Year: 1879

Chicln Peru Letter in the Philad Press


Here | am among the snow capped
peaks Of the Andes, acclimating my.
self for trip over the mountains,
whose highest point, 1850 feet, l
intend to scale. Leaving Lima this
morning with a party of officers, |
came over the celebrated 0roya rail
road to Matucana, and from there by
the light express to this place, the
present terminus of the road. The
building of this road was one of the
greatest undertakings the world has
ever known. 1t is only completed
eighty-six miles, and cost $50, 600, 600.
From the sea coast to the summit of
the Andes we passed through forty
four tunnels and over many high
bridges, one of them 290 feet high.
The road follows the valley of the
river Rimac, crossing and recrossing it
many times. From Matucana to the
top is nothing but succession of VS.,
Us and doublings. Some of the
places are truly frightful. AS you
pass around mountain peak you can
look for thousands of feet below, and
still above you can see the lofty peaks
of the Andes. Even here at Chicla
we are still 5000 feet from the top, and
the railroad tunnel on the summit will
be over $4,000 feet above the sea.


Chicla is the highest railroad sta
tion and within few feet of the high
est city in the world. In Lima or
Callao the lightest clothes would be
very comfortable, but up here | wear
double suit of heavy underclothing
and large ulster With all my
clothes am nearly freezing, and a
red hot stove close by at that. Less
than week ago | was in the tropical
seas Of the equator-quite a change.
Most people here are troubled with what
they call " soroche, " headache, nausea,
and sometimes bleeding at the nose,
mouth and ears. The air is SO rare it
is difficult to breathe.


AT the invitation of the roadmaster
| took a ride with him down the road.
We were just ahead of the regular
train, and We started off like a streak
of lightning. l have been in a good
many tight places in my life, but never
in position to make my hair literally
stand on end as it did in coming down
the Andes on hand d-cart. Never till
my dying day can | forget that ride.
Starting among the very clouds, down,
down We came; disappearing like a
flash in a tunnel Of pitchy darkness
and out on TO a frail looking iron
bridge over a mighty gorge from two
to three hundred feet deep. We
stopped in a long, curved tunnel to
look at some work that was going on.
and did not hear the train in our rear
until it was in the tunnel. We could
not lift the hand d-cart OF, so we made
Q spring for it, cut loose the brake,
and made dash for our lives. And
truly it looked so, for she came in full
view before we were well across the
gorge; and on she came at the rate of
q mile a minute, but VIC were going by
| this time much faster than tnat. Ara
Lq q short time We left her far behind.
We reached Matuoana, two1ty-tbree
miles from Chicla, in safety but,
since ! come to think 1t all over, |
would hardly dare to try it again.


/ ! have seen a few beautiful faces in
my life, but never hundreds and thou
sands Of them until / came to the gay
capital Of Peru. You cannot see these
ladies on the street, for they ooyer all
but the eyes with mantle; but in
the windows, on the balconies, in the
public gardens, and at the opera You
see them at their best. Last Sunday