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

The third zone Of Peru is that which
lies east of the Andes. It begins
about a mile or a mile and 4 half
above the sea on the slopes Of the
mountains and run down to the trop- |
ical forests of the Amazonian head
| waters. This region is densely wooded,
and it's vast forests contain rubber |
and other valuable trees. 1t has ais
some open country, and there are
lands which will produce coffee, ca
| Gao and sugar as well as every sort
of tropical fruit.
1t is East Andean Peru that is al
most unknown. Many parts of it heve
never been p~rospected. and it Is still
uninhabited except by wild Indians,
with here and there q few rubber
hunters. There are no large towns,
n IQuitOS on the Amazon. Is the
chief port Of the northern section. It
Is 1000 miles or more from the sea.
/ There is no doubt that East Andean
Peru will eventually be reached from
the Pacific. 1t Is only about 400
miles from that ocean and there are
now railroads going to the tops OF the
mountains that might be extended to
tap parts of it. The Oroya road just
back OF Lima IS one, that has already
been surveyed to the headwaters OF
h Amazon. This road begins at
Galaxy, passes through Lima and
crosses the Andes at an altitude OF
more than three miles, after which 1t
goes down about 5000 feet to Oroya-
1t is estimated that the road could be
extended to the navigable Amazon
system for something like fifteen or
twenty millions Of dollars. It's alti-
tude. however, is too high for it. to be
made Of practical value for carrying
heavy goods over h Andes.
There are several other passes.
however, that are much lower and
there is one where the altitude is
below that OF Mexico City. This pass
can be reached by an extension OF
the roads from one Of the valleys
OF northern Peru. and the road built
thence to the Amazon at a cost not
to exceed 100000 0e. The distance
from the Pacific all told would be
only 400 miles.
l have already spoken OF the pos
sible extension Of the railroads in
to h Amazon valley, so
that it will be seen that the vast re-
gion Of the eastern Andes may some
time be accessible to us through the
Panama canal Almost all OF trans
andean Peru lies within 500 miles OF
; the Pacific ocean,, and when the rail
, roads are built it can be reached
from New York within fifteen days
after leaving. As it is now it takes
{ three weeks or more to get to the
{ nearest port, that Of 1quitos, which
, is more than 1000 miles from the
mouth of the Amazon, and his means
connection with only the northern
part of the Peruvian Amazon.
: The potential value Of such a CON
,, nection can hardly be estimated.
; T~ransandean or Amazbnian Peru, as
1T might be called, comprises an area
, equal TO fifty states the size OF Massa-
chusetts or ten as big as Ohio OF
: Kentucky, and the region has pro
: portionately more good land than
: either State mentioned.
The value Of this AnlazOn region
is not confined to it's agricultural
= possibilities. 1t has great
e In rubber Il it is known to be enor-
lnously rich in the precious metals
( IL was from the headwaters Of thu
. Amazon tributaries that the Incas
got much of their gold, and in the
last number OF the Peruvian Maya
. zine, in an article entitled Peru al
Today which has just come to hand
d 1 see that Mr.. Raymond McCs1ne, the
y civil engineer, who has surveyed tn
= railway route from Cerro ia Pasct
TO the headWarters oI the Amazon
is about to open NJ placer deposit.
n along the upper Stretches of tn
J MaI2non river. IN this article II.
q says that the new mine Is the lar
sest ana richest placer deposit il
/, the world todaN.' It g credited VIII
. having produced III the past tfe mos
Of the s125,Qao. 0eo IN COLA that tn.
= SpaniardS took from tnc 3t4tivea. ans
the total value Of the sold still so b
mined is said TO he tWice as erea
as that X out h. the Incas. III,
gold Is in dust and small nuggets
= and there is more than 1o0. 900. 90
- cubic yards Of gravel above the be,
rock. which, it is estimated, vii
average over so per cent per cubi
=, yard. These placers are almost tx
, miles above sea level. but the rain
: season makes it impossible 10 carr
- on the hydraulic workings for NOR
g than ten months OF thc year.
II
oI The desert region OF Peru has
&c large amount of desert Land tha
l. susceptible Of irrigation. This IA