68 HUNTING EXTINCT ANIMALS 



which in twenty-five miles brought us into the widely known 

 town of Comodoro Rivadavia, chief business center for all 

 the coast. 



Coming in I was fooled, however, by what seemed to be 

 a rather large town with boats in the offing, which proved 

 to be the railroad camp three miles from the port proper. 

 This camp is a well-built place with many large buildings 

 of sheet iron, car shops, etc., and the terminal for the 

 railroad which on the map goes clear to the Cordilleras and 

 connects with other lines going to all parts of Argentine. 

 But the railroad actually goes forty miles inland and stops 

 in the open country. It has taken five years to get this far, 

 and when we were there work had ceased with no indication 

 as to when it would start again. A train of two or three 

 cars ran once a week over this stretch but has not yet begun 

 to carry passengers. It is a government line, well built 

 with wide gauge, heavy rails, and ties of quebracho, a much 

 vaunted wood, which in such positions and as piles is sup- 

 posed to last a hundred years or more, each tie costing two 

 to three dollars when in place on the railroad. In the 

 engine house were engines enough for several trains, an 

 engineer's track automobile, and even three sleeping-cars 

 imported from the United States. 



To get out of this place one had to go up over a big hill 

 on a well-laid road that had been built to avoid going a 

 mile along the soft beach which was the former custom, 

 and where there was scarcely a day that some big wagon 

 did not get stuck, and have to be anchored through a tide 

 or be lost entirely. It was about one when I arrived, and 

 after a real dinner went at once to get a haircut and shave 

 before presenting my various introductions. First, I saw 

 the alterations on the wagon started, then went to the 

 postoffice and got the first mail we had received since 

 starting. The rest of the day was consumed reading letters 

 and papers, to get a vague idea of what had happened in 

 the world in the meantime. 



