220 ROADS AND RAILWAYS 



cost of carrying an arrobe from Rosario to Mendoza 

 was five to six reales (about two shillings to two-and- 

 six) ; from Rosario to Tucuman nine reales (three 

 shillings and fourpence) ; from Rosario to Salta 

 eighteen reales (seven shillings and sixpence). The 

 tropas were, therefore, quickly ousted by the rail- 

 ways. In a few places they made a very unequal 

 fight against the railways. The Memoria del departe- 

 mento de Ingenieros de la N acton of 1876, quoted by 

 Rebuelto, mentions the competition of the tropas 

 with the Andino railway, opened from Villa Maria to 

 the Rio Cuarto in 1873 and to Villa Mercedes in 1875. 

 The merchants of San Juan and Mendoza continued 

 to use them. The railway had to sign a contract 

 with the troperos by which wagons were to bring goods 

 as far as Villa Mercedes, where they could be entrained. 

 The total freight was fifty Bolivian centavos (about 

 two shillings) per arrobe from Mendoza to Rosario, 

 and sixty centavos from San Juan. Of this the share 

 of the railway was fifteen centavos. 



The first Argentine railway was opened in 1859, 

 between Buenos Aires and Maron, a distance of about 

 thirteen miles. 



In 1870 the Argentine railways formed two inde- 

 pendent systems. The first radiated fan-wise from 

 Buenos Aires (Western line, open as far as Chivilcoy 

 in 1870, and Southern line, open as far as Chascomus 

 in 1865). Farther north a line (the Central Argentine) 

 started from Rosario, and reached Bellville in 1866 

 and Cordoba in 1870. 



The political isolation of Buenos Aires between 

 1852 and 1862, during the time when the first con- 

 cessions were issued, made upon the railway system 

 an impression that would not be effaced until twenty- 

 five years afterwards. It was not until 1886 that 

 Rosario was connected by rail with Buenos Aires. 

 The line to Mendoza and Chile, begun in 1870 



