Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-27

1
tiers In small tin buckets at the end of
poles. and distributed the water system
| atically over the dusty streets.
Vivid Railroad Impressions.
| The Impressions left by the railroad trip
itself are vivid. The Andes are as won
derful here as when viewed from Lake
| Titicaca or from the Oroya road in Peru
From Valparaiso or Santiago to Los
Andes the scenery is picturesque rather
| than grand. showing green valleys. roll
| ing foothills herds of cattle, wild flowers.
nearer and nearer approach to the
snow-tipped rock masses of the giant
Andes. Los Andes is only about four
| hours (seventy-eight miles, from Val
| paraiso and little less from Santiago.
The mountain trip by narrow-gauge road
begins there in the early morning. and by
the schedule ends after 100 miles Of travel
| at o'clock in the evening at Mendoza.
on the Argentina side. All day long Won
derful views spread themselves before the
eyes, beginning as the train crawled slow
ly up the repaired cog-rail section of the
railroad near Rio Blanco where the de-
laying accident had occurred. This third
or rack rail of the Abt system of cogs and
racks is found for most of the way be-
tween Rio anco and the tunnel on the
Chilean side and from the tunnel down to
Punta de Vacas on the Argentina side
We saw Salto del Saltado. or the Soldier s
/ mere d TduTOdQ UIlUSe CROSSES u
deep, narrow ravine from one tunnel
mouth to another. like Infiernello on the
Oroya railroad In Peru. and at this point,
tradition relates. a Chilean soldier. bear
Ing important dispatches. leaped his horse
from one side OF the rayine to the other
and escaped the pursuing Spaniards. At
Juncal. ascending In series of ziczags.
the train begins long detour which
brings 1t far above Juneau on the opposite
side Of the canyon at point from which
If 40
whole trip is enjoyed. One remembers
towering, sharp-pointed peaks. vast prec-
tpfces, toy houses in the gorge far below.
including the ruined buildings of old Jun
cal. where the Chilean 'hote was located
that was patronized in ante-tunnel times
by travellers who crossed the Andes by
coach and mule. The old coach road
across the Cumbre is visible from the
railroad track in many places
] have already spoken of the desolate
grandeur Of the scenery at the Lake OF
.he Incas. Ell Portilo and Caracoles near
the tunnels mouth From Los Andes We
crossed lis bridges and passed through
twenty-f -four small tunnels before reaching
the great tunnel, two miles in length. by
which our train. leaving the ancient pack
trail at an altitude of 1900 feet Tor 200
feet lower than the summit of the an
cient pass burrows through the main
range of the Andes. entering in Chile and
emerging In Argentina.
Ones vivid recollection of the tunnel it
self is of eight minutes of perfect dark
ness. absolute oppressive blackness. with
not a light in either car or tunnel
In the highest Andes on both sides OF
the tunnel, and especially on the Argen-
tina side, into which We passed on emerg-
ing from the tunnel, the scene is one OF
bleak deso'ation, with it's somber, gray
mountain peaks, occasionally snow cap
ped tremendous, overpowering. Oppres-
sive; its stretches of yellow sand and gray
rock, and it's absence of sicns of life, ami
NAL or vegetable. Most of the few human
habitations seen are the small oven-shap-
ed stone houses with no openings but
doors; the shelters in mountain storms
and in darkness of nicht in the old days
Of foot travel, especially for mail car
riers; or they are the tiny groups Of cor
rugated iron buildings at stations along
the railroad.
At the top was naked rock; lower down
were scattered tufts of grass and few
stunted shrubs.
Aconcagua, Giant Of the Andes.
Just before reaching Puente del Inca IN
the descent on the Argentina side the
finest view of Aconcagua eighteen mi'es
away is enjoyed. This peak is visible
on clear day at Valparaiso. ninety miles
distant, and may be seen at seVerai
points on the trans-Andine railway trip.
But the view here up the Mendoza val
ley frames it and sets IL off most ef-
fectively. AS I saw it In the environment
of cloudless sky 1t doomed up like vast
armchair. gray and white In rock ana
snow and ice, with the seat turned to-
ward us. The back of the chair, with It's
irregular, Jagged top line, is formed by
Aconcaguas component peaks, for from
this viewpoint the mountain presents no
SINGLE dome or pyramid as Its obviously
dominant peak. From breadth as we'll as
height it suggests tremendous size.
1t Is the giant Of the Andes and OF the
Americas and with its 1900 feet of all
titude is. next to few H malayan peaks,
It did not secure without dispute. the
conceded supremacy among American
mountains Alexander Won Humboldt the
worlds great wanderer and observer
climbed nearly to the top of ChimborazO,
in Ecuador attaining. he claimed: an alti-
tude OF 1900 feet. and IN his writings he
made Chimborazo famous as not only the
highest mountain In the Americas. but IN
the absence of definite knowledge concern
ing the Hinalayas the highest mountain
in the world. But when Whymper made
his memorable ascent of Chimborazo in
1880 its height was ascertafned to be about
&c, 800 feet, and it lost its supremacy, first
to Illampu or Sorata, which for period
was hailed as King of the Andes. only
later to lose the crown to Aconcagua,
which with it's 1900 feet of altitude is
conceded to be about thousand feet
higher than Illampu. Sir Martin Conway,
who while IN Bolivia corroborated 1llam-
pu's claims to supremacy, changed his
views later. when he had seen Aconcagua.
and much to the Indignation Of the de-
tenders of Illampu gave final authorize
tive verdict in favor of the Chilean peak.
Aconcagua was the first OF the southern
giants Of the Andes to be assembled. For
many years the Andes mountain climbers
confined Their attention to Chimborazo
and it's neighbors. like Cotopaxi. But in
January. 1897, E. A. Fitzgerald's eng
lish) party made successful attempt
upon Aconcagua, approaching it by the
Mendoza valley I'D which I eniOYed nv