3?S,7 
 
 1 71 y 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 PRELIMINARY REPORT 
 
 OF TEE 
 
 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 
3 v; 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION, 
 
 1016 Vermont Avenue, Washington, D. C. 
 
 President: 
 
 Alexander J. Cassatt. 
 
 Executive and Disbursing Officer: 
 
 R. M. G. Brown. 
 
 Secretary: 
 
 Edgar Z. Steever. 
 
 Clerk: 
 
 Herbert S. Flynn. 
 
 Executive Committee: 
 
 Alexander J. Cassatt, of the United States. 
 C. Federico Parraga, of Colombia. 
 
 Leffert L. Buck, of Ecuador and Peru. 
 
 Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 John Stewart, of Paraguay. 
 
 2 
 
PRELIMINARY REPORT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE INTERCONTINENTAL 
 RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 The executive committee of the Intercontinental Railway 
 Commission submit the following report for the information 
 of the several governments interested in establishing better 
 c<T> means of intercommunication between the republics of the 
 Western Hemisphere. This preliminary report is simply in- 
 H tended to exhibit, in a general way, the progress of the surveys 
 '. ■ under the direction of the committee, as the details of the enter- 
 prise and the conclusions to be arrived at must await the com¬ 
 pletion of the field surveys and the preparation of the final 
 maps. 
 
 V The better to show this progress, the operations of the several 
 
 - parties will be shown separately. It will be remembered that 
 when the full Commission adjourned in April, 1891, an execu- 
 
 - tiye committee of five members, consisting of Mr. A. J. Cas¬ 
 satt, the president of the Commission : Mr. C. F. Parraga, of 
 J Colombia; Mr. L. L. Buck, of Ecuador and Peru; Mr. Luis J. 
 W Blanco, of Venezuela, and Mr. John Stewart, of Paraguay, all 
 of whom were expected to remain in the United States, was 
 ^appointed with full and sufficient powers to conduct the busi¬ 
 ness of the Commission during the suspension of the regular 
 sessions of the full delegation. Mr. Hector de Castro, who had 
 been appointed secretary in January, 1891, resigned to take 
 effect June 30, 1892. Lieut. R. M. G. Brown, U. S. Navy, was 
 XI appointed executive and disbursing officer March 10,1891, and 
 on the 20th of December, 1892, the executive committee elected 
 Capt. E. Z. Steever, U. S. Army, who had been serving in the 
 office as engineer since April 1,1891, secretary of the Cominis- 
 ^ sion, the duties of said position to be performed in addition to 
 
 — his other duties. 
 
 3 
 
4 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Tlie executive committee has maintained in Washington a 
 central office, which has been under the immediate charge of 
 Lieut. Brown, assisted by Capt. Steever, and Mr. H. S. Flynn f 
 as clerk. With this small force all the business of the Com¬ 
 mission has been transacted and the home expenses kept down 
 to a minimum. 
 
 The executive committee, with the assistance of Mr. H. G. 
 Davis, chairman of the committee on finance, and Mr. B. C. 
 Kerens, chairman of the committee on trade and resources, 
 have met from time to time, whenever necessary or advisable, 
 to approve the steps already taken or to decide upon more 
 important matters for the future. Its chairman has been in 
 constant communication with the Washington office and has 
 supervised the conduct of the survey through that channel. 
 
 CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 Corps No. 1. 
 
 Lieut. M. M. Macomb, Fourth Artillery, TJ. S. Army, Engineer in Charge. 
 
 Lieut. S. M. Foote, Fourth Artillery, TJ. S. Army. 
 
 Lieut. L. W. Y. Kennon, Sixth Infantry, TJ. S. Army. 
 
 Lieut, A. S. Rowan, Fifteenth Infantry, TJ. S. Army. 
 
 Lieut. Samuel Reber, Fourth Cavalry, TJ. S. Army. 
 
 Lieut. C. A. Hedekin, Third Cavalry, TJ. S. Army. 
 
