Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-27
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Arizona. Not "A few of these cacti
were covered with flowers OF bright
rcd, which |. at first. thought were the
blossoms Of the cacti, nut later found
were lowering parasites that grow on
the high lands of th:s part of the
world
y little further up the mountains the
Z cactL disappcarcd there was some
/ moisture. ana We had short bushes
, with yellow and blue flowers upon
! them. Higher up still these bushes
. vanished. and we came into canyons
| and hills and volcanic rock. whic1,
! changed in color with the sun and the
= shade. ON one side of the CANYON The
! rocks wcr" bright yellow. Will" on the
/ "ther they wcr" OF - gray turned apol-
! esccnt by the shadows cast by the sun.
| IL was at Rio Blanco. on the Chilean
: sac, that we got the cog railroad and
! from there ON We mounted by :, series
OF Jerks. each JERK marking u coz in
! the" railroad. There are twenty five
/ miles OF cog system. some of which as
| nav" said. 80 upward on an \ per cent
| grade. tn" whole road over the steep
! est part of the mountains is a nnrrow
| gauge III miles long. Its rails weigh
/ ABOUT MY pounds To the yard. and
the ties are OF oak The engines were.
built especially for climbing the noun
tains. They were made by Kitson IL Co.
OF Leeds. England. and are said to be
very strong. The locomotives arc
double with rack and piniun arrange
ineht at the front.
MI OF the trains have first and sec-
| ond class cars. My fellow pa sscngcrs
oi the FIRST class were chiefly business
! men and clerks. Nearly every one wore
"A buster but this was to avoid tho
dirt of the lowlands rather than tina,
OF the mountains. y large part OF the
Argentine pampas is covered with
sand. and the trip across them is one
"i the busiest known to the world In
the second class were chiefly Chilean
peasants
As we crossed the high Andes could
see Inc enormous cost OF construction
M" maintenance We passed many
gangs of men repairing the track. and
everywhere the track had TO he
watched for dirt slides such as "a,
nave NJ Panama. In the winter there
~ Danger also from the aVaianchos
ai'housh the higher sections have
| been protected by the snow sheds
| 100000 having been spent for snow
protection III the past two wears !,
| is only by such protection that Trains
;trc an'e 10 run throughout the winter
me labor used upon the railway /.
| thlican ana \rgentinian. Each coun-
| N
/ part al the track The ordinary wages
are from 40 cents TO SllO a dov ,f
cord!nT to the time of Year and Tho
labor market. The high officials of the
/ road are Englishmen. ana so are The
engineers. The conductors are natives.
| our first station in the Argentine
| Republic was at Las Cuevas. the sta
| ton ut the eastern end of the tunucl
! The first official ! met was a soldier
! one OF the guards of the Argentine
I frontier. and the next was The cus
! toms officer. who came into In cars
and examined our baggage. lie wos
very lcnicnt. ana the PASSENGERS had
II" trouble whatever. Leaving Cucvas.
| we had n dining car on The train. ana
| We're served with a very good meal ,t
Il price equal To about $ll5 of our
| money. The meal started with an an
petizer of cold ham and bologna san
/, sage. and this was followed by = cnh-
oagc soup. we then had an excellent
oiheiettc hot from the stove and tho
next course WAS roast chicken After
| thht came an cntrec of cold boiled
tongue, served with sauce and the
meal closed with dessert of canned
peaches and coffee. Bread and butter
! were served.
| The. scenery on the Argentine side
OF the mountains is not so bold MS that
on the Chilean side. The first part of
the way Is through a bleak and bare
/ desert. and on the higher levels the
Mountains are rocky and sterile
I shortly after leaving Las Cuevas
caught sight Of Aconcagun. about nf
teen miles away. Its peak is "A mighty
irregular mass Of snow. with ragged
back rock reaching from the snow limo
down 10 the rocky valley through
which il is seen. Its ton is ,lnns,
1000 feet above the sea. and il rises
several hundred feet above any other
mountain of the Andcan chain. II mas
nE iar the highest peak of the New
World. Some distance away IN tb.
Southward can he seen Mourn Tunuu
cato. which Is 22.00G feet high and an
u'ohe me way down the Andes we ar.
III sight OF magnificent mountains
we. passed the famous Inca bridge and
sun farther down crossed the narrow
ram or USpallata. over which the old
mule pass ran. our way up the Chilean
Sloc OF the mountains was through no
valley of the swift flowing Aconcopn,
we ciiinhed down towards the Atlantic,
along another glacial stream that RACED
anu ioaime" AS IT forced its way
through the stones. Tn" latter riynr
Fl Is mat which goes through Mcn,ny,
forming the great fruit growing oasis
tha' il's III the desert at the. foo, of
INC Argentine Andes. The river cnr
iles """h great loads OF silt, which. by
., - 800, ''i'H OF mllllOuS Of
grape vines ana countless fruit trc,.
ana gardens II is The father of the
Guy OF Mendoza where his letter is
mt" ana 1t has built up abou; ii
some OF the most vaiunhi. soil Of Inc
"ori". i'nt tiat is another siory.
ne mrs, srhen" FOR making rail-
way across the Nndcs was originated
oE an american This was William
"hccI"rlSht, OF whom nave ,lrr,dv
wn!'tch III my letters from chile
heeiwright WAS born AT Ncwhurynnrt
Ni"ss'' u! 1888. vi the age OF twenty
SIN u" became United States Consul 10
,'uaSa4uii, Ecuador: and tire. vcors
t.ot"i went TO Valparaiso, where h. cs
ta"hsh"d a line OF passenger vessels
"Io"H 'h' vest coast. III" was the
t2""H"f 81 The first steamship service
VI 'hai coast. and about sevcntv.nyc
H""'a AZ" ne had line or steamers
SONG from chile TO the Isihmus OF
Iahaina William Wheclwrieh, MANNED