New Britain herald., 1916-01-21
RAILROAD TO RIVAL
 THE PANAMA. CANAL
Line, Sixty Miles Long, in Interior
 of South American Continent

Washington, Jan. 21--A railroad
 that is to be a rival of the Panama
 Canal? Just so-and it is only sixty
 miles long, in the interior of the South
 American continent, and neither ter
 minus is within hundreds of miles of
 either ocean. Sounds rather pisca-
 torial? Perhaps. But read the rest,
 and Anayhap it will sound more
 mean that this railroad is going to
 transport ships from one ocean to the
 ether It does mean, however that it
 is likely to divert considerable amount of traffic between Europe and
 certain sections of the Pacific coast
 of South America, which would other wise utilize the canal, to an entirely rev route. At least that is the con- tention of the author of an article en- titled La Quiaca-Tupiza Rival to Panama Canal" which appears in the the Pan-American Union.
 La Quiaca and Turpiza are the names of two little inland towns in South America, the first in Argentina and the second in Bolivia. The first is linked up with the railway systems of the former and the second with those of the last named country-and it is the siXty-mile hiatus between the two that this new railway will con- meet up. How the building of this road came about, and just how it may affect the Panama Canal traffic the author of the story tells us as follows:
 Highlands and Lowlands.
 ''The Bolivian railway system, the building of which was undertaken not many years ago by the government, was a comprehensive effort for de- yelopment on a large scale. It took in both the highlands and the low lands of the country. It sought ac cess to the outside world through three channels. First down from the highlands to the Pacific This has already been accomplished by the means of three roads ending at AntO- fa gasta, Africa, and Mollendo, three Pacific ports. Second, through Argen- tina. This is about to be accom- plished by the La Quiaca-Tupiza read. Third, down to the Mamore the Amazon, and Brazil. It is with the second outlet that We have atl present to do.
 "On August 23, 1915, President l Montes, of Bolivia, on behalf of the 1 Bolivian government, accepted the 1 of Charles A. Vezin, of Paris, ,or the construction of the La Quiaca- Fupiza railway connecting the Boli- ian and the Argentine railway ystems. (The work was undertaken oy the Vezin syndicate for lump | sum of about S4,500.000.) Judg- | ng from the length of the road, about l ttxty miles, people unacquainted with 1 Bolivia and the BoIivians themselves 10. The importance of the work con- sists in the fact that it furnishes the | link between the railroad ;ystems of the east and west of South l A merica. It furnishes shorter and nore direct route from Europe to Bolivia and the West Coast. but in particular that part of the West Coast north of Antofag gasta. During the summer mOnths-that is, from about | september to March or April Cthe seasons in the southern hemisphere ;eing the reverse of ours)-the sav- ng Of tune rom Europe Dy way oI he new route to Bolivia or Peru would probably not amount to more than two or three days as compared with the route by way of the Argen- jine- Chile Trans-Andean road; but during the winter months, when this latter route is closed to traffic and la ssengers and mails are forced to take the southern stea mship route by way of the Strait of Magellan, the