 Mr. C. W. Haines, Civil Engineer. 
 
 Dr. W. C. Shannon, Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army. 
 
 The members of this expedition sailed from New York fully 
 equipped on the 20th of April, 1891, bound for Guatemala City, 
 where they arrived on the 9tli of May, and were cordially re¬ 
 ceived and shown every attention and courtesy by the Executive 
 and other officials of the Government. 
 
 On the 21st day of May the President of Guatemala issued 
 the following order: 
 
 The recommendations of the International American Conference are 
 accepted by the Government of this Republic in so far as they refer to com¬ 
 munications by railway, and the department of foreign relations will, in 
 consequence, give the necessary orders to carry out these recommendations, 
 making at the proper time a report to the national legislative assembly. 
 
 On the 22d of May Mr. Samuel Kimberly, United States con¬ 
 sul-general at Guatemala City, received a communication from 
 the National Government, informing him that— 
 
 The minister of public works has given orders to the superintendent of 
 the hippodrome to place at the disposition of the International Commis- 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 5 
 
 sion of Engineers such part of the building as may be required to estab¬ 
 lish their offices and storerooms. If the members of the Commission have 
 documents, which from their importance they may desire to preserve safely, 
 the superintendent of the building has instructions to keep them in his 
 office under his special care, and the official engineer, Mr. Paschke, has 
 instructions to consult with the Commission in everything thought to be 
 of use. 
 
 The foregoing, as well as the subsequent action by the Gov¬ 
 ernment of Guatemala, shows the interest taken in the welfare 
 of the work inaugurated by the Intercontinental Railway Com¬ 
 mission. 
 
 Four young officers of the Army were afterwards detailed 
 to assist Lieut. Macomb in making the surveys in Guate¬ 
 mala. All arrangements being concluded, part of the expe¬ 
 dition started, under the orders of Lieut. Reber, with animals 
 and supplies, to establish camps at Escuintla, Retalhuleu, and 
 Quezaltenango. While in the city of Guatemala the engineers 
 prepared a map of the boundaries of the city and did other 
 preliminary and topographical work. 
 
 The actual survey began at Santa Lucia, a branch line 
 between Escuintla and that point having already been sur¬ 
 veyed by the Guatemala Central Railroad Company. Under 
 date of May 31, 1891, Lieut. Macomb submitted the following 
 outline of his plans for field work: 
 
 (1) To run a line from Santa Lucia to Retalhuleu. 
 
 (2) To examine the country between Retalhuleu and the 
 Mexican line toward Tapachula, Mexico, via Rodeo, Malaca- 
 tan, and Tuxtla Chico, thus finishing the examination of the 
 lower line. 
 
 (3) To survey a route to San Marcos and down the Rio Cuilco 
 toward Amatenango. The Cuilco belonging to the Chiapas 
 drainage, its valley would offer the best line by which to reach 
 the highlands of Guatemala from the direction of San Cristobal. 
 
 (4) To run a line up the valley of the Cuilco toward Que¬ 
 zaltenango and Totonicapan. 
 
 (5) Back to Guatemala from Totonicapan, examining two 
 routes. 
 
 Accordingly, a careful instrumental line was surveyed from 
 Escuintla, via Santa Lucia, Patulul, and Retalhuleu, to Ayutla, 
 on the Mexican boundary, the stadia method being employed 
 and numerous barometric observations taken at important 
 points for the determination of altitudes. The country was 
 covered with a network of triangles for the accurate location of 
 
6 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 the important points in the neighborhood of the lines surveyed, 
 and many astronomical observations for latitude also taken. 
 Ayutla was reached January 26,1892, the survey to that point 
 from Escuintla having been under the immediate charge of 
 Lieut. Foote, while Lieut. Kennon had immediate charge of the 
 survey of the adjacent lines and of the examination of the Cuilco 
 region between San Marcos, Quezaltenango, Huebuetenango, 
 and Amatenango-on-the boundary. From the neighborhood of 
 Quezaltenango another route was surveyed via Totonicapan 
 and Chimaltenango back to Guatemala City, and subsequently 
 the instrumental line was taken up at Escuintla and carried 
 via Platanar to the Salvadorean frontier. 
 
