davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

big business. and il takes thou
sands of miles of railways to carry
its traffic Argentina has now almost
one-thirrieth of the railway tracks of
the world. Its mileage is equal to one
tenth that of all Europe. and more
than all the railways of Africa TAX
ing out the India roads and the trans
siberian system it is about equal to
that of all Asia, and it is 40 per cent
O. that of South America Brazil is
three times as big as Argentina. but it
has only two-thirdS much track, and
Chile. that long shoestring of a coun-
try, with it's longitudinal system, has
railway mileage of only little more
than 5000 miles. The railways of Ar
miles, and If joined end to end would
go seven times across the United
States from ocean to ocean. Laid upon
the spider-web of iron tracks that
cover Great Britain they would. with
few exceptions. cover every line in
that network. and multiplied by ten
of all Europe. and by twelve would
suTpass the mileage of the United
States. which is by far the greatest
railway country of the world.
Notwithstanding this the Argentine
railways are on the edge of their be-
ginning They are mainly long trunk
lines running from one end of the
country to the other. The towns are
idf apart. ana one may rue 1Or miles
without seeing a house. A large part
of the country is pasture lands. which
VIII some day be cut up into small
farms and intensively cultivated At
present the holdings are enormous.
There are wheat farms of tens of thou
sans of acres, and alfalfa tracts as big
as township of Ohio or Indiana. The
population numbers somewhere be-
tween eight and nine millions. Inten-
sive1y farmed the country would sup
port several hundred millions and it
might feed the United States and Eu-
rope In the far future it will be cut
UP into garden patches and gridironed
with tracks like the prairie lands of the
United States.
To-day the railway traffic is small in
proportion to the area. Nevertheless
the freight carried last year was over
forty million tons. and the railway pas
sergers numbered more than seventy
five millions. The most of the freight
was made up of food products carried
from the farms to the railroads in
wagons. X included about. three hun
6red million bushels of corn, some
thing Ike two hundred million bushels
of wheat. and tens of thousands of
cattle The factory products were
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18
REELECTED THAT PORTUGAL MAY BE ON VERGE OF NEW REvo1

tugal. Unless England called upon
Portugal to take part in the war the
best element in Portugal was over
whelmingly in favor OF a strict neu-
trality.
But Costa and his followers then in
office thought they saw n great oppor-
tunity and some of them at least saw
visions of immense profits arising out
of army contracts. Also service either
in Portuguese possessions in Africa or
in France would keep busy the incon-
venient military party which was Al
ready beginning to trouble the sleep
of the democrats. So successful at
tempt was made to embroil the Ger
mans in Africa with Angola, one of the
Portuguese possessions.
4 democratical officer on the south
ern frontier of that colony shot three
German officials. two civilians and one
lieutenant. when, after having invited
them to dinner. he arrested them and
they attempted to escape. These Of
f1cialS came to the Portuguese border
to inquire what had happened to the
conveys of goods which the Portuguese
authorities had allowed them to pur-
chase. This incident was exploited by
the war syndicate. and instead of eA-
planning it to Germany, the ministers
used it to their own benefit. Military
expeditions We're sent to avenge the
reprisals which the Germans had
threatened against the Portuguese.
Since Gen. de Castro came into Office
there has been 4 change in tone. 1t Is
possible, however, that it is too late
to draw back and that Portugal is now
embarked upon war with Germany
with all the important consequences
entailed.
1t is in the fact that Costa and his
followers will not take all this lying
down that the danger to the Internal
peace of Portugal exists. Adversely
brings strange fellows under the same
bedclothes. and it is said that the
radical democrats have actually Joined
hands against de Castro with the royal
lists.
AS these two strong men stand array
ed against each other, waiting for an
opportunity to strike with precision
and effectiveness, meanwhile a story
is told of a stormy meeting between
the two which hits off their characters
to perfection.
At the conclusion of an interview
when. after protesting in vain against
the high handed measures adopted by
de Castro, Costa arose to go, he turn
ed to his opponent and said impress
II shall win out in the end, for have
the press. public opinion and parlia-
ment back of me-.
Huh" grunted de Castro, with a
quiet smile. It have three better CARDS
than that: I have the infantry, the
cavalry and the artillery"
Copyright, 1915. By Curtis BrovAb
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18
Nh Bulls Railroad Investments in South Americ

