The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-11
BOLIVIA'S new RAILWAYS
Three Great Lines Now Connect The High Plateau
of The Andes With The Pacific
of The Andes With The Pacific

AFRICA and Its Cog System. A Look
at the Highest Railroad Points of
the WORLDLY New Railroad Built
by Americans, but Now Owned by
the English-POtOsi and Its Silver
Mines. To BuenOs Aires via Bolivia
The New Lines Projected Into the
Amazon Valley.
Copyrighted 1914, by Frank G.. Car
penter.)
LA PAZ.
The iron horse OF transportation
and commerce has climbed over the
Andes and is now forcing his way
through the wilds Of Bolivia. Fifteen
years ago all the railways Of this
country did not cover 800 miles. To-
day more than 300 miles are in ope-
ration, more than 500 miles are being
constructed, and something like 3,5OO
have been surveyed or projected.
When / last came to La Iaz l rode
over the Peruvian Southern railway
from Mollendo to Arequipa. and
thence on to Puno on Lake Tltlcaca.
/ crossed that lake on a steamer to
Chillilaya, Bolivia, and came with the
mails on a stage across the plateau
to La Paz. This yea l have com
by the same route as far as the lake,
n thence to Guaqui, where an eX-
press train brought me in comfort
right into the heart of the Bolivian
capital.
In leaving La Paz to return to the
she I was hauled by mules OF a
long three-days gallop down to Oruro,
where l got the narrow gauge line
that crosses the mountains and desert
to the port Of Antofagasta. l nave
gone over the same o this year, but
it has now been extended from Oruro
TO La PaZ and there are branch lines
that will soon connect with the Ar
gentine railway system and give q
transcontinental line across southern
Bolivia to the Atlantic ocean at Bue-
nos Aires. Then Bolivia had no
through railway to the sea. She has
now three, the third being the short
cut to the Pacific at africa. The africa
o was completed only about a year
ago, and the trains are just now be-
ginning to run safely over it. During
my stay in La Paz 1 have had talks
with the managers of the severa'
roads; and at AreQuipa and Lima
gathered the latest information as tt
the Peruvian Southern, which, with
it's extension from Lake Titicaca tt
La Paz, forms one of the most i'm.
portant outlets to the trade of thi:
country.
These Andean railways are the Onl,
ladders up which one can climb tt
the golden roof Of the South American
continent, and they are the only down
.spouts through which mineral am
other products of the plateau can b,
sent to the seacoast. From here t
the Isthmus of Panama there are nov
five such ladders. The first is in Ecu
ador. 1t runs from Guayaquil to Quit
passing in full view or ChimbOraz
and CotOpaxi. The second is the Cen
trail Railroad of Peru. 1t climbs owe
the coastal range to the great coppe
. mines of Cerro de Pasco. reaching a
altitude which is far above that @
any other railroad point Of the worlt
The third is the Peruvian Southern. ]
Climbs over q pass of more than 14,0O
feet to Lake Titicaca; and the fourt
and fifth are the Arica-La Paz and tn
A~ntofagasta-La Paz roads whic
cross the Chilean desert and end
the Bolivian capital.
The highest OF these roads is tn
Central Railway Of Peru. / crossed
at an altitude which is more tina
three miles above the sea, and on or
OF its branch lines / assembled to
helght OF 15.SO5 feet. which is til
highest place now reached by "a
the PERUVIAN Central crosses the Al
des through the Galera tunnel, ar
then goes down into the fertile valle
or Huancayo, and it will some day |
to the navigable tributari,
of the Amazon river.
The Southern Railway of Pc,
crosses the Andes at an altitude
1900 feet. It's highest point is abor
that OF Pixies Peak, which is 14.1.
feet above the sea. 1t then descen,
TO Lake Titicaca, and from there dro
down to La PaZ, which lies in a hollo
almost two miles and a qaurter abo'
the sea. The Central railroad goes
three miles in altitude over about /
miles of track. and it's total mileae
not including the Cerro de Pasco Q
tension. is less than $50 miles.
Inc southern road from Mollen
10 La PaH including the trip acre
the lake, covers a distance of mo
nan ooo miles. 1t is 223 miles fro
and there it is 1000 feet lower tn
the altitude of the pass Of the PEI
Wan Central.