The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1915-05-15

Stuse U. S. A., in the Pan-American Union.
But it is impossible, do l hear you say? Just
a moment. while quote you few, very few,
facts and figures The Oroya railway tEl Fer
rocarrl Central del Peru is monument to the
genius of Henry Meggs, an American. or rather,
! should say. UnitedStates Of North American,
for in the southern hemisphere the term "Ameri-
cano' is not very definite, and we usually find
ourselves indexed under M to distinguish US
from the United States of Colombia, United Mex
lean States. etc. Callao, the 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" Perus capital is
six miles from Callao. and is located 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 Callao it climbs steadily to an elevation
OF 1866 feet above sea level. where the divide
Is crossed through the Galera tunnel. at mile
1O6. The Morococha branch rises to elevation
15,s65-the highest point reached by any railroad
in the world. At Oroya. mile 1873 the road d.
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 Mollendo 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
the Ucayali river. of the important upper
tributaries of the Amazon.
The Oroya road is not onl' the highest in the
world but there is no other which lifts its breath
less passengers to any -uch altitude in such an
appallingly short distance. To climb the
Oroya climbs Hudson river train leaving New
York city would have to ascend half an hour be-
fore it reached Albany, distance 1000 feet
greater that that from level to the summit
of Pixies Peak. The daily passenger train leaves
Callao in the forenoon and reaches Oroya late in
the afternoon. AS there are night trains on
account of the great danger rocks falling down
in the track, the round trip ordinarily requires
two days. Since there is continuous down.
grade from the Gaera tunnel to the sea. op-
portunity is offered for the most unique hand.
car ride in the world.
of the line were afforded exceptional facilities
for making the trip His private at
tached to the evening train TO. Chosca, a fash
ionabie resort about thirty-ive miles out of Lima,
at an elevation of about two thousand eight hun
dred feet. For an hour wound through
a wide irrigated valley fat and prosperous look.
ing with plantations Of sugar and cotton
fenced in by mud walls the roofs of hacienda
showing and then over the green Beyond
that the bare brown mountans-high enough, it
seemed, yet really more than fOothills-sbut
in and shouldered upward tier on tier behind
each other, yellow and terra Gotta and tawny
brown occasionally flashing through slit in
their TANKS the snowy shoulders of peaks miles
and miles away to which were to climb. At
Chosica our car sdetracked for the night.
dinner was served aboard, and we turned in to
he ready for an early start the next morning.
About 4 a. 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