 Owing to the conditions existing in the section under con¬ 
 sideration, Lieut. Macomb deemed it inadvisable to confine him¬ 
 self to the survey of a single line, and therefore examined a 
 broad belt of country in order to determine not only the practi¬ 
 cability of a railroad, but to ascertain the best route of several 
 that presented themselves for an intercontinental trunk line. 
 
 From the data gathered three lines are practicable across 
 Guatemala from the Mexican boundary to Salvador. 
 
 The first is of light grades and comparatively easy construc¬ 
 tion, at a general level of between 250 and 600 feet above the 
 sea. This would skirt the foothills and pass through forest 
 and grazing lands. 
 
 The second is from 800 to 2,000 feet above sea level, running 
 along the lower edge, or near the middle of the coffee belt, the 
 richest and best cultivated district of Guatemala. 
 
 The third is through the “ altos” (highlands) in the vicinity 
 of the large cities, in a climate agreeable to our Northern people, 
 and to those of the temperate zone generally. 
 
 Of these three lines two are pronounced good by the engineer 
 in charge, preference, however, being given to the one skirting 
 the mountains and passing through the coffee belt. On the 
 lower line, via Ayutla, Escuintla, and Platanar, no serious 
 engineering difficulties present themselves'; the construction 
 would be cheap, easy, and quick, the most important item 
 being the crossing of the numerous streams by suitable bridges. 
 Still, this is not regarded as the best location for an intercon¬ 
 tinental truuk line, owing to the absence of population and 
 products. The line along the base of the mountains and run¬ 
 ning north of Mazatenango, Santa Lucia, and Escuintla is 
 therefore deemed the best, as it would drain a fine country 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION, 7 
 
 dow being developed and afford a large local traffic by reason 
 of tbe coffee, sugar, rubber, and fruit trade. 
 
 Tracings of tbe lower line have been received from the field 
 and are on file in the central office in Washington. 
 
 Owing to an affection to his eyes, Lieut. Hedekin was relieved 
 from duty with the corps in January, 1892, and was replaced 
 by Lieut. Eowland G. Hill, Twentieth Infantry, U. S. Army, 
 who reported for duty at Guatemala City, March 31, 1892. 
 Other changes also occurred. Lieuts. Foote and Eeber were 
 relieved in April and Lieut. Eowan and Mr. Haines in August, 
 1892. Mr. H. J. Humphrey, an experienced draftsman was 
 sent to join Lieut. Macomb and reported for duty in Septem¬ 
 ber, 1892. 
 
 After completing the survey of Guatemala that of El Salva¬ 
 dor was commenced, the frontier being crossed in August of 
 1892. At latest accounts the corps were between San Sal¬ 
 vador and San Yicente and hoped to carry the line through to 
 Boca Culebra, at the mouth of the Savegre Eiver, in Costa 
 Eica, where connection would be made with the line started by 
 Mr. Shunk in that locality. 
 
 In response to a request of Lieut. Macomb’s, the United 
 States minister to Salvador, Mr. E. Cutts Shannon, communi¬ 
 cated with the authorities and received assurances of the warm 
 interest taken by the Government of Salvador in the progress 
 of the work being conducted by this Commission. Accordingly 
 orders were issued to the heads of departments to give all pos¬ 
 sible aid, to the custom-house officials to admit the property of 
 the surveyors without duty, while the free use of the telegraph 
 for official business was also tendered. Mr. Tomasso Stech 
 Bonelle, Government engineer, was assigned to duty with the 
 corps as consulting engineer. 
 
