The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-11-11

pdTdiSO on the 1ranS-Anueaf
" express on Tuesday. May
last, more than 10 per cent
were frozen or starved to death ant
all suffered tortures that could be
equaled only on a voyage in search Of
the pole.
Charles Sriber, Jr., of New York was
one OF those passengers. Today he Is
trying to recuperate at the home OF
his father in the White mountains
His hands and face are still in a ter
rible condition from frostbite; he is al
most nervous wreck.
The Trans-Andean express leaves
Buenos Aires every Tuesday in win
ter. At $3.50 a. m. on May Mr.
Scriber waved goodby to his friends
from the window of the "dormitorio'
as the sleeping cars are called. He
had with him in his berth a heavy
overcoat, several blankets, wooden
shirts and poncho. The last he Dor
rowed for the trip from Frank Rutter
an American tariff expert who had re-
Gently come across the mountains and
reported that it was a bitterly cold
journey.
The cars of the Trans-Andean rail.
road are unheated. They are cars
that have outlived their usefulness in
England and been shipped to Argen.
tina to earn few more dividends.
Leaving Buenos Aires | noticed, al.
most at once. the lowering tempera-
ture. and finally, when IL hours out,
donned my heavy overcoat Charles
Sriber, Jr., says. The icy air seemed
to penetrate even my heavy under
garments, coat and all, so after pass
ing Mendoza, IA hours out of Buenos
Aires, slipped my borrowed puncho
on over my heavy coat and this gave
me slight sense of comfort, but was
extremely firing, as the poncho itself
weighed close to Is pounds.
There were 16 of us in the first.
class compartments. two Americans,
six Englishmen, five Germans and
three Chileans. The latter were well
protected from the cold. but the ma
jority of the others were unprepared
for such cold weather and suffered &C.
Twenty-four hours after leaving
Ruenos Aires our train came to stop
with bump. and the is of us rolled
out of our hunks and began asking
what the trouble was.
Train Was Buried in Snow.
At daylight we looked out OF the
small windows at the widest winter
scene that any of us had ever gazed
upon. Nothing in sight but a wilder
ness Of snow-snow so highly banked
about the front of the train that for
an instant | thought It was an illusion.
The engine was buried in snow to
he very middle of the boiler. The
lab of the engine was hidden from
view, and the sound of escaping steam
vas an added horror to that caused by
he ghastliness of the immense snow
ranks looming up in the slowly dissi-
,ating darkness of the Andes morn
ng.
Thirteen meters deep was the exact
measurement OF the snow on the level,
With drifts as high as the Singer
We were led from the train by the
CONDUCTOR. an Argentine. and sent post
taste to the Hotel Olinda Vista (beau.
iful view), where, the conductor in.
ormed us, we would be we'll taken |
are of.
We we're.
Fifteen pesos day "a peso equals |
0 cents Americap) was the charge
re were asked to pay in advance.
The flrst-class passengers paid a |
ay each and were assigned to rooms,
wo. three and four to room.
My only roommate was Mr.. Chris.
Y of a New York life insurance
ompany. the only other American on
he train.
For the Is pesos a day we received
read, eggs and coffee twice day.
he immigrants secured the few
ouses in Puenta Del Incas, as the
,wn was called, and soon exhausted
he supply OF food. The eggs at our
ostelry soon gave out and coffee and
,lls--rolls as hard as Madeira wood
became the thrice-a-day menu. Aft.