120 



THE WATEKWORKS DEPARTMENT 



OF THE 



ANTOFAGASTA (CHILI) & BOLIVIA RAILWAY COMPANY 



BY 



Robert H. Fox, A.M.Inst.W.E. 



Chief Engineer, Watenvorks, Dclagoa Bay. 



With Plate I. 



Read Juhj 11, 1022. 



Historical. 



The Antofagasta (Chili) and BoHvia Railway is now a long 

 international line, which has grown from small beginnings as a 

 narrow gauge mineral railway — 2'2 miles long — into an important 

 undertaking, linking the interior of Bolivia with the Pacific Coast, 

 and with a total length of 1,216 miles. 



Antofagasta. which is situated on the coast 30 miles south 

 of the Tropic of Capricorn, was originally the Bolivian port on 

 the Pacific but was captured by Chiii in the war between the two 

 countries in 1879, since when Bolivia has been without any sea 

 coast. 



The railway line was first commenced in 1886, to bring down 

 nitrate earth for elaboration in the works in the port into nitrate 

 of soda. The early 'fields giving out, the railway was carried 

 farther into the interior of the country after the valuable earth, 

 and eventually reached Kilometre 144, where for a considerable 

 period the line terminated. 



The region where nitrate earth is found, is a belt some 52 

 kilometres wide. M'hich roughly parallels the coast at a distance 

 of about 100 kilometres. It should be here stated that this belt 

 forms part of the Desert of Atacama, and that from the coast 

 to the highest point of the railway where it crosses the cordillera 

 of the Andes at a height of 13,000 feet, there is no rain. 



Since the early days, and with the provision by the railway 

 of abundant water, it has been found much more economical to 

 elaborate the nitrate earth on the fields where it is obtained, 

 rather than erect more works in the port ; and at the present time 

 there are 23 nitrate works, or " oficinas " as they are called, on 

 the line of railway and within the belt already mentioned. 



At Kilometre 170 the nitrate district is passed, but the rail- 

 way was carried on towards Bolivia under the auspices of the 

 Huanchaca Company for the purpose of bringing down the valu- 