 Lieut. Macomb, under date of August 11,1892, reported from 
 Santa Ana as follows concerning the condition of railway con¬ 
 struction in Salvador: 
 
 Tlie Government line from Acajutla has been extended to La Ceiba, a 
 point about 5 or 6 miles west of Santa Tecla or Nuevo San Salvador. 
 Between Santa Tecla and the terminus at La Ceiba is some heavy work 
 requiring some viaducts and a couple of tunnels. From Santa Tecla to 
 San Salvador the railroad grade is complete and it is now operated as a 
 tramway, with mules. The Government engineer is at present busily 
 engaged on this final piece of work which will place San Salvador in con¬ 
 nection with the seaport by an all-rail route. Now it is rail to La Ceiba, 
 stage or horseback to Santa Tecla, and tramcar thence to San Salvador, 
 the whole trip taking about six hours. 
 
8 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 It is considered certain that the line will be completed. 
 
 Mr. Albert J. Scherzer’s line starts from the Government line, at a point 
 west of La Ceiba, and swings around to the northwest, terminating at 
 Santa Ana. 
 
 Mr. Scherzer has just returned from Europe with the necessary capital 
 (and with much material ordered) to complete this line, and it is regarded 
 as a sure thing. 
 
 The French company’s line extends from the capital to La Union, the 
 seaport on the Gulf of Fonseca. They have only made reconnoissances, 
 however, and have done no work. 
 
 These are the lines with which we will have to connect, but thus far we 
 have been unable to get any complete maps from any of them, and prob¬ 
 ably none exist. It is a difficult thing to make a satisfactory connection 
 or show the Commission how our work connects with that proposed with¬ 
 out maps. That is the great trouble we have encountered thus far in 
 trying to make use of other work, the records and maps are incomplete 
 and inaccurate. Hence we have had to do over, in some cases, work which 
 has been done once before, but of which the records were lost through 
 some carelessness. 
 
 I hope to be able to find a feasible line from the west boundary of Salva¬ 
 dor connecting either with Santa Ana or Sonsonate. 
 
 This done, I think we may assume that the route as far as San Salvador 
 is fixed. Our work then will consist in finding an acceptable route to 
 Guascordn. There will be some heavy work required here, but from Guas- 
 cor&n to Chinandega I am informed that the country is flat and favorable 
 for railway construction. 
 
 I will forward a report of our preliminary work between Escuintla and 
 Santa Ana as soon as I can get the data in shape. Mr. Hill and I have 
 been over some rather unhealthy country. During the last two weeks I 
 have been incapacitated for field work for some days, and am now under 
 treatment. Mr. Brooks (quartermaster, etc.) was very ill for two weeks, 
 and several of the natives have been down. Mr. Hill is still well and has 
 been free from attacks of fever. Messrs. Kennon and Shannon have been 
 working in the higher country and report themselves well. 
 
 I have not asked for any more officers because I believe we can work 
 more economically as we are. 
 
 Under date of September 22, 1892, Lieut. Macomb reported 
 as follows: 
 
 I went over with Mr. Scherzer, the best railroad man in this country, and 
 saw just where he proposed to locate his line from Santa Ana toward San 
 Salvador. 
 
 He is doing his work so well that I shall connect with it by triangula¬ 
 tion and not resurvey what he has done. We soon shall start into the east 
 of San Salvador, toward San Miguel. Here the country is exceedingly 
 difficult and, it is said, impracticable, but this is what we shall find out 
 during October. Just now the roads are horrible—mere ditches of mud 
 and water, and worse than in Guatemala last year, because there has been 
 a good deal more rain here. I expect to reach Managua in latter part of 
 November or first week in December. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 9 
 
 Under date of November 16, 1892, Lieut. Macomb reported 
 that— 
 
 I estimate that it will take ns until the end of June next to complete 
 our work and connect with Mr. Shunk’s initial point. I understand that 
 he is now working south from San Jos6 de Costa Rica, and I expect to con¬ 
 nect with the Costa Rican Road at San Ramdn. 
 
