El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-18


Is Great Railway Land Of Future.
Brazil IS one OF the great railway ccun-
tries Of the future Its territory is greater
than the United States proper and IL has
far more good land in proportion TO its size.
Acre for acre. il will produce more food than
the United States ana. cultivated intensively,
il could feed and clothe the whole world
Nevertheless. it has only about $1,000 miles
OF railways IN operation, and something like
2e00- more in projection or construction. It
has not Oue-tweifth as much track we
have. and It Is AT the beginning OF its rail-
way era
The United States Is already grid-ironed
with tracks. and we have. all told. a mile
age Of about 100000 II would girdie the
woric about ten times. Our first road was
built in 1880, and the first one in Brazil was
not opened TO traffic until 20 years later.
The most Of the railways OF Brazil have been
constructed within the past ten years. and
from now on they viii rapidly grow AT
the time the European war broke cut there
were a number of new lines under way that
have since been stopped for lack Of funds
In 1918. Brazil bought about s9,00o,000
worth Of freight cars OF the United States
and Europe Last year she bought only
81. 600 Gee worth, and this year her pur-
chases will be practically nothing She i'm
ported sIi.Ooo.0OO worth Of steel rails in
1914. and she is now buying none. Some OF
her large enterprises. for instance, the Brazil
Of receivers. and it will need the advent OF
peace abroad to retuvenste the era OF rail-
road construction
Activity Due After the War.
At the close Of the var the roads viii
be pushed Just as rapidly as money can
be found TO pay for the construction. Until
now the capital for the public works Of
this continent has come from Europe
large part has been from England, and an
other large part from France and Belgium
The Sac Paulo road, OF which have writ
ten. is owned in London. and the Brazil
Railway company. although II Is managed oy
citizens Of the United States. depends. al
most entirely upon Franco-Belglan capital
This company has capital OF S5o.o0o00e. II
a tad ~ he u~r to NJ "a
Germans own q short railroad in Santa
Cathsrina, and the roads operating in the
central states have been financed for the
most part by Brazilians.
As Il is now, the government owns or
leases about 1000 miles Of the present sys-
TEN. and many Of the other roads nave
In some cases the government guarantees an
interest on bonds issued for constructing
the lines. and in others it gives also con-
cessions OF lands. The Brazil Railway com
pany has received a grant Of some millions
OF acres toward the construction OF new
lines in southern Brazil, and i has now IN
der lease or in actual ownership more than
a half million acres OF forests, six million
acres OF possible farms and more than eiGnt
million acres said to be excellent pasture
Is an American Road.
The Brazil Railway company Is especially
interesting TO the United States II works
under an American charter and It's presi-
dent is Percival Faruuhar Of New York The
financial complications created by the var
have thrown the company Temporarily into
the hands OF receivers but Il is believed that
it win weather the storm and yet be one OF
the great railway systems OF the henlis-
It is now the largest system in Brazil and
one OF the largest in South America II con-
sists OF a consolidation OF number OF the
older railroads OF Brazil. together with
many extensions that have been made sllce
the company was Incorporated IN 1915 us
main track already covers parts OF the rieh
states Of sac Paulo. Parana- santa Catnartna
and Rio Grsnde do Sui II holds also an
F-rHa oct IN he raj
through the central portion OF the state OF
Sac Paulo and the Mogyana railway which
having length Of more than a thousand
miles. The company also owns the MADEIRA
Mamore railroad in the wiids OF the upper
amazon. and it has prolsets 70 ouild -
into Matte Crosse and Paraguay creating
q vast system that viii be OF incalculaole
value TO the republic
A Road in the BaekWOOds-
Perhaps the most interesting OF the prop
critics associated with the Brazil Railway
company is the Madeira and Mamore rail-
,rav This road is located far in the back
woods OF Brazil II is situated thousands Of
miles up the Amazon, in the heart Of a Wilt
erness that produces a large part OF the rub
Der Of the world II is only 226 miles long.
but its location is such that u opens Up
thousands Of miles Of river navigation u
goes around the falls OF The Madeira river
into which flow the three mighty streams
known as the Namore Benz and the Madre
de Dios all Of which originate on the east
ern slopes Of the Andes, and are nsFlga2ie
In the past the cargoes have been carried
over the falls in large boats manned by
crews of Is men each. but the waters are
50 rough that many lives and much freight
nave been annually lost The railway viii
carry passengers and freight around the
falls and viii thus give new outlet from
the Andes to the Atlantic This will benefit
not only Bolivia. but Matte Crosse as well.
The boats will 70 from the falls down the
Madeira river into the Amazon and thence
thousand miles down the Amazon out 10
the sea
Hospitals with American Doctors.
This road is now completed. and its earn
ings in 1913 were more than y, 100000. al
though IA. like the parent road. Is IN the
hands Of a receiver today. The Brazil Rail-
uay company has erected hospitals in con-
nectfon with the construction. and they have
had a large number Of American doctors In
attendance
per cent OF the laborers were taken down
with fever but toward the end the average
sickness was reduced 10 less than Per cent
and a new regime Of tropical sanitation was
inaugurated-
road from its southern terminus to Liberaita
on the Benz river. and thus open trade
route OF great importance to Bolivia The
latter republic has authorized the building
Of a railway from its capital at La Paz 70
some point on the BENZ and the two roads
will give an eastern outlet for the trade
Of the high plateau Of the Andes
Bolivia has other plans for the building
Of railroads through its eastern territory
which in union with those Of Brazil viii re-
suit in opening up the vast undereloped and
80 a large extent unexplored country thar
borders the Andes from Argentina 70 Colom-
bia-