f
THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
BEARS A HEAVY LOAD
R
SKY lO StAj .
i
9
n
I1INK of a contlnuouR, thrilling, ter
rifying swoop of 100 miles in a
hand cnr from tlio top of a snow
clad mountain, over three miles
high, to tho shore of a tropical
aea! Such an experlcnco causos
ono years afterwards, merely upon
thinking about it, to catch one's
breath and one's heart to miss a
beat or two. writes .lames Gordon
Istuse, II. S. A., In tho Pan-American Union.
Dut It is ImpoBslblo, do I hear you say? Just
a moment, while I quote you a few, a very fow,
facts and figures. Tho Oroya railway (El For
rocarrll Central del Peru) Is a monument to tho
genius of Henry Molggs, an American, or, rathor,
I should say, a Unltod-Statos-of-North-Amcrlcan.
Ifor in tho southern hemisphere tho term "Ainorl
Icano" is not very definite and wo usunlly find
!) loursolvos Indoxed undor "N" to distinguish us
'! Ifrom the United Statoa of Colombia, United Mex
ican States, etc. Callao. tho Pacific terminus of
( 'tho Oroya railway, and ono of tho principal ports
w j-eru, is six uays ty uoat south or Panama.
Lima, tho "City of Kings," Pom's capital, Is
blx miles from Callao, and Is located on a broad
itabloland about live hundred foot nhnvn Mm non
j! The oponlng of tho Panama canal will undoubt-
i ttdlv Htltnlllntn tntvnl t
A all parts of tho contlnont Peru Is wondorfully
m trlch in natural wonders anu historical back-
ground.
Tho Oroya railway wns begun in 1SC9. Begin
ning at Callao it climbs stoadlly to an elevation
jof 1G,GGG foot abovo sea level, whoro tho divide
ps croasod through tho Galera tunnol, at mllo
aOC. Tho Morococha branch rises to olovatlop
15.8GG tho highest point reached by any railroad
In the world. At Oroya, mllo 138, tho road di
vides, ono branch going north to tho famous
CeVro do Pasco copper initios, tho other 80 miles
Bouth to Huancayo, with a projected oxtonslon
,to Cuzco. tho old Inca capital, which has had
xail connection with tho sea at Mollondo for sov
.oral years. Another branch, about threo hundred
miles long, is undor construction down the enst
cm slopd or tho Andoa o tho head of navigation
on tho Ucayall river, ono of tho important upper
tributaries of tho Amazon,
Tho Oroyn road Is not onlr tho highest in tho
world, but thoro is no other which lifts its breath
Josa passengers to any ruch nltltudo in such nn
ii itiuiniiKi oiiui i uiHuuiuu. io cinnu ns tho
I Oroya climbs, 1 Hudson river train leaving Now
" ,uuat uiuu lu UDViUliU illlU llll UOlir DO-
ioro it reached Albany, a distance 1,000 foot
roator that that from sea levol to the summit
Vltu Tlnnl rri,n ,1,, .,.. . ... ,
v inua i nin. nu uuiij imonuiiKUr Ulllll leaVCS
" Callao In tho forenoon and reaches Oroya late In
! tho afternoon. As thero aro no night trains on
J1 account of tho groat danger or rocks falling down
i In tho track, tho round trip ordinarily requires
two days. Since thero Is a continuous down
j firado from tho Galura tunnel to tho sea, an op
( portunlty is offered for tho most unique hand
car rldo in tho world,
1 Through tho courtesy of the general mnnager
of tho lino wo wore afforded exceptional facilities
for making tho trip. Ills private car was at
tached to tho evening train fo,- Choslca, a fash
ionable resort about thlrty-ilvo miles out of Lima,
jat an olevailon of nbout two thousand eight hun
dred feet. For an hour or bo wo wound through
a wide irrigated valloy, fat and prosperous look
ing, with plantations of sugar cauo and cotton
fenced In by mud walls, tho roofs of hacienda
showing now and then over tho green. Boyond
that tho baro brown mountains high enough, it
seemed, yot really no more than foothills shut
In and shouldered upward tier on tier behind
each other, yellow and terra cotta and tawny
brown, occasionally Hashing through a silt In
their flanks the snowy shoulders of poaks mllos
and miles away, to which we woro to climb. At
Choslca our car was sidetracked for tho night,
dinner was served aboard, and wo turned In to
bo ready for an oarly start tho next morning.
