The Chitina leader., 1911-03-11


the top Of the rail, with two portals
measuring 400 feet long, and is at
an altitude of 10,350 feet above sea
level and forms the greatest engi-
neering feat that has been done in
the last few years. This tunnel was
commenced at the Argentina end on
October, 1905, and at the Chilean
end a little earlier by construction
known as the Chilean Trans
Andine Construction Co., but was
turned over to the English construc-
ton company in February, 1908.
This tunnel presented features that
has never been met with before in
tunnel building. The part of the
Andes through which the tunnel was
driven is composed of stratified rocks
tilted at high angles, and at this al
titude these rocks are subject to ex-
IRENE weather conditions. To quote
the words of F. B. Warren in the
World Today of october issue, 1910:
lowing to the constant percolation
of melting snow, decomposition con-
tinues to great depths beiow> the sur
face. Engineers encountered this
condition 1000 feet below the crest
of the range. It was, therefore, nee
essary to line the tannel throughout,
for while many of the rocks may in
themselves stand the extremes of
heat and cold and the drip Of wa
ter, no dependence can be placed up
on any of the cleavages planes"
Last year was the centennial of
the Argentina Republic, and as fit
ting center attraction of the celebra-
ton was the opening of the first
South American trans-continental
railroad. This tunnel and the we'll
known Simplon tunnel that passes
through the Alps are perhaps the
two greatest feats in tunnel engineer
ing in the world. With the compile
ton, of the trans Andine tunnel the
journey from Buenos Ayres to Val
aparaiso may now be taken in COM
fort and safety all the year round.
In the old days the passenger had to
go muIe-back from Las Cuevas to
Caracoles.
The present route not only saves
twelve days in time, but also $65
in money. The number of men en-
ployed on this tunnel was about
1900 and working in eight-hour
shifts, with no stops for Sundays or
holidays, were steadily employed for
four years on this piece of work that
made neighbors of two nations, who
before were almost strangers and
who at many times in the past had
almost come to blows over a boun-
Diary dispute.
Cecil Rhodes, the greatest empire
builder of modern times, was wont
to gaze at map of South Africa,
and say in a musing voice: RED,
all red," meaning one day he hoped
to see it all owned by the British,
also his scheme of railroad from
Cape Town to Cairo was consider
ed visionary. He did not live to see
either part of his dream fulfilled, but
shortly after he died the British an
nexed the Transvaal and Orange Riv-
er republics, and his dream of rail-
road from north to south is being
realized as surely as great build
ing gradually climbs to the skies and
completion. OF the $500 miles of
surveyed line, 1900 miles of track
age has been completed. For dis
lance of some 1900 miles from Cape
Town the road is in operation. 1t
has passed through the Transvaal
and has travelled deep into the Bel
gian Congo. BY now it has estab-
lished connections with the navigable
waters of the Congo River, thus es-
tablishing connections with the At
lantic ocean and besides it's connec-
ton with the Indian ocean, by its
branch line to Beira. From the
north end the road Is somewhere past
Khartoum, and although the distance
is great, it will soon disappear. When
the discovery of Victoria Falls was
announced to the world it was greet
ed with incredulity, for that section