The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-09-27

- N the heart Of South America one
Of the most remarkable railroads
ever constructed has just been
completed. 1t runs straight
through virgin forest, does not
connect one settled area with another,
and is only 200 miles long. Yet on
this little bit Of line, running ap-
parently from nowhere to nowhere,
enormous commercial possibilities de-
pend.
The interior Of Brazil is probably
one Of the richest countries on earth.
It is marvellous rubber country,
there are plenty Of mines, and pretty
nearly everything will grow there. 1t
is near the equator; but there are
mountains, and the climate can be
changed by going up a thousand feet
or SO. 1t could supply the continent
with beef or cotton or cocoa, and any
number of other necessities and lux
uries of life. This is just what it is
going to do before long, according to
the projectors OF the Madeira Mamore
railroad.
A railroad 200 miles long, set down
in the middle Of the United States,
would be little good, but the case is
quite different in South America. The
Amazon is navigable by ocean going
steamers for more than thousand
miles beyond it's mouth. Boats that
come from Liverpool and Hamburg
can deliver passengers and freight far
in the heart Of the country. Not only
that, ,but there are numerous tribu-
taries of the Amazon equally suited to
big steamers. One of these Is the
Madeira river, which unites farther in
and with the Mamore, but there has
been one almost insuperable obstacle
to tapping the vast wealth Of the ter
ritory drained by these rivers.
For 600 miles above it's junction
with the Amazon the Madeira river
runs broad and deep and placid. Then
it goes quite mad, and raves for 200
Eventually 1t subsidies again. The diff
ficulty has been to get men and
freight past this dangerous area.
Tradesmen have estimated the loss
Of men and cargo in the rapids at
from 20 to so per cent. II one figure
is too high 1t is equally certain that
the other Is too low. Navigation was
possible only In specially constructed
boats, and even then the chances were
about even that everybody and every
thing therein might find the bottom
of the stream. Rather than face the
risk, tradesmen would leave their
boats above the rapids and drag them
200 miles through the jungle, launch
ing them again on the safe side Of
the rapids.
MeIviIle's Story.
Not even the most enthusiastic
tradesmen or the most stoical native
cared for that sort of thing, and as
long ago as 1868 an Englishman
named Church projected a railway
that would carry men and cargo
the forest past the dangerous
part of the Madeira river. Thousands
Of men laid down their lives In the
jungle attempting to make this rail-
road a possibility. Now, pretty near
ly half century after the inception of
the daring idea, American skill has
been able to accomplish the task that
seemed almost impossible.
Dennis Melville. one Of the engi-
neers Just returned from Brazil, told
the story Of the adventures the men
have met In the course Of their work.
ITO build railroad through Bra
lillian jungle requires colossal nerve"
said Mr. Melville.
"The Madeira-Mamore railroad,
built for the Brazilian government,
now opens up the richest rubber coun-
try In the world. This road has been
by an American firm of
contractors. The engineers, number
Ing several hundred, were all Amerf-
cans, and all Of the equipment-thee en-
gines, rails and most of the ties
was imported from the United States.
Some years ago. the French tried
to build q road through this same
In Brazil, and failed prob
ably for reasons similar to those