The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-17

when he died, he had completed it as
far as Chicla, a point more han two
ane one-half miles above the sea.
By that time the tWenty-Seven or
twenty-eight million dollars which he
had raised for its construction was |
exhausted and the work stopped. 1t
was eSumed some year later and in
1899 was completed to Oroya, a dis
OF 1873 miles from the coast. |
The extension to the rich valley Of
Huancayo was finished only six years
ago. !
The o was originally planned to
reach the rich silver and copper mines
OF Cerro de PaSca, but after going
over the pass at an altitude Of 1865
feet, it came down about 5000 feet
and stopped at Oroya. Then the
mines were bought by an American
syndicate. and this syndicate has built
a gauge railway from OrOya,
along the high plateau of the Andes
to its mining center, which is still
at an altitude Of 14,208 feet. / ex-
pect to go over that road within a few
days and shall write of it later.
The Central Railway Of Peru is con-
sidered by experts the most wonderful
piece Of railroad engineering on
earth. 1t reaches the highest point
ever crossed by rail, and it's course
from the sea to the tops of the noun
tains is almost straight up into the
air. The distance as the crow flies
from the M~OrOcocha Pass to the
I ocean, cannOt, l should say, be fifty
. miles, and, with all the windings Of
i the road, with its loops, twists and
: turns, its zigzagS and its tunnels and
! its other cOntortiOnS by which it
q climbs up this widest part of the
Il world it is only 100 miles. All of
= this is accomplished without the
y rack or pinions or cog systems used
II on other high roads, and that with
a grade Of only about four per cent.
There is not one inch of down grade
from the sea to the top. and the heavy
d cars must climb all the way up.
u n route for the road is the valley
OF n Rimac river, a running stream
le OF snow water which bursts forth from
the glaciers Of the high Andes. anC
rolls over rocks through gorges &
mass of white foam all the way to tht
IS sea. In places the road is high abov'
to the river, ciinging to the sides O
the hills: again it is on the rive
&c level; and at one point where tn
IS, space was not wide enough for boil
ce road and river the engineers made
IN tunnel through the Mountains All
Id turned the stream out Of it's cours
es to use it's bed for the track.
ar In coming up the mountains. yo
nd pass through tunnel after tunnel an
in owe bridges Of steel. which spa
so mighty gorges. There are altogethe
ed Sixty-five tunnels and sixty-seve
w bridges in this 100-mile trip; an
there are sixteen switchbacks locate
on the sides Of the mountains wheI
llC the road climb in no other way.
on The great wonder Of the construs
ton is that the steepness of the mouI
at tain has been conquered by this fOy
m per cent grade. The Denver and r
lfc Grande narrow gauge in Colorad
in reached its 10, 80O-foot level at Ma
ms shall Pass. but in-dOing so it star
S. at a mile above the sea at the foothil
nd of the Rockies. n when 1t has gOl
ket for hundreds Of miles through tt
OF gorges it has attained an altitut
lis which is still a mile lower than IL
les highest rail on the Central. Tt
will T~ransandean road which crosses fro
will Buenos Aires to Chile is not mo
oss than two miles in height and Il
for Uganda road, which, beginning
Ses. Mombasa on the east Goa Of AfriC
ass goes over the divide to Lake Victori
is several thousand feet lower.
ain The other high railways requi
Lck, days for their climb. The Cent?
takes you from sea level to a poi
nd higher than the top of any mounts
is in Europe or the United States prop
urn betWeen breakfast and dinner; and
ern your heart can stand the strain a
I is you can keep Of n SorOche, Y
erS. may be IN comfort all the way up.
Tres -
Inc SOroche Is the great thorn
yays the rose OF this wonderful journ'
1t is the mountain sickness that
ficts almost all when they take t
trail mighty leap of three miles Strais
the up into the air. 1t brings on fail
IAN ness. terrible headaches, and Otter
ion. bleeding or the eyes and nose. 1t
ltrol worse thar seasickness. for the Won
The ing is accompanied by diarrhea q
Pa terrible ~retchingS. Some have
ant. disease IN a less degree and so
cannot stand 1t at all.
,665 AS l came here today [ could t
g to the air growing rarer. and my II
hich hinery moving with more and IN
feet. friction. AT 10000 feet my voice '