The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-01-15
HIGHEST TOWN IN THE WORLD.
C-sro dc Pasco in the Andes at the
Height of 14,20o Feet.

Ccrro de Pasco is the highest town
IN the world. The remarkable broad
gauge railway by which IL Is reached
passes over a higher altitude about
taat Ct Mount Blanc and there are
mining camps and Indian villages at
81 eater elevations. II Is also true that
there are higher railway stations, for
on the Arequipa-Puno line the station
ut Crucero Alto attains the stupendous
eleya on of 1860 feet: but at ID 200
feet above the sea level there is no
other real town OF 5000 inhabitants,
with a railway station, telegraphs, tel
ephones, churches, shops, clubs, hos.
pitfalls and vice-consuls. 1t is won.
dertul example of American enterprise.
The section of the railway which runs
from Oroya to this town belongs to
the Cerro de Pasco Mining Company,
and is extremely comfortable, smooth
running and fast. considering the grad
tents. 1t passes through fine grassy
valleys, grazed by countless herds OF
llamas; and the blue sky, the sparkling
streams, the snow peaks, combined
with green pastures to give delight
full variety of colors, which afford u
striking contrast to the uniform brown
hue of the barren Cnilian Andes II
may be added that this line is see
ton of the shadowy Pan-American rail
Ag F1Y &c Il h.
following figures will show how fan
from realization is this colossal pro
ject: Lines working, 430 kilometres !,
lines in construction, 500 kilometres
lines projected, 1927 Kilometres.
r get Il fair view of Cerro de pascu
II Is necessary TO go to the top of q
high rock near the railway station. The
town, with it's little matched houses
and narrow streets, lies in large i'm
dulating basin, in which the chief fea
lures are the tall chmneys and Other
building belonging to the mines. H.
the distance a large lake Gamble seen
and all around the horizon is studded
with snow-capped heights At our feel
Is a busy scene. The useful Indian Il
everywhere -- now driving herds g
liamas, the universal mountain CARRIE
now riding mules, or driving a small
carriage over the undulating roads
and all his business is a part of the
great work Of extracting copper and
silver from the deep shafts. The rosy
cheeks OF the Indian children, Whose
healthy color shines through theil
brown skin, is an unusual sight in sal
low South America, for the climate il
healthy and inyigorating. In the win
ter there il great deal of rain and
sleet, but the summer il bright and
crisp. and all the year round the tenn
pcrature is equable, one of moderate
cold in which the thermometer seldom
falls much below freezing point
In this part of Peru the Andes are
enormously rich in copper. silver aao
other minerals. A few years ago thi,
splendid mining estate was bought By
an American company at cost OF Over
G5.f00,0OO sterling, and year or two
ago the railway from this town o.
Oroya was finished. Consequently at
the town and at the smeltry the Amer
lean citizen greatly predomnates, bu
the district is by no means exclusivel,
developed by him. There are man,
English copper and silver mines, al
English gold mine and an Engiisf
sheep farm. while there are many Ger
mans and Austrians engaged in var
ious industries. But everything a
Cerro de Pasco is run" by the Ameri
can There is a spacious club where
bowls arc played nightly, and in tn,
hollow below there Is base bal
ground. Both these games are charac
teristieally American. they are playe,
at high pressure the whole time; tl'
biggest match can be played IN -:
hours, and the players are near enough
to the spectators to hear the com
| mcnts, encouraging or otherwise, tina
arc. literally bestowed. The hospi