Evening star., 1924-11-26

Since the beginning of history CIV
ilization and interest have travelled
along latitudinal lines. Men have
looked westward for conquest and
eastward for the frsfts OF former
achievement. Today we turn to lon
eitude in place of latitude.
Our Government has sent Gen.
John ]. Pershing as Ambassador Ex-
traordinary and Minister. Plenipo-
tentiary to Peru, accompanied by a
distinguished delegation. They are
to participate in Perus centennial
celebration of her achievement or
independence from Spain. On Decem-
ber the anniversary of the final VIC
tory-the battle of Ayacucho-Wlli
be re-enacted upon the mountain
height where 1t took place, and the
engagement will be witnessed by all
the distinguished guests Of the ma.
ton. Ayacucho was the yorktown
OF Peru, Bolivia and Chile, for 1t
was there that they fought Jointly
and won their Independence
To arrive at the battlefield 1t is
necessary to travel over the most pic
turesuue and wonderful railroad in
the world, climbing from sea level
to a height of $4,000 feet in dis
tance of 200 miles. 1t Is with no
little patriotic pride that Gen. Perish
ing may point to this railroad, COM
pleted some 80 years ago. as mas
terpiece of mountain engineering
achieved by an American after other
engineers had despaired of conquer
ing the precipitous heights.
X X X x
The railroad is not a cog-wheel
track, but a standard gauge, ordinary
- I'D oil
of rocky sleeps, leaps across deep
chasms; in less than four miles it
pierces the granite peaks with 80
tunnels, and, at last. climbs the Pc
ruvian Andes over a pass $4,000 feet
higher than sea level, and in 22O
miles spans the mountain range and
connects the Pacific port of Callao
with the headwaters of the Amazon
River. thereby creating transcon-
tinental route for commerce.
The engineer was John Meigs,
Californian. He had lost a fortune
in that State, and packing a few
household goods in a schooner" he
fed overnight to escape creditors. In
South America he amassed great
wealth through his railroad building,
and ultimately returned to the United
States and paid his debts. The story
of John Meigs is a South American
classic of prowess, adventure and
achievement His total mileage there
amounted to 790 miles, with gov
ernment investment of S125.0O0,00o.
Some of It's feats on crossing the
Andes were accomplished only at a
cost Of $10S,000 mile.
While the Importance OF the Mefgs
route across the Andes (known as
the Pacific, Trans-Andean. Callao,
Lima and Aroya Railway-the "Aroya
Railway" for shorD has not been en-
hanced by the opening Of the Panama
Canal, so far as concerns access to the
Atlantic, yet its commercial impor-
tance in opening the interior of Peru
to both the Atlantic and Pacific out
let's will grow as the countrys agri-
culture and mining develop.
When, in 1901, William 7. Stead
wrote his book, "The Americaniza-
| tion Of the World" in which he
pointed with British chagrin at the
superiority of American enterprise in
| competition in building bridges In
Africa and supplying English rail-
roads with American engines, he
overlooked one Of the best illustra-
| tions-John Meigs and his Peruvian
railroads.
Peru, Chile ana Bolivia were allies
| for independence against their com