the
bonds guaranteed by the E~ouadorian Gov
eminent. A French finance company has
also made some advances. American fnan-
ciers have not put In large sums. but tho
railway il actually an American enter
prise. and most of the rails. bridges and the
rolling stock have come from the United
States