About 4 a m. wo woro nwakonod by our car
being picked up by tho morning freight, whoso
schedule had boon advanced soveral hours for
our apodal benefit. The real climb now began.
Ii
)
The broad valley soon narrowed, the naked rockB
closed In, and wo were fairly In tho canyon of
tho Illo Hlmac. Twelvo miles out of Choslca an
elovatlon of C.000 feet was renchod at Snn Bar
tolomo. Hero Is tho first switchback, Melggs'
original device, which enables a train to zigzag
up tho faco of a canyon wall without resorting
to abnormally heavy grades and rack and cog
systems.
At Mntucana, 7,700 feet nbovo the sen, tho hand
car, which was to bo our means of descending,
was trailed on behind. Our Indian cook now
brought In coffoe, prepared In the Peruvian stylo,
which was very acceptable, as the air was quite
chill. Then tho climb continued over spider-web
bridges, moro switchbacks, nnd numerous tun
nels, tho tunnels of tho Inflornlllo (Llttlo Hell)
opening at either end of a bridge spanning a
chasm over ono thousand feet deep. As tho train
wound nnd creaked ulong tho forehead of tho
mountain ono could look down on tho roofs of
villages miles below, ant people and ant donkey
trains, and the multitudinous llttlo fields fenced
In with thick mud wulls, which made tho valley
floor a gigantic wafTlo Iron. Above them, on a
Iovol with one's eyes, nnd up and up, seemingly
to tho vory top of Bnmo of tho mountains, woro
tho old terraced fields of tho ancient Incas, grass
grown now with, tho turf of centuries. The old
terraces aro mostly In dlsuso now. but tho Holds
and grovos of tho lower levols still use some of
tho old Irrigation troughs. Thoy were cut In tho
rocks by a peoplo who know noithor cement nor
Iron plpo, but thoy follow tho contours as
though plotted with a transit. Sometimes, as the
cars creop along a canyon wall half way to tho
top, ono can follow tho silvery ribbon of water
for miles along tho faco of tho yellow rock.
Moro bridges, moro switchbacks, and over tho
air grows clearer and thinner and colder. Tho
Holds and gardons aro gono now, tho bleak table
land country appears, and peoplo whoso hearts
or nerves aro bothersome would begin to havo
sorocho. Uclow crawlod buweB and llama trains
carrying silver and coppei ire. At Casapalca,
13.G00 foot, Is tho big smtUer of this neighbor
hood. Hero was a mud corral full of llamas,
those absurd-looking nnlmals, seemingly a cross
botweon a sheep, n camol, and an ostrich, which
viewed tho noisy Industry with their looks of
timorous disdain.
Fourteen thousand tho chimneys of Casapalca's
Bmoltora wcro pins stuck in tho carpet of tho
valloy miles below 15,000 GOO more, nnd the
train climbed up and over, and rested on tho
top of tho cold, wlnd-swopt, Andean roof. All
about wero peaks .and blankets of snow. Ono
rose painstakingly and -valked with caro. Fifteen
thousand feet is a good bit of a jump to take bo
foro broakfaBt. Behind the station Mount
Melggs climbs up anothor 2,000 feet, whenco,
through air so crysUUte that ono might fancy
ono could walk to tho summit In half an hour, It
looks down on both sides of tho divide. To the
west Is tho long descent, to the past tho chilly
plateaus and snow valleys of the Andean treasuro
land.
