THE FIRST TRANSANDINE RAILROAD 



415 



The motto on this banner proclaims 

 "Peace to all nations," while the statue's 

 base bears in Spanish the following 

 legend: "Sooner shall these mountains 

 crumble into dust than the people of 

 Argentina and Chile break the peace 

 which they have sworn to maintain at 

 the feet of Christ the Redeemer." Long 

 may this symbol of everlasting love 

 guard and guide the two great sister 

 republics of the far south ! 



ON the; chii^ian side; 



It is not an exaggeration to say that 

 we slide down to Caracoles, in Chile. 

 The sure-footed little mules following in 

 the rear resemble alighting aeroplanes, 

 their loads projecting like wings. It is 

 a half hour's jog to the little railway sta- 

 tion of Caracoles, and we are ofif for Los 

 Andes. Down steep grade, through tun- 

 nels cut out of solid rock, across many a 

 bridge, we fly ; down from the forbidding 

 heights into the zone of farms and on to 

 the lovely, verdant valley, where the 

 pretty town of Los Andes nestles in the 

 shadow of Aconcagua, the highest moun- 

 tain in the Western Hemisphere. 



The mountains which guard the Pass 

 of Uspallata are merely little brothers of 

 the giant Aconcagua, which towers 

 23,300 feet above sea-level. Those who 

 have attained its summit tell of the in- 

 comparable view ; of the sheer drop of 

 10,000 feet to the east ; of the vast ex- 

 panse of snow-clad mountains to the 

 north and south ; of the declining peaks 

 to the west, diminishing into the green 

 Chilian lowlands, which melt into the 

 far-away sea. 



At Los Andes we again change cars 

 for the capital. Santiago de Chile rivals 

 in situation every capital in the New 

 World, with the exception of Rio de 

 Janeiro. The emerald of its surrounding 

 meadows is in sharp contrast to the 

 towering mountains in the background. 

 After sunset Santiago seems of heaven 

 rather than of earth. Then the Cordil- 

 lera de I OS Andes gleams flame and gold 

 ere a mantle of purple plush envelops the 

 valley. Less dazzling than Buenos Aires, 

 less practical than Valparaiso, Santiago 



de Chile possesses a dignity foreign to 

 these others, with more of the Old World 

 charm. 



\'alparaiso we reach by express in a 

 few hours. It is a half Chilian, half 

 Anglo-Saxon city. The British have 

 come to stay in this great South Pacific 

 seaport. The British-Chilian combina- 

 tion, like the American-Chilian, produces 

 a splendid type. Travelers class as the 

 beautiful harbors of the world Rio de 

 Janeiro, San Francisco, Sydney, Naples, 

 Constantinople, and Cork. We add Val- 

 paraiso to the list of portal queens. 



And so we have crossed the continent 

 in a little over three days. Via the Sum- 

 mit Tunnel we will cross in 34 hours. 

 The Christ of the Andes will always have 

 its pilgrims ; the peasants will follow the 

 trail in the footsteps of their fathers; 

 but the traveler will choose the easier 

 route and will forsake the Cumbre and 

 the mule. 



othe;r notable south American 

 railways 



In writing of the Transandine, the 

 other important railroads of South Amer- 

 ica come into view. In Peru are the two 

 highest railways on earth, the Oroya and 

 the Southern Railway. On the Oroya it 

 is possible to climb over 15,000 feet in a 

 single day from the Pacific Ocean to the 

 roof of the Western world. These two 

 roads are a monument to the late Henry 

 Meiggs, a North American engineer. In 

 Northern Peru projected lines cross the 

 Andes and drop down into the Ama- 

 zonian Valley. In northern Chile rail- 

 ways also ascend to the highlands, and 

 a line nearing completion will connect 

 the Chilian port of Antofagasta and 

 Bolivia's picturesque capital, La Paz, 

 with the northern towns of Argentina. 



In Brazil the railways are striking 

 westward from the coast, aiming for 

 Alatto Grosso, the rich inland province 

 of the mighty republic. The far-famed 

 interior Madeira-Marmore road is pro- 

 gressing rapidly. Quaint Quinto is now 

 reached by rail from its port, and Bogata 

 is connected with its river highway, the 

 Magdalena. Lesser lines in existence 



