472 



AMAZONIA AND LA PLATA. 



at heavy interest tLe administrative charges for boards of directors over 6,000 

 miles distant from the field of operations. In the province of Santa Fé, where the 

 rapid settlement of the country insured immediate returns, the local Government 

 was able to construct the first lines without spending a single penny. All that was 

 needed was to issue cou|)ons redeemable by the future profits on the transport trade. 



Tig. 18r5. — Lines of Communication. 

 Scale 1 : 87,000,000. 



IrVest or ureenwich 



Weekly Services. Fortnightly Services. Monthly Services. 



— — — — — . 1,240 Miles. 



The gauge varies with the different companies, ranging from 5 feet 6 inches 

 on most lines, to not more than 40 inches on those of Santa Fé. It has been pro- 

 posed to cut a tunnel under the Uruguay and the Parana, in order to establish 

 direct railway communication between Buenos Ayres and Monte Video. At 

 present the most serious engineering work in progress is a viaduct, over 2,200 

 yards long, crossing the Kio Salado at Molino de Balas. 