It was now noon, and, In spito of tho unac
customed altltudo. we ate a hearty Peruvian
breakfast, consisting of soup, salad, several meat
courses, vegetables, wine, and fresh strawber
ries nnd cream. Leaving tho general manager's
car to bo brought back by the next down train,
wo transferred to tho hand car and pushed off.
Tho experiences of tho next four hours aro too
kaleidoscopic for accurate or detailed description.
We started amid snow and Ice, bundled up in
sweaters, overcoats, and blankets, and landed
in lemon and orango groves four hours later.
Continuously before us unrolled a grand pano
rama, ever changing and over more wonderful.
Whoro as our train had painfully tolled upward
foot by foot, we now seemed to rush down a
mile at a swoop. But two stops wcro made in
the 10G miles, once for a section gang repairing
track In a tunnel and again to let the up-paa
senger train by. Going at breakneck speed, our
hand car rushed out of one black tunnel, across
a swaying bridge strung over tho chasm of the
Rio Rlmac, and into tho darkness of another
tunnel cut out of the sheer face of the cliff. As
wo careened across the Inflernlllo bridge, ono of
our party aptly described his impressions as a
"(lash of daylight accompanied by a sinking of
tho heart."
In all wo rushed through 47 tunnels, crossed
a dozen flimsy-looking bridges, and slowed down
for eight switchbacks. The fastest kilometer
was mado In GG seconds (about 40 miles per hour),
and tho fastest slnglo stretch of 27 kilometers
In 29 minutes (about 35 miles per hour). When
ono considers tho steep grades and tho sharp
curves necessary to get a railroad through such
a canyon, the fact that our light hand car, travel
lng at such a speed and controlled only by a
hand brake, stayed on tho rails, is tho best evi
donee In tho world of tho excollent construction
of the line and of tho vigilance of the malnto
nance forco. During our tour of South. America
wo had many strange and interesting exporl
ences, but nono for novelty, thrill, and mag
nlllconco to compare with the hand-car coast
down tho Oroya railway.
LESSENING DELIGHT.
"I'll never forget tho thrill that was given mo
by my first velocipede." said tho man of millions
"Only exceeded, l dare say. by the thrill given
by your first bicycle," remarked his friend.
"Quito bo. I wish 1 could have got half as
much pleasure out of my first automobile."
NOT HEROIC.
"It's no harm to danco, father. Dancln- en
aro in great demand these days."
"What you say Is quite true, my son, tun ou
devote too much Unto to It. Have you over seen
a monument that was orccted to anybody simply
becauso he was light on his feet?"
JUST SO.
"I'm now in the cigar business, so I'm tryltth
to famlllnrlzo mysolf with the various brands."
"Learning tho ropes, so to speak."
THE BARGAIN COUNTER.
Tho Butcher I havo some fine canvasbacks to
dar. ma'am.
Mrs. Nowlywed Do you sell them by the yard?
Tho Impcrturbablo Robert Lan
sing, counselor for tho stato depart
ment, is an olllcial on whoso shoulders
in thoso troubled days rests a heavy
load of responsibility.
It Is no secret to. any of thoso fa
miliar with the foreign affairs of tho
United States that President Wilson
Is taking a large hand In the conduct
of these affairs. It has been said with
basis that tho president is, in a large
measure, his own stato department.
But while this is true, it also is
truo that on tho counselor thero de
volvcs a burden such as not manj
olflclals would be willing to assume
The International sky bIiico last July
has been not only a stormy ono foi
tho belligerents of Europe, but it has
also been cloudy for the Ur " d States,
Nobody questions tho fact that
Mr. Lansing Is an expert In interna
tional law nnd an authority on dlpla
matte matters. Besides this, ho has
tllO faOIlltV nf Iroonlntr lita nnlan nn,1
not losing his head. Ho takes tho onerous duties of his place coolly and
calmly, gets grilled by newspaper men dally, and, If ho Is over ruffled man
ages not to show it. In tho senso that tho most Important notes to tho
foreign powers theso days aro vlseed and sometimes modified by tho Whito
House, tho president may bo said to slmnn th
tlon is tho work of Mr. Lansing.
