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A JOUEXEY IX ECUADOR 
of the Ardennes through which its deep gorge is cut are now 
higher than the uplands in which its meandering valley is sunk 
for some distance above Mezieres. Yet although successful in 
holding its wa}’’ through the revived mountains of the Ardennes, 
it has had to pay dearly for this success by the loss of its side 
branches. The hard rocks, of the uplifted Ardennes form a sill 
that holds the upper Meuse at a relatively high level and allows 
the head branches of the Seine and Moselle to undercut it on 
either side. Thus it is left as a waning river, still persevering 
l>ravely in its course, but much embarrassed by the diversion to 
its encroaching neighbors of certain tributaries from whom it 
had expected loyal assistance in its great task of cutting a way 
through all obstacles to the sea. 
A JOURNEY IN ECUADOR 
By Mark B. Kerr, C. E. 
I left Panama on June 26, 1894, and two days later made 
my first stop at Buenaventura. Here a Californian, Mr J. L. 
Cherry, is building a railroad to the interior of Colombia, to pene- 
trate Cauca valle}^ probabl}’’ the richest district in quartz and 
placer gold mines in South America. The railroad here has been 
completed to Cordoba, some thirty or forty miles inland from 
this town. Transportation across the mountains is effected by 
})acking. 
On June 30 I arrived at Tumaco, on the borders of Colombia 
and Ecuador, at the mouth of Rio Mira. From this point in- 
land via Patia river and Barbacoas another mule trail leads to 
the interior of Colombia, this and the one already noted being 
the only ways of reaching the interior from the Pacific. At 
Tumaco the fruit is delicious, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, and 
a})i'icots being finer than at any other place I visited. 
The next river southward (in Ecuador) is Rio Santiago. Be- 
tween this river and the Mira there is at high water a deep and 
narrow interior channel or sound, which is generally traversed by 
canoe in preference to the rougher outside journey by sea. In 
this portion of Ecuador transportation is entirely by canoe, as the 
Andes rise abruptly from the Pacific, culminating in the im- 
mense peaks of Chimborazo (20,498 feet) and Cotopaxi (19,480 
feet). The onl}" regular route to the interior in Ecuador is the 