 We have collected a great deal of material of interest hearing on the 
 regions through which we have passed and the topographical work has 
 been very carefully done and is based upon a net of triangles. For the 
 credit of all concerned and to give a permanent geographic value to our 
 work, I consider it important that triangulation should he carried to the 
 end of our line. In no other way can such good results he obtained. 
 When our notes are finally reduced the geodetic positions of all the mam 
 points in the vicinity of our line will he determined, and on this basis will 
 rest our final plans and profiles. 
 
 To make an intelligent selection of an acceptable line through this 
 country requires a very careful preliminary study of the topography, 
 which should he laid down in all the detail which the character of the 
 work permits. Upon this map, with the personal knowledge of the 
 country acquired in actual field work, a good location can he made. 
 
 In order to sufficiently expedite the work of Corps No. 1 so 
 it might complete the survey of Central America within the 
 time and within the funds at the disposal of the Commission, 
 instructions were dispatched to Lieut. Macomb to discontinue 
 his triangulation and to coniine his work to that of a prelimi¬ 
 nary railroad survey. Accordingly he closed out his system 
 of triangulation by the occupation of the volcano of San Vicente, 
 which gave direct connection with La Libertad, one of the best 
 determined points in that section. Lieut. Kennon was then 
 detached and sent to Punt a Arenas, Costa Eica, with the neces¬ 
 sary equipment and with orders to organize a small party, seek 
 Mr. Shunk’s initial stake on the Elo Savegre, near Boca Cule- 
 bra, and work northward, running a good transit and stadia 
 line until connection should be made with the main party com¬ 
 ing southward. It is estimated that Lieut. Kennon will have 
 about 200 miles to cover during the months of February, March, 
 and April, while the main party would survey about 280 miles 
 and be in the neighborhood of San Juan del Sur by the 1st of 
 May, with its field work completed. 
 
 It is not intended to duplicate any work now completed, and 
 accordingly the existing line of the Nicaragua Eailway from 
 Chinandega to Granada will be accepted as it stands. It is 
 understood that our minister, Mr. Shannon, was about to secure, 
 for the use of our surveyors, tracings and other data covering 
 
10 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 not only the operated lines, hut also those studied, although not 
 yet constructed. 
 
 Lieut. Macomb had connected, at Sitio del Nino, with the 
 Scherzer line, now being built between Ateos and Santa Ana, 
 and had inn a line north of the volcano of San Salvador. The 
 capital being difficult of ingress and egress, Lieut. Macomb is 
 of the'opinion that it would be better to put San Salvador on 
 a spur rather than attempt to build a trunk line through it. 
 Under date of January 6,1893, the chief of Corps No. 1 reported 
 that his party were working along the slopes of the volcano of 
 San Vicente, a tine peak, with much ground available for coffee, 
 indigo, sugar, and cattle, and possessing a good water supply. 
 The line run would pass within 2 or 3 miles of the town of 
 the same name and thence probably via Usulutan, near the 
 coast, continuing to San Miguel through a good railroad coun¬ 
 try, and one sufficiently rich to afford good opportunities for 
 future development. From San Miguel the line is expected to 
 proceed via Santa Rosa and Pasaquina towards Nacaome, in 
 Honduras, thence to Choluteca, and finally to Chinandega, thus 
 connecting with the Nicaraguan railroad. On reaching this 
 latter point the survey would be discontinued and resumed 
 again at Granada, the farther terminus, and thence continued 
 towards the head of the Rio Tempisqne in Costa Rica, and so 
 on to Punta Arenas, or some other point, to a junction with 
 Lieut. Kennou’s section. 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Corps No. 2. 
 
 William F. Shunk, Engineer in Charge. 
 
 Robert Burgess, Assistant. 
 
 William J. O’Connell, Topographer. 
 
 James Parker, Assistant. 
 
 D. M. Martinez, Assistant Topographer. 
 
 Fred N. Ogden, U. S. Navy, Surgeon. 
 
