El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-07

It has a rack and pinion or cog rail
road system of about rs miles, and
the gage is such that freight has to
be transferred twice during the jour
ney across the continent
The fare from Santiago to Buenos
Aires is sos, with a very small allow
ance for baggage. This is more than
three times as much as the cost of the
trip from New York to Chicago.
Connect Port and Capital.
| Another transcOntinental railroad
that will soon be completed will con-
meet the port of AntOfagasta with
Buenos Aires. This is an extension of
branch of the Antofagasta-Boliv
railway.
The transcontinentaI extension
leaves the main line at Uyuni, where It
has an altitude of about 1850 feet,
and thence passes through a rich min
eral district, crossing Bolivia to the
frontier, at La Quiaca, where 1t Will
connect with the great railway system
of Argentina. The road has already
been constructed to Tupiza, and within
less than year it should be connected
with the Argentine system. The dls-
lance between the two points is now
only &c miles.
passenger line across South America
The distance is too great 1t Will
however, be the short cut from the
Pacific ocean to the upper part OF me
Argentine Republic, and VIII De DO
livia's outlet to the Atlantic
other Roads planned
Chile has plans and surveys already
made for several very important trans
continental railways south of the pres
emit line from Valparaiso to BuenOs
Aires. Some of them VIII nave Inelr
terminal at Bahai Blanca, the Argentlns
port on the Atlantic ocean, oay
ride south of BuenOs Aires, and one
will connect Talcahuano, the great
commercial and naval station near
Concepcion with that port. This road
will cross Chile from Conception to
Antuco. and thence 60 on into the Ar
gentine. where it will connect WIN the
roads which have their terminl IN Ba-
hia Blanca.
This transandine road viii be about
200 miles shorter than the road now IN
operation between Valparaiso and
BuenOs Aires, via JuncaL II VIII be
easier of construction and Will cross
the Andes through a tunnel, which Will
be less than a mile in length. The gov
eminent has already granted subsidy
Of 81 OOO, 900, to be PAID at the rate of
$4,000 per kilOmeter, as it is opened TO
traffic, until 100000 have been paid,
the remaining $500 900 to be held until
the line has been joined up to the Ar
gentine system. Some of this line is al
ready in operation, and it is steadily
proceeding. The Argentine section is
being arranged for. Another road to
Bahia Blanca which has already been
decided upon will have a length Of $50
miles. 1nlS III 20 Via DOuiluAIndl.
Chile First To Build.
Chile was the first country Of South
America to build railways, and the first
railways built here were constructed
by United States citizens The first
road on the South American continent
was made to connect the silver mines
of CopiapO with the port of Caidera.
The builder was William Wheelwright,
whom 1 have already mentioned in a
previous letter. He opened his road
for traffic July 4, 1851.
The first locomotive that was used
is still in existence in one Of the
Chilean museums, and its name plate
shows that it was made by Norris
brothers in Philadelphia in 1850
Wheelwright began the railroad from
Valparaiso to Santiago, and he made
surveys toward and over the Andes
with the idea of a transcontinental
route. His first road was built four
years before Henry Meiggs, another
great railroad contractor, also an
American, began work on the Central
railroad southwark from Santiago.
WheeIwriSht HOnored.
William Wheelwright's name is high
deal to do with the development of the
country He was born in Newburyport,
Mass, and at the age of % was made
United States consul at Guayaquil He
served there for several years and then
moved to Valparaiso where ne estab-
lished line Of passenger vessels along
the coast He was the founder of the
Pacific Steam Navigation company, and
so may be called the first to introduce
steam on the west coast He built the
1lrst gas and waterworks of South
America and strung the first telegraph
line
Henry Meiggs, the other great Ameri-
can railroad constructor, built the Won
derful road which goes up the Andes
back Of Lima, Peru. He also con-
structed the road from Mollendo to
Arequipa that now goes on to Lake
Titcaca, and he did a great deal of
railroad building in Chile He com
Dleted the road from VALPARAISO to San
tiago and built some of what is now a !
part Of the longitudinal system Today /
a great deal of American rolling stool,
and rails are still used in Chile. and
II is impossible to write about the
roads without reference to their close
Connection with the United States.