Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-08-09

did not cover 800 miles Today more than
1900 miles are in operation, more than 500
miles are being constructed, and something
like $500 miles have been surveyed or pro-
jected. When last came to La Paz rode
over the Peruvian Southern railway from
Mollendo to Arequipa, and thence on to
Puno on Lake Titicaca.
l crossed that lake on a steamer to Chilli
laya, Bolivia and came with the mails on a
stage across the plateau to La Paz. This
year have come by the same route as far
as the lake, and thence to Guaqu where an
express train brought me in comfort right
into the heart of the Bolivian capital
In leaving La Paz to return to the sea
coast I was hauled by mules on long three
days gallop down to Oruro, where got the
narrow gauge line that crosses the noun
tains and desert to the port of Antofagasta.
[ have gone over the same road this year,
but it has now been extended from Oruro to
La Paz and there are branch lines that will
soon connect with the Argentine railway
system and give transcontinental line
across southern Bolivia to the Atlantic
ocean at Buenos 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 road was COM
pleted only about a year ago. and the trains
are just now beginning to run safely over it.
During my stay in La Paz | have had talks
with the managers of the several roads; and
at Arequipa and Lima gathered the latest
information as to the Peruvian Southern,
which, with its extension from Lake Tit
caca to La Paz, forms one of the most i'm
portant outlets to the trade of this country.
These Andean railways are the only lad
ders up which one can climb to the golden
roof of the South American continent, and
they are the only downspouts through
which mineral and other products of the pla-
teau can be sent to the sea coast. FROM
here to the Isthmus of Panama there are
now FIVE such ladders. The first is in Ecua-
dor. 1t runs from Guayaquil to Quito, pass
ing in full view of Chimborazo and Coto-
paxi. The second is over the coastal range
to the great copper mines of Cerro de Pasco,
reaching an altitude which is far above that
of any other railroad point of the world.
The third is the Peruvian Southern 1t
climbs over pass of more than $4,000 feet
to Lake Titicaca; and the fourth and fifth
are the Arica-La Paz and the Antofagasta-
La Paz roads, which cross the Chilean des-
ert and end at the Bolivian capital.
The highest of these roads Is the Central
Railway of Peru. / crossed it at an altitude
which is more than three miles above the
sea, and on one of its branch lines l ascend
ed to height of 1906 feet, which is the
highest place now reached by rail. The Pc
ruvian Central crosses the Andes through
the Galera tunnel, and then goes down into
the fertile valley of Huancayo, and it will
some day be extended to the navigable trib
utaries of the Amazon river.
The Southern Railway of Peru crosses
the Andes at an altitude of 14400 feet. The
highest point is about that of Pixies Peak,
which is 14,147 feet above the sea. 1t then
descends to Lake Titicaca, and from there
drops down to La Paz which lies in a hol-
low almost two miles and quarter above
the sea. The Central railroad goes up three
miles in altitude over about 100 miles of
track, and its total mileage, not including
the Cerro de Pasco extension, is less than
$50 miles.
The Southern road from Mollendo to La
Paz, including the trip across the lake, COW
ers distance of more than 500 miles. 1t is
221 miles from the sea, where it crosses the
Andes, and here it is 1000 feet lower than
the altitude of the pass of the Peruvian
Central.
The La Paz-Antofagasta line has mile