 Thomas F. Dempsey, Rodman. 
 
 This party, under the direction of Mr. William F. Slmnk, was 
 assigned to survey the country from Quito, Ecuador, northward 
 and through Colombia toward the Isthmus of Panama. Being 
 fully equipped, it sailed from New York on the 10th of April, 
 1891, for Guayaquil, Ecuador, which point was safely reached 
 on the 25th of the same month. At Guayaquil the governor 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 11 
 
 of tlie province and the United States consul-general did all 
 in their power to assist the party. Many unavoidable delays 
 were experienced, but the Government offered transportation 
 and every possible facility to convey the surveying corps to 
 Quito. 
 
 The distance from Guayaquil to the capital is about 270 
 miles, there being rail communication as for as Ohimbo, but 
 the rest of the distance, about 200 miles, has to be covered by 
 means of horses or mules. 
 
 The governor of the province and his staff accompanied the 
 party on the first day out from Guayaquil. The central gov¬ 
 ernment issued orders to the authorities to facilitate the prog¬ 
 ress of the engineers and no efforts were spared to carry out 
 these instructions. 
 
 On the 3d of May Kiobamba was reached and the governor 
 of the province of Chimborazo called to welcome the party. 
 To return in some degree the many courtesies received, the 
 surgeons attached to the surveying corps lent, on various occa¬ 
 sions and gratuitously, their professional services. 
 
 Quito was reached on the 6th of May. A committee of citi¬ 
 zens, appointed by El Senior Antonio Flores, the President 
 of the Eepublic, met the party and escorted it to the city. 
 During the stay at Quito government officials and private 
 individuals were constantly extending hopitalities and courte¬ 
 sies to the members of the surveying parties. After consulta¬ 
 tion with the minister of public works, who furnished Mr. 
 Shunk with maps and other valuable information, the neces¬ 
 sary arrangments for starting having been made, the first 
 camp was established at a point 3 miles from Quito for the pur¬ 
 pose of completing the organization of the working parties. 
 The temporary ill effects produced by the great altitude of 
 this region soon disappeared and the work began in earnest. 
 
 The initial stake of the survey was set in the southeastern 
 suburb of Quito, June 3, and a daily average progress of 2J 
 miles made to Ibarra, which was reached July 12, 1891. The 
 geological character of the country is aptly described by Mr. 
 Shunk in the following words: 
 
 This whole plateau valley, together with its outer slopes on Amazon and 
 Pacific waters, appears to have been built up cocirdinately with the grad¬ 
 ual lift of the volcanic border peaks; and those volcanoes delivered, almost 
 exclusively, mud and dust. The surface material therefore, for an unknown 
 depth, is mainly clay of some kind, white, yellow, brown; and black seams 
 of comminuted pumice occur, and beds of clayey conglomerate, holding 
 
12 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 angular porphyry and trachyte blocks, all sizes, from a piece of chalk to a 
 house, stiffened in the argillaceous matrix to a half-rock, the consistency 
 of hard pan; here and there strata of water-rolled gravel and shingle; 
 very rarely, and low down, a streak of lava. Little outcropping rock is 
 visible, excepting the high up ridges and crater rims, and all such rock is 
 porphyritic. The viscid mud discharge came to rest at a moderate incli¬ 
 nation, and the volcanic dust showered down on it for the most part cross¬ 
 wise of the valley before the prevailing easterly winds, thus raising or 
 helping to raise the “nudos,” or knots, which tie the cordillera parallels 
 together and form the chief obstacles to a good railroad line. The original 
 declivity of this earthen output was 12 or 15 degrees at top to where it 
 abutted with the steep crater cone; thence it gradually flattened to about 
 5 degrees at the base. 
 
