The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1909-03-26

The Oroya railroad has been called
"a railroad among the clouds" In
order to construct II. the chief engi
neer. Mr.. Ernest Mallinoski and his
assistants resorted to the most ex-
traordinary devices and methods. The
height ascended by this railway is
within 1876 feet OF that of the summit
of Mont Blanc. Switzerland The road
bends upon itself with sharp angles
Ms II ascends the mountain sides. like
a staircase with many turns. II pierces
the obstructing peaks with 32 tunnels,
which often come together so closely
that they seem continuous to the trav.
eler. Great gorges had to be trav-
ersed and torrent streams spanned by
bridges that seem to hang In mid-air.
The mountain sides were In several
instances so precipitous that the work.
men could only reach the point at
which n tunnel started by being let
down with ropes from the edge of the
clin and held there TIL they had cut
for themselves a foothold In the rock.
The diamond drill was used In many
of the borings.
Engineers were often compelled to
triangulate from the opposite side To
mark out the course of the road. while
IN one case they and their men were
conveyed across chasm over the
Rimac on wire ropes suspended sew.
eral hundred feet I'm the mir between
the two opposite cliffs. The upper por-
ton of this narrow and tortuous river
RACES down through the bottom OF
gorges and chasms walled In with
mountainous, overhanging bluffs. some
times over 1000 feet high.
A considerable portion OF the rail.
way follows the Rimac In It's windings.
or crosses and recrosses II at the
sharpest angles, The grade from Lima
t4iS feet above sea leveO to San Bar
tolome. 80 miles inland, is constantly
up, ana at the latter station the eleva.
tion Is i.9l0 feet above the Pacific
ocean-an astonishing ascent for that
dis, nee. Here occurs the first oi
many retrograde developments, rem
derCd necessary by the increasing rise
mp the gorpes, raviuos and slopes of
the Andes, where the line takes the
form OF a V, and. recedins upon an
ascending grade, reaches the elevated
plateau on which the village of san
Bartolome stands, Thence, crossing
and recrossing the Seco, "A tributary
of the Rimac, IL makes two complete
detOa's and ascends on the opposite
side past point overlooking san Bar
tolomc station, The road cllngs 10
the ragged sides of the ever-towcring
ridges, passes through two tunnels
and crosses a deep mountain gorge on
the famous Nerrugas viaduct This
was regarded In the Meiggs epoch as
the highest bridge in the world.
A notable feature in the section of
the railway from Norrugas ON TO
Surco is IA tunnel through a precipi-
tous side of the mountain, about $40
feet above the bed of the river. In
some OF this there Is a curve OF 395
feet radius, The Oroya railroad now
continues onward and upward through
a wilderness OF mountain heights in
The Cordllera with the familiar Rimac
river still near for a very considerable
portion of the journey, while snowy
peaks that are 10000 feet high over
looN it's tempestuous and roaring
course. Continuing amid Andean seen
cry, already above the lowest limit Of
perpetual snow, the road gains from
Tambo de Vso to the station of Infer
milo, n distance of l0l2 miles, an as.
cent OF 1853 feet The name 'Infer.
Milo" Q.ittle Held has been bestowed
on this region because tie Rimac
thunders and foams down a narrow
gorge. the cliffs OF which reach hun.