The compartment sleeping cars are
such that one has all the advantages
of the drawing room of our Pullman
coaches. If he is alone he can have
the upper berth put up and have
good lying down place in the day
time, and at the same time he has the
seclusion of room to himself. On
some of the trains there is a sleeping
car reserved for the ladies, and on all
the cars there are special compart-
ments for smoking.
AS to baggage, the trains usually
carry 40 pounds free on each ticket,
all additional weight being charged
for at high prices. I usually carry
several trunks with me. and my extra
baggage has at times cost almost as
much as my ticket. There are express
companies by which one can forward
his baggage. and have il taken from
his hotel at the starting point to that
at the landing point for a fixed sum.
There are excursion tickets and season
tickets on many of the roads The one
great objection to certain trains is the
lack of heating apparatus during the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

the first car is Allied the platform between
it and the second car Is raised and the
second is filled. then the platform at the
end Of that is raised. and SO on. The
unloading of the cattle is equally simple.
1t was at the station OF Gen. Campos
in Entire Rios the other day that / saw
them loading some thousands of sheep
The cars were double-deckers, as long
as our longest cattle cars. They were
Joined end to end. with platforms between
them, so arranged that when a drove
started In at one end of the car it rapidly
passed through to the other end. each
car being shut off as II was filled. The
loading was one continuous process. four
thousand sheep being put into the cars
in a very few minutes The lower decks
of the trains were loaded first after that
those above.
AS to grain. Il is usually carried in
bags. and a great deal of il goes in open
freight cars. covered with tarpaulins to
FeeD off the rain. The grain is piled
up in bags at the stations. and at harvest
times there are great sacks of bags so
corded up at every depot
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

small and the merchandise shipped
from city to city did not compare with
that of the United States, although the
Argentines are man for man among
the greatest spenders of the world.
The trouble is that most of their peo-
pie live in the cities, and that one-fifth
of the whole population resides at
Buenos Aires. The money is made in
the camp and on the farms, and ii is
spent at the capital The result is that
this city is the Paris, the London. the
New York and the Washington of Ar
gentina, and it is the great railroad
center to which everything contributes.
The density of the traffic may be
known by the fact that more than five
hundred passenger trains go out of the
city every day.
The most of the railways OF Argen-
tina belong to the British. They have
something like one thousand millions
of good. hard gold dollars invested in
such properties. and their roads are
paying dividends of per cent and up
ward Il year. Many of them were built
upon Il guarantee from the government
of per cent. and they have been given
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