BELIEVES IN ATTACKING
Rear Admiral John M. de Robeck,
who succeeded Admiral Carden in
command of tho allied fleet attack
ing tho Dardanelles, has been llttlo
known to the world at large, or even
to Great Britain, whose navy ho en
tered in 1875, when he was but thir
teen years old. He became a rear ad
miral in 1911, and tho next year he
was made admiral of patrols, a post
calculated to glvo scope to all the
talents. It means a full acquaintance
with every form of small craft, with
mines and mining, with the launch
ing of torpedoes from tho shore, With
intricate questions of the correlation
of land and sea gun-fire.
Rear Admiral do Robeck is a man
of rather more than middle age; his
great youthfulness lies in his ability
to grasp the significance of tho latest
naval notion. Time and again, In
messroom gatherings, he has made
younger men seem old fashioned by
comparison. Do Robeck is known to
be "advanced" as far advanced as the youngest German engineer within
range of his big guns. Forty years of service have not staled his delight in
experiment and practice. Ho has never been tho drudgo of stationary con
victions, for he feels that no ono man has tlmo to grow suro about tho experi
mental science of tho sea before he is obliged to shift his ground. Ho Is a
member, of the Army and Navy club, but knows tho dangers of arm-chair
certitudes. One of his maxims Is that the man who spends his life inventing
a torpedo net is more likely to bo blown up than the man who fires the
torpedo. To attack, and keep attacking, is an article of faith with him.
CAMDEN BOOSTS FARMING
"The exodus from tho farm must
be stopped," says Senator Johnson N.
Camden of Kentucky, whose own
2,000-acre farm is ono of the show
places of the bluegrass region. "Ru
ral social conditions must bo improved
and made as attractive in their way
as city life. Unless the restlessness
and discontent of the boys and girls
on the farm is overcome, no one can
tell what the end will he."
"But how is this most difficult
problem to be solved?" he was asked.
"By devising means to Increase
wealth on the farm," replied Senator
Camden. "This cun be accomplished
by improved methods of production,
increased farm yields and better
methods of distribution. With in
creased wealth will come bettor so
cial, educational and religious facili
ties. With more comforts will como
greater contentment."
Hero aro tho remedies which Sen
ator Camden suggests:
"Co-operation between tho farmer, the merchant and the banker.
"Finally, organized unselfishness, since selfishness has been organized
for a long time.
"Public spirit and a broad vision will do for rural communities' what it
has accomplished for thriving and progressive urban communities." '
c
HEADS WOMAN WARRIORS
The Women's Volunteer Reserve,
organized by Viscountess Castle
reagU. whoso object is to defend tho
homes of the Kngllsh nation against
tho expected German invasion, has
acquired additional prestige, since
Lady Castlereagh, tho colonel In
chief, through tho death of her father-in-law,
has become the mar
chioness of Londonderry.
At the war ofllce of tho W. V. R.
(n Bakor street curious crowds havo
watched tho former Lady Castlereagh
arrlvo every daj, attired in khaki,
to spend many hours at her desk per
fecting by correspondence tho details
of the movement, which she Intends
shall extend throughout tho whole of
Great Britain. I.ondondcrry house,
ono of the most splendid mansions of
the metropolis, where tho now mar
chioness is mistress, is now tho head
quarters for fashionable enlistments,
tho leaders of society having been
. . 1. . . I n . 1 .1 In Inndlnr. ttinlf- nnmnit
BUUIUWUUI W1111U 111 luuuiUb
to un organization which takes in many of the most violent of the militant
BUffragettes.
Tho government has no intention of allowing tho women to bear arms,
but lets them bo trained to act as drlvorB of motor cars, cooks 1b tho camps,
bearers of dispatches and telegraphere to transmit army messages; to relieve
men assigned to such duties In case of need.