 Before weather-wear began, assuming that to be supposable, the topog¬ 
 raphy must have been not unlike the surface of a row of hippodrome 
 tents set end to end, 30 to 50 miles wide and 50 to 100, or upwards long; 
 where two touched, a nudo; the tuck-up poles baptized Chimborazo, Tun- 
 guragua, Cotacachi, and so on. Erosion, however, has done marvellous 
 sculpture on this symmetrical mold. It seems to have begun at the sum¬ 
 mits, where rain and snow began most vigorously. The tendency was to 
 form an annular depression about each central cone, a ring pond over¬ 
 flowing at low spots. Hence broad based, smooth and cultivable tri¬ 
 angles of the ancient surface surround every typical peak or crater, their 
 points upward, like the cloven calyx of a rose against the bud, with 
 abrupt counter-slopes, and divided by chasmal ravines narrowing down¬ 
 ward to canons. Good drainage has preserved these significant surfaces 
 and plenty of it has scoured the canons deep, not only on the mountain 
 flanks, but across the plains and down the outlet valleys to ocean or river. 
 Along the lofty ridges between those old craters, dead and alive, the same 
 tendencies and effects are manifest, diversified, however, by occasional 
 concentration of wash in the coves and immense landslides, either 
 rewrought where they fell or dissolved and distributed over old lake 
 bottoms to reappear for us as plain country, the garden ground of the 
 Republic. 
 
 These mountains are grassed, but treeless; above the shrub limit, pale 
 green with dashes of tawny; then shrubs of the myrtle kind, on the lower 
 declivities, chiefly in the coves and ravines; then the fat pastures of the 
 plain, grain fields, gardens, clumps of fruit trees, and everywhere the euca¬ 
 lyptus as a feature in the landscape almost as characteristic as the adobe 
 fences, topped with cactus and maguey. 
 
 It is remarkable that all surface material here seems to make u adobe ” 
 and stands, very much like our “ bluff” along the Mississippi, near Vicks¬ 
 burg and Natchez, at the vertical or at slight deviations therefrom, scal¬ 
 ing hard where exposed and greening over with a finely textured protec¬ 
 tive moss. 
 
 The breaks or 11 quebradas,” as they are locally called, which net the 
 country wherever water runs in the wet season, invariably have a tin-fun¬ 
 nel cross-section, slant above, wall-sided below, whether 10 feet deep or 
 500, dropping as a rule abruptly from the surface to an angle of forty-five 
 degrees and rounding down to the perpendicular ; so that, in our experi- 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 13 
 
 ence, a trifling ditch to appearance usually proves impassable by horse or 
 foot as a profound chasm. The stream, too, is always sinuous, the tusks 
 and indents locking like the teeth of a porpoise or the sutures of a skull. 
 Another feature is that they rarely shoal up stream, so that in most cases 
 economy can not be gained by swerving the line. 
 
 The first hundred kilometers average each an estimated 
 cost, for grading, masonry, and bridges, of $20,000, equivalent 
 to about $32,000 per mile, and require no gradient exceeding 
 3J per cent. 
 
 From Ibarra the line was carried forward by way of 
 Toquando and Chota valleys, over difficult ground, consuming 
 considerable time, the stay in the pit of Ohota—only 5,200 feet 
 above tide, amongst barren clay hills—being anything but 
 agreeable. On the 23d of July the corps was divided into 
 two sections, section 2, under Mr. Burgess, continuing the 
 line of survey up Ohota and Huaca valleys, while Mr. Shunk, 
 with section 1, advanced to the neighborhood of Tulcan and 
 started another line northward from the southern side of Nudo 
 de Huaca, about 9 miles south of Tulcan. 
 
 At Tulcan, as at all other provincial capitals in Ecuador, the 
 governor courteously offered his services to the representa¬ 
 tives of the Commission. Before crossing the frontier of 
 Colombia, the prefect of Obando, the southernmost province, 
 sent his card and placed himself at their orders. Soon after 
 arrival at the first camp north of the boundary the surveyors 
 were visited by a committee of citizens*of Ipiales, offering 
 welcome