part of southern Argentina. 1t has
branch lines into Patagonia. and it will
eventually connect with new railroads
across the Andes, opening up southern
capitalization OF s245.oO0.oOo, and it's
net income is about S15,OOo.000 a year.
1t has paid 7 per cent on its common
stock since 1900. The Buenos Aires
Southern has more than $500 miles OF
track. and it carries something like
u OO0, 900 passengers year Much OIL
the road is double tracked. and it has
fine terminals here at the capital Its
chief depot is at the Plaza Constitution
from where $50 passenger trains go in
and out daily.
The passenger traffic of the Southern
railway is an important revenue pro-
Queer. 1t is now CARRYING SIX or seven
millions of livestock year. About one
half of all the cattle that go to the
freezing establishments come from the
south. 1t has also a valuable summer
resort traffic It has the CHER chi Din, line
which is the fashionable seaside city OF
Argentina. and is about ESQ miles away
During the season there are afternoon
express trains with parior cars only
and three trains of sleeping cars that
run nightly. One has to engage his
sleeping accommodations some time in
advance. The rates of travel are high.
as is everything connected with the
town of Mar del Plata.
The Buenos Aires and Pacific railway
is connected with the trunk line. which
crosses the Andes from ocean to ocean.
1t takes passengers from Buenos Aires
to Valparaiso, distance of $50 miles.
The Chilean part of the road is short.
something like 700 miles of the trip
across the continent being on Argen-
tine territory. The Buenos Aires and
Pacific railway has total mileage of
about 3.400 miles. and its capitalize
ton is about $685. 900. The road is
well managed. Its fares are high. The
distance from Valparaiso to Buenos
Aires is just about the same as from
New York to Chicago, and my fare
between the two places was sos. or
about three times as much as for a
similar journey in the United States.
Another important railway Of Argen-
tina is the Central. This has a CAPT.
talization of $253. 200. 900. and it's gross
earnings are something like $32,000,000
a year. 1t is now operating about
5000 miles of road. and annually car
ries about 100000 passengers and
about 100000 tons of freight. The
road began building in 1854 to con-
meet Rosario and Cordoba. 1t now has
two lines from Buenos Aires to Rosario
and one from there to Tucuman and
1t will eventually be a part of the sys-
tenn which will cross the continent to
Antofagasta in Chile. All but a few
miles OF this line is now built and it is
not an impossibility but that it may
be completed this year. The road has
the highest gross earnings per mile
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

in his own country He is Il man of
strong independence of character, ana
under the monarchy he was often per-
secuted, but even his royalist enemies
admired his strong sense of justice.
In the Chagas republican cabinet he
was dismissed on the grounds that he
was not adequately defending the re-
public because he withdrew all money
grants from the white Ants" and re-
fused to allow them to enter the mill
tarv barracks. In other words. he
tried fall with the powerful White
Ants and failed His second attempt
seems to be meeting with more sue
cess.
The fight between Costa and de
Castro and the forces behind them
has centered on the coming elections,
and battle royal is being waged
around the electoral laws. Costa and
his followers proposed a bill that
would have successfully delivered the
reins of government back into his
hands next August. Under the inten-
tionally wide discretionary powers
given to the authorities no one except
a proved Costa adherent would have
had a chance of getting within miles
of n polling station. Thus not only
the Legislature but the new president
of the republic would have ultimately
reposed snugly in the palm of DIR. At
fonso Costa.
Under this bill all discontents were
set aside The military officers and
SergeantS who d1Sa pprO|ed OF the man
aSement of the country We're deprived
of the franchise. All those who could
not read or Write-15 per cent OF the
population-Were also deprived OF the
suffrage.
Although the right TO vote was
granted only to those who could read
and write, the formalities for the reg
istration were so complicated that one
had to give them up. Professors of
high schools were omitted from the
lists on the ground that they were il
hterate. Others were registered IN
boroughs far away from their resi-
dence. in order to make the discovery
of their polling places well nigh inn
possible. Others were simply rejected
suspects-of being royalists or
Catholics. The number of deputies
was an important question. The demo-
Gratis wanted 235. 1t will be remem-
bered that the first parliament of the
republic granted 500 per month to
each deputy and senator. But at last
the democrats agreed to 1856 deputies
instead of the 1876 which seems to be
indicated by the constitution.
Since Gen. de Castro has assumed
charge he has cut the heart out of this
bill. A decree has been issued alter
ing all those points of the electoral
bill which were intended to be unfair.
ambiguous and confusing. In addi-
ton he DEGREES that herea fter the Ro-
man Catholic property in Portugal
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18
LISBON, April 6. 1
Correspondence Of TIE Star.


