Peru — Its Resources and Development 319 



Moquegua, Tarata, and Piura. Mer- 

 cury, cinnabar, or quicksilver is also 

 found, the most celebrated of all the 

 deposits being at Huancavelica, and is 

 known by the name of Santa Barbara. 

 There are many salt mines in Peru, the 

 total production in 1901 being 15,750 

 tons. Borax, gypsum, and alabaster 

 are found in large beds in the south, 

 and every day sees an increase in their 

 development. 



The transportation system of Peru 

 on land, as well as on water, descends 

 gradually from the commodious and up- 

 to-date railroad and steamship to the 

 trail of the wilderness and the canoes 

 of the rivers. 



The first effort of importance at rail- 

 road building was undertaken by the 

 government in 1869, when almost all of 

 the existing roads were begun. The 

 loans of 1 20 million, floated in Europe 

 at that time, were applied to this pur- 

 pose. Some short lines, however, had 

 been previously built by private enter- 

 prise. The total railroad mileage to- 

 day is about 2,000 miles. With uni- 

 form easterly direction, all the railroads 

 serve the same purpose, to give outlet 

 to the products of the valleys they trav- 

 erse. Two of these, however, are of 

 special importance, because they tun- 

 nel the Andean range at a considerable 

 altitude, and are a wonder to the world 

 as veritable masterpieces of engineer- 

 ing. One of these starting from Callao 

 reaches today the mining district of 

 Cerro de Pasco, and another beginning 

 at Mollendo ends by two branches at 

 Puno and Sicnani. The following ex- 

 tract from the Engineering and Mining 

 Journal for January, 1904, written by 

 an American engineer, gives a clear 

 idea of the road : 



" One of the most interesting trips 

 afforded by the present transportation 

 facilities of the country is that over the 

 Oroya Railroad, which now runs from 

 Callao to the gold fields of Cerro de 

 Pasco. It is considered one of the won- 



ders in the Peruvian world, and the 

 original contract was taken by Mr 

 Meigs at $27,600,000 in bonds at 79. 

 It is certainly the greatest feat of rail- 

 road engineering in either hemisphere, 

 and as a specimen of American enter- 

 prise and workmanship it suffers noth- 

 ing by comparison. It was begun in 

 1870 and finished in 1876, and addi- 

 tional work has since been done on it. 

 Commencing in Callao, it ascends the 

 narrow valley of the Rimac, rising 

 nearly 5,000 feet in the first 46 miles. 

 Thence it goes through the intricate 

 gorges of the Sierras till it tunnels .the 

 Andes at an altitude of 15,645 feet, the 

 highest point in the world where a 

 piston rod is moved by steam. The 

 wonder is doubled on remembering that 

 this elevation is reached in 78 miles. 

 One of the most remarkable things in 

 connection with this road is that be- 

 tween the coast and the summit there 

 is not an inch of down grade. The 

 difficulties encountered in its construc- 

 tion were extreme." 



Since 1876, when all these roads were 

 completed, nothing of importance has 

 been undertaken, with the exception of 

 the Oroya and Cerro de Pasco Road, 

 built last year by the Haggin-Vander- 

 bilt syndicate. 



Many causes are accountable for this : 

 First, the war with Chile and the un- 

 steadiness of governments up to 1894, 

 that ensued as a consequence of the 

 war ; second, the lack of capital, gov- 

 ernment or private. Foreign capital 

 could not be interested under the un- 

 steady conditions prevailing. Now 

 that peace is restored, being today an 

 accomplished fact, the finding of a field 

 for profitable investment is the only 

 problem to solve. The difficulty is not 

 an easy one to overcome ; population, 

 progressiveness, traffic, commerce, can 

 not be created nor improvised. The 

 Panama Canal is soon to be opened. 

 Peru needs to prepare for the current 

 of immigration that this waterway will 



