Evening star., 1914-08-09


s25 a ton. Suppose you had TO pay
SO for getting a ton OF coal from WASH
fngton TO Detroit. I venture you would
object. even as the La Pax people do.
by the extension Of the lines the
freight OF the road viii be greatly in
creased. Cochabamba is in thriving
agricultural district, with no outlet for
ist products. Postosi is on the slope of
mountain. that was once a great mass
OF silver, and is now being worked for
its tin. 1t is expected that many low
grade tin and silver mines which cannot
be operated because OF the high cost OF
transportation. will be opened ul As soon
as the road is completed.
As to Tupiza, In southern Bci.yts. that
town is OF no great Importance, but all
along the road from tyuni there are rich
tin mines. and many low grade PROPOSE
tions will be opened up when the rail-
road goes through. As II is now. the
chief trouble of this system is its two
different gauges. Some of the tracks are
of a forty-inch gauge, while others are
of only thirty inches. The latter IL the
case with the road from AntofaSasta 10
Oruro. but arrangements are being made
to alter II to forty inches. thus stand
ardiZing the system.
A great deal of the Bolivian rolling
stock comes from the United States. On
the Antofagasta line the locomotives are
chiefly Baldwins. A great hany Rogerses
are used on the Peruvian roads. and on
English and German. During tho con-
struction of that road there were fifteen
locomotives and 40 fiat cars In service.
The heaviest engine weighed seventy
tons.
Our civil engineers have had much TO
do in laying out the roads of BOLIVIA ana
Americans are now taking contracts Tor
the new construction financed py the
English. The rough work is largely done
by Aymara Indians who receive from
so cents to a dollar a day. This is very
high for Bolivia. where the average
wages are perhaps not more than ~
cents per day.
Notwithstanding this, there is great
trouble in getting good men. The Aymara
usually works for a week or less. ana
then leaves Sometimes he goes away
without pay | talked with one of the
contractors last night as to the labor
situation. Said he:
1.-THE chief trouble is that all of the
Indians are heavy drinkers of alcohol
After pay day We find that We have to
lay of many of them so that they may
sober up. They all chew coca. and we
allow them certain amount OF coca
with their wages. They IN not like for
eigners. but we have to use foreigners.
as foremen. for the Indians are SO low
intellectually that they cannot boss or
plan. They have to be driven. and their
gusted always with their Job and are
ready to leave at the first opportunity.
The-nost important part of Bolivia has
not yet been touched by the railroads,
/ refer to the fertile eastern section. JUST
over the Andes This consists of enor.
nous forestss'a and high. grassy plains.
which will feed millions of, cattle. - The
government has planned railroads. wnicp
some day will be extended Into tn1s
region. These roads go from the cen-
ter of the plateau to the tributaries OF
the Amazon and some will be EXTENDED
to the navigabe branches of the Para
quay as well. One road rs planned rom
Potosf to -Sucre, and another from ssucre
to Lagunfllas. the two together covering
a distance of less than 2s3 miles-1 An-f
other railway is to connect Ia faz anu
Coripata Coroico, and thence go on 10
the navigable water sof the Beni. do%h
which ships can travel to the railroha
about the falls of the fMamore-Ma
When this railway Is finished Boffvie
will have an outlet to the nAtlantic by
way of the Amazon. So
Another Amazon river branch is to- be
built from Cochabamba to the River ehi.
more, which flows into the Mamore' and
there is also an extension from tne Ar
gentine system to connect with the same
river at Puerto RoJas. II wouid seem seem
that Santa Cruz Is to he the railroad
center for eastern Bolivia. and there Will
eventually be railroads throughout the
whole region east of the Andes, openms
up the country from Arsentiie " N>~
. dor and Colombia. S2s-s1 5ptl t-n3 trsr
IT wilt 'thus be seen that Bolivia is 'et :
the very beginning of its railroad edevei-
opment This country is one-hfth as
large as the main body OF the eniiea
States. with the addition of Alaska.
About two-thirds of the. land lies east OF
the mountains. and doubt not the
amount Of good AsoilSin the whole repahs
lie is proportiohatelys as nrge as that OF
the United States. We have now about
2 2JOUO0 miles OF railway and If Bolivia
had as many in proportion to its size. 1T
= would have something like 10000 miles,
or almost forty times as much as the
railways now in operation. 1t Is not
probable that such system Will De
. built for centuries to come: but the open
ing up of the 1900 additional miles all
: ready planned or surveyed will create an
industrial revolution in that part Of the
country east Of the Andes that Will as
tonish the world. = = : ........-., -
8 FRANK G. CARPENTER.