The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-05
ROSS THE ANDES By TRAIL
G. Carpenter Writes G. the Transcontinental
Trunk Line From Chile to Argentina.

kAmpaS and Two Weeks to
Aires-HOw the Road Was |
ncted-Its Mighty Tunnel
by Americans - Views Of
Agna and Tupungato-''Thc
Of the Andes" Versus the
War in Europe.
ghted 1914 by Trang G. Car
penter.)
the Andes by railway!
ling by rack and pinion over
hest range of our hemisphere!
o&ing through the darkness Of
Ro-mile tunnel from Chile into
Ina!
61nding almost straight from the
ocean to peaks lost in the
and coasting from the nov
Into the broad lands that reach
IA on to the Atlantic.
=. In q nutshell. is the story Of
ZIP over the great Transcontinen-
railroad. which now ties the
together. II is already the
South American trade route be-
the Atlantic and the Pacific;
now that our canal is completed
ALI form the quickest way from
country to the southeastern part
the hemisphere. 1t takes thirty
- TO go by steamer from New
k to Buenos Aires. When this
Is owe and the fast shipping ser
to Chile has been inaugurateG
shall &C through the canal to VAL
aiso in less than ter days and be
&Buenos Aires we'll inside Of two
bks.
At present the freight rates over
Andes are so high that the send
Of Argentine freight to be ship
- - Gh@ y - o,rf
the question. There is no reason
hy they should not be reduced. and
Thin a short time cargOes of fruit
III be crossing the mountains on
cir way. via the canal, to New York.
he passenger rates are high at pres
lt. The fare from Valparaiso to
benos Aires is about $65, and the
stance is not greater than from
York to Chicago. This might
} cut down one-third or one-half
Id the increased traffic would make
be road pay.
The time Of passage can also be
1t. The continuous trip now takes
bout thirty-eight hours. We make
he journey from New York to Chi.
ago in less than twenty hours, ant
ven with the delay in crossing the
all Of which is included
! q distance Of perhaps ITS miles
he journey from port to port mal
pine day be made in thirty hours, or
nth the fast trains Of the future
Tithin one full day.
My trip over the Andes began a
antiago. l left there at about
In the evening, and two hour
ater had passed out Of the grea
valley OF Chile and climbe'
the station at Los Andes, wher
he narrowgauge railroad begins
.os Andes is a railroad town wit,
more than a hotel, where pas
engers stop over night. The hotel
rambling structure with severe
hundred large rooms. Each room ha
lot and cold water, which is unCom
in this part Of the world, an
he beds are comfortable. The rate
me were $2.20 for lodging
including coffee and bread in tn
morning. And the coffee was good.
We left Los Andes about 8 o'cloc
n n morning and wound our wa
through a narrow valley walled b
steep rocky mountains. The road VIZ
J steady climb with an average gaug
about 3 per cent, and a maximum
grade, after the rack and pinon Sc,
"SAS ASoSAiCot oA AOout o ~
cent. The valley was that Of tt
river, which has it's rise
Mount A~concagua. not far away. I'll
was the color of putty, and
me of the glacial streams
the Alps. The river is fed by IL
glaciers of Aconcagua. and it is loa,
ed with the earth's washings Of Il
Andes. The valley widens in place
and here you find irrigated patche
with little fields of alfalfa and bari
and beans. Now and then you pa
mud hut matched with straw, al
where there is room there is a "
lage Of similar huts. The most of t
people live On the lands which tn
till. Some of the fields are not bigg
than bed uilts. They have horses a
cattle feeding upon them. All Of t
holdings are exceedingly small.
saw farms of four or five acres, a,
on one nea a station l counted
acre OF corn. a half acre of bari
and three pasture fields of an &C
or so. Near the track on the edge
the grain field the farmers we
threshing. They had spread out t
sheaves Of wheat inside a ring of ha
ground, and near them stood a ha
dozen horses. waiting to be driv
over 10 the straw to tread out t
grain. A little farther on / saw [