Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-01-15

south America is land OF magnificent di
tances also Of surprises, some Of which are not q
acty welcome although the whole it is Yer
Interesting part OF the world said Mr. Isham, r
counting some of the experiences that befell them
On The trip. "Ycu are constantly running to
the unexpected, so that there is danger OF be-
Ing Wearied BY lack Of variety.
we met one man who has the most trying
position Of which / know. He's an American
big, broad shouIdered. athletic chap. with the
polish Of university and the breezy open
hearted manner Of 2 true westerner.
He is an engineer, and it is his duty to see
that the Chilean division Of the Trans-Andean
railroad is kept free from land and snow slides
That doesn't sound so bad, does it because
you can have no conception Of what it means
less you have seen the country. The Trans-An-
dean railroad is third-rail system in the strictest
sense Of the word. That third rail is located be-
tween the narrow gauge strips of steel on which
the cars travel. and is a cogged affair into which
teeth ON the driving wheels OF the locomotive
slip, giving sufficient grip to pull the heavy trains
up the almost perpendicular course.
"0u the Chilean side of the Andes it is case
Of climbing almost every foot of the way, and
times it seems as though the locomotive must fall
backward on the cars that follow.
This chap lives in a little stone house close by
Inca lake, III the Andes, $4,000 feet above
level He has gang Of natives under him. and
certain seasons OF the year they are kept on the
jump battling with slides, which bury the
tracks so deep that it requires days of the hard
est kind of work TO clear them
Then the mountains have a playful habit Of
casting off good big slice of rock and dirt which
tumbling down across the tracks and puts
end to travel until it has been removed
Sometimes these pranks result seriously, and
there's many a lonely grave along the right of way
to Indicate the last resting place of some poor
section man who buried beneath a slide. Last
winter few square acres Of snow and rock and
loo lsiDc I0u-T pr that
deaVuring to clear the tracks Part of them
capped untouched and Immediately began digging
out their fellow workers At the end of 26 hours
they came upon a sorry fgure-a battered section
who had borne the full brunt of the slide.
And what do you think he did when they
pulled him out dead than alive? Berated
them for leaving him buried so long.
You're fine lot, he stcrmed. why, you left
me in there two hours. 1t wasn't your fault that
didn't die
And the hands on the clock had started on>
their third round trip since the slide went over
him,
The place this engineer calls home is one of
the Godforsaken spots ever saw. They
try 10 keep the road open the year round, but
there three of four months every winter when
trains few and far between, and the district
is virtually cut off from the outside world.
The scenery along the route is impressive
but somehow l didn't envy this particular Amer
lean his Job.
Crossing the crest of the Andes and getting
down to the Argentine plains you strike one of the
widest gauge railroads in the world. Service on
the line is not so bad-in some respects.
They have single and double compartment
cars for male and female passengers. It was my
i'll fortune TO draw a seat in a double cOmpart-
uent With three Spaniards. Now, they are not
exactly the travelling companions you would Sc
Iect fer a 24-hour ride across the plains journey
bar is irving under the most favorable conditions.
arar o o =
4fr,7IarIv rank variety Without exception they
smoke cigarettes that make burning rubber rem
inisceut of altar of roses. Most of them are at
fected with bronchial trouble. They detest fresh
air. Also they never have acquired liking for
rold plunge before breakfast-or bath any other
time for that matter. When l was ready to enter
The train three of the most disreputable repre-
septatves Of their species were settled comfort
ably in the compartment. Delightful prospect
lust about that time l had the good fortune to
RIM into an American engineer who his
way to Buenos Aires. He had the same luck
three of the unwashed in his compartment. For
tunatclv he was able to talk some Spanish.
let's bride the guard and see if we can't get
commandment to ourselves, l suggested.
No sooner said than tried. Presently my new
foupd friend came back. We had with train
a vfrtuous guard. offered five dollars to effect
the desired change he spurned the tender with
fine display of indignation. He could not be hired
for such q paltry But for ten dollars he
would tarow the dirty rascals out bag and bag
gage
Gladly 7 contributed the other half of the bride
Soon baggage began to fly out on the platform
followed by iabbering trio, who made the Ar
SeutiEe air blue with picturesque profanity as
fhey protested against this summary eJectment
They produced tickets to show they were
entitled to seats in this particular compartment
The guard, in his most imperious manner, inform
ed them that he cared not what their tickets
called for Did not he have the official chart of