LISBON. April 6, 1915.
- q Unhappy Portugal is on the
verge of a new revolution I,
III II claims the right. upheld by all
W the other European nations,
as President Wilson recently said, Of
settling its disputes. both internal and
external. by an appeal to arms H. 1t 50
wishes
This threatened revolution is not
morn of an attempt by the deposed
King Manuel to regain his throne, al
though that might easily follow upon
= divided country. 1t is due instead to
E quarrel among the very forces that
sent Manuel and his ambitious mother
into English exile. And the particular
prize over which these republican fac
r'ons are planning a fight is the con-
trol of the coming elections and
through them, a control of tho govern
lneut for the next three years
To an observer the factions are per
sonified by two strong men, who stand
srrayed against each other determined
10 fight to the last. One is already
known to American readers He is Dr.
Alfonso Costa, former premier and, ever
since the flight of Manuel the strong
hand behind the forces that ruled Por-
1ugal. A clever lawyer, absolutely lack
ing in personal fear, INSCRIPTIONS in
his political actions, he gathered about
him ii handful of weaker though more
vocal friends and through his control
of the secret organization known as
the white Ants" which diligently
spied in every corner of tho country,
succeeded. up to a short time ago, in
holding the reins of power.
But, like most strong men, he made
many enemies, and. like most politically
unscrupuIous politicians. he eventually
raised up an opposition determined upon
his downfall. 1t was not long before
the more ardent of the democrats, who
thought they saw the dawn Of a new
and brighter era with the disappear
ance of royal skirts and boots, rebelled
against Costa's autocratic assumption
of power and the rigor with which he
applied the most drastic martial law
TO political suspects. So far as politi-
cal liberty was concerned Portugal lost.
rather than gained, by the change from
Manuel to DR.. Alfonso.
But these radical revolts were not
serious and, beyond bomb explosion
now and then In the Praca da Dom
Pedro, or a few shots fired wildly at
the lighted window in Costas house by
q would-be assassin, would probably
never have disturbed this new die
tstor of Portugal. Unfortunately for
him, other men of character and
bravery, above reproach of self-seeking
and (NiH more unfortunately for hina)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

and exceedingly comfortable. The
seats are wider than ours. and those
of the first class are upholstered in
leather. They have also chair cars
and special sleeping compartments.
On nearly every train tea is served in
the afternoon, and the passengers uni
versally go to the dining car for their
tea. Most of the cars serve d table
dhote dinner at about l pm. This
costs SIPS, and for that one may have
a soup, fish, stewed chicken, roast beef
with vegetables and ice cream, cheese,
fruit and coffee. The dinner is much
like the old-style dollar dinner of the
American roads, save that it is served
In courses.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

of any line in Argentina. 1t pays divi-
dends of per cent.
Other railways which are doing big
business are the Buenos Aires Western
and the Argentine. The first is capital
lied at $136, 100000 and it has gross re-
ceipts of about S14, 100000. The other
is managed by the Farquhar- Pea rSon
syndicate. usually known as an Ameri-
can company. although the most of its
money comes from Great Britain. The
Argentine road has charter from
Maine. 1t has lines in Cordoba and En-
tire Rios and in northern Argentina
and altogether has more than 200
miles of track leased controlled. A
large part of it is narrow gauge and
one section Is part of the through
route to Paraguay. ] have travelled
over much of the latter road and find
1t comfortable They now begin
ming to ship cattle from Paraguay to
Buenos Aires and live stock may in the
future form a large part of the traffic.
The trains from Buenos Aires to Asun-
cion are ferried across the Rio de la
Plata and the Parana rivers en- route.
Much of the railways of Argentina
are well built. The most common gauge
is five and one-half feet and there are
also seven thousand miles of track
whose gauge is a meter The broad
gauge originated from the fact that
the first road in the country was built
wheels were five and one-ha1f feet
apart. The most of the roads of the
future have been kept that extraordi-
nary width Our roads four feet
eight and one-half inches wide, or
what is known as the standard gauge.
The most of the railways OF the Argen-
tine are ballasted with dirt or clay.
Many of them have steel ties and in
some the rails rest on disks of iron
connected by rods or hollow plates of
pressed steel so fixed that they fit
down into the earth. the rails being
clamped to them. In one year about
$S.000.000 worth of steel rails were i'm
ported.
The question of ties is important.
There are no trees on the great pampas
and all kinds of lumber must be i'm
ported. The hard woods of the Parana
and Paraguay rivers will not float, and
some woods are SO heavy that a single
tie will weigh 200 pounds. Some are so
tough that spikes cannot be driven
into 1t and holes have to be bored for
the spikes before the rails can be
fastened.
Nevertheless railroad building on the
pampas is comparatively cheap. The
country is dead fiat, and you can run
a roadbed for hundred miles or SO,
without much grading to speak of.
This is SO also in parts of Patagonia,
but there the duststorms are such that
stopping the cars. They use dust plows
as we use snow plows. During storm
of few years ago, it took two thou
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18
Copy right, 1915. by Frank C. Carpenter,

