Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-09-30

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. D. c.
THE completion of a 124-mile
stretch of railway between the
northern Argentina border and
the Bolivian city of Atocha,
linking the railway systems of the two
countries for the first time, again di-
reefs attention to the mythical "Pan-
American Railway" which, when COM
plpted, will employ this section of
track.
The Pan-American railroad, a dream
of more then fifty years, has been
progressing slowly but surely in the
last two decades. Nearly two-thirds
or the 10000 miles separating Wash
ington and Buenos Aires have already
been paved with steel. 1t is now pos
slble to take a train in Washington
and make rail connections with Qua
temala City, distance of more than
$500 miles. Scattered through Cen
trail America and South America are
many other sections Of completed rail-
way which could be Incorporated in the
Pan-American and which total up an
additional 700 miles. At Cuzco, the
ancient Inca capital, in Peru, it is
possible again to board train that
connects, by means of a boat trip
across Lake Titicaca, with Buenos
Aires, 1900 miles away.
South America offers perhaps the
greatest barriers to the completion
of the project. The huge mountain
ranges along the western part of the
continent rise like a wall from the
Pacific. Farther east is more rolling
country, but there are few inhabitants,
and tropical conditions make railroad
construction and maintenance even
more difficult and costly than in the
mountains.
Excellent steamship service is a
powerful competitor. Many of the
principal inland cities have already
spent considerable sums in construct
ing railroads connecting them with the
sea.
That the project is an important one
Is testified by numerous attempts
made at different times to make it an
international project, financed by the
countries through which it would run.
Might Be Alaska to Patagonia.
A steel highway that will unite all
the Americas will be one Of the longest
continuous railway lines that the geog-
raphy of the globe admits. Ordinar-
lily Washington and Buenos Aires are
taken as terminal points, but Alaska
and Patagonia might just as well be
selected. The distance by rail from
Paris to Picking is about 1900 miles.
The Cape-to-Cairo route, and It's con
nections th~pugh Asia Minor, can hard
Iy be considered, for there are too
many gaps in the railway line filed at
present by water trips. The Pan
American Railway is 10000 miles from
Washington to Buenos Aires alone.
Here is what traveller can expect
20 find in a rand journey today be-
tween Washington and BuenOs Aires F:
For the first 3,4O0 miles, or as far
as Mexico City, good train service, of
the american type. III TACT the MEAL
can capital city can now be reached in
four days from Washington. The cleo
IRRIGATION of the Mexican railroad be
tween Esperanza and Orizaba, which
may be selected as one of the routes to
the Guatemala border, now adds adj
ditional comfort to the journey in this
section.
From the frontier to Santa Maria
the junction for Guatemala City, the
line has been completed, a distance
IF hob miles. But from this juno
don city to the Salvador border there
is no railroad, although a concession
has been granted for the last 81 miles
from Zacapa to the boundary.
SaIvador's Part Nearly Done.
Salvador shows the greatest milagt
Of completed line along the route Of
the Pan-American Of any of the Cen
trail American countries, 203.2 miles
or all but about 80 miles of the sector
In this republic. From Hachadura tt
Acajula, oo the west coast, mule bach