The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-05-15

Stuse, U. S. A, in the Union.
But it is impossible, do l hear you say? Just
a moment, while l quote you a few, a very few,
facts and figures. The Oroya railway (El Fer
rocarril Central del Peru is a monument to the
genius of Henry Meiggs, an American, or, rather,
l should say, a Observation-Disclosures,
for in the southern hemisphere the term "Ameri-
cano' is not very definite, and we usually find
ourselves indexed under N" to distinguish US
from the United States of Colombia, United Mex
lean States. etc. Callao, tho Pacific terminus Of
the Oroya railway, and one of the principal ports
Of Peru, is six days by boat south of Panama.
Lima, the "City Of Kings" Peru's capital, Is
six miles from Callao, and is located on a broad
tableland about five hundred feet above the sea.
The opening of the Panama canal will undoubt-
eddy stimulate travel to South America. and of
all parts Of the continent Peru is wonderfully
rich in natural wonders ant historical back.
ground.
The Oroya railway was begun in 1869. Begin
ming at Canao 1t climbs steadily to an elevation
OF 1866. feet above sea level, where the divide
is crossed through the Galera tunnel, at mile
lO6. The Morococha branch rises to elevation
15,S65-the highest point reached by any railroad
in the world. At Oroya, mile 1873. the road di.
vides, one branch going north to the famous
Cerro de Pasco copper mines, the other 80 miles
south to Huancayo, with a projected extension
to Cuzco, the old Inca capital, which has had
rail connection with the sea at Nclendo for sew
eral years. Another branch, about three hundred
miles long, is under construction down the east
ern slope of the Andes to the head of navigation
on the Ucayali river, one of the important upper
tributaries Of the Amazon.
The Oroya road is not ONLY the highest in the
world, but there is no other which lifts it's breath
less passengers to any ouch altitude in such an
appallingly short distance. To climb as the
Oroya climbs, a Hudson river train leaving New
York city would have to ascend half an hour be-
fore it reached Albany, a distance 1000 feet
greater that that from sea level 10 the summit
of Pixies Peak. The daily passenger train leaves
CalaO in the forenoon and reaches Oroya late in
the afternoon. AS there are no night trains on
account of the great danger or rocks falling down
in the track, the round trip ordinarily requires
two days. Since there is a continuous down
grade from the Galera tunnel to the sea, an op-
p%ortunity is offered for the most unique hand
car ride in the world.
Through tho courtesy of the general manager
of the line We were afforded exceptional facilities
for making the trip. His private car was at
tached to the evening train fol- Chosica, a fash
ionable resort about thirty-fve miles out of Lima,
at an elevation of about two thousand eight hun
dred feet. For an hour or so we wound through
a wide irrigated valley, fat and prosperous look
ing. with plantations of sugar cane and cotton
fenced in by mud walls, the roofs of - hacienda
showing now and then over the green. Beyond
that the bare brown mountains-high enough, it
seemed, yet really no more than foothills-shut
in and shouldered upward tier on tier behind
each other. yellow and terra Gotta and tawny
brown, occasionally flashing through a slit in
their TANKS the snowy shoulders of peaks miles
and miles away. to which we we're to climb. At
Chosica our car was sidetracked for the night.
dinner was served aboard, and W. turned in to
be ready for an early start the next morning.
About 4 a. IN. we were awakened by our car
being picked up by the morning freight, whose
schedule had been advanced several hours for
our special benefit. The real climb now began.