fCopyrigh 1915. by Frank G. carpentera
BUENOS AIRES.
E1HE Argentine railways have
been badly struck by the war.
The people are economizing In
q every possible way. There is
decrease in the sales of season tickets,
family tickets and also in freight. Dur
ing the three months following the adj
vance of Germany into Belgium the
receipts of the Central Argentine Com
pany fell off more than s2.OO0.OOo.
those of the Buenos Aires and South
ern railway s1.5O0.O00. and those of the
Buenos Aires and Pacific about the
same. The ordinary freight volume has
shrunk and all of the railways show
large decreases in traffic.
1t will seem strange to many of you.
who look upon the Argentine a wild
pasture land with scattering grain
fields. that the railways should be Il
big factor in it's prosperity. The fact
is this country is fast becoming one OF
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

just as INSCRIPTIONS as he in their po-
lftical methods, were at work. To show
how these men and their leader even
tualiy put Costa, for the time being. at
least, in the discard 1t is necessary to
go into ancient history a bit.
1t must be remembered that the heart
of the Portuguese army was not in the
revolution that set up the republic. That
through by Costa and q few others by
undermining the loyalty of a few hun
dred troops in Lisbon. almost accident
ally hitting upon a moment when most
OF the loyal officers were absent from
their commands, and then muddling
through in the most extraordinary and
grotesQue fashion. Probably never out
side Central America was a country
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

fully equal to any tube lines of the
world In addition, tube has been
made for freight trains This passes
under the Avenida de Mayo to the
plaza of that name, and then goes
under the Gale Divadavia and other
streets. covering the business parts of
the city.
The railroad systems of the Argentine
are not small in either their extent or
their business. One of the largest Is
the Buenos Aires Southern. This con-
meets the capital with some of the best
lands of the Argentine, going south to
Bahia Blanca and covering a large
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

= many other favors in concessions and
in the remission of duties. As it is now
all railway materials come in free, and
the government is encouraging the
building of new roads and the extension
of the old ones. Up to the time of the
war about S10o.oO0.000 a year was COM
ing from Europe for railway construc
ton. Nearly every road was improving
its system. and that not only In the
country at large, but here at the CAPT.
tai. Some of the suburban roads Were
being electrified, and among them
those of the Central Argentine Railway
Company, whose suburban lines are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

long winter journeys, when the Their
mometer falls and the high winds in
crease the cold.
The two chief sources of Argentine
traffic are live stock and grain. AT al
most any time of the year you may see
long trains of cattle and sheep moving
in caravans, as it were, across the country.
The cattle cars are better than ours
They open at the ends instead Of at the
sides, and are so made that the whole
train can be made into one street of cars,
so that the cattle can he driven in single
file from one end of it to the other. This
enables the stock to be loaded in a much
shorter time than with us. The cattle
are started in at one end. As soon as
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

now carrying something like 100000
passengers d year.
The Western railway has constructed
two tube lines which take passengers
right into the heart of Buenos Aires.
In the beauty of their equipment these
tubes are superior to anything We have
in New York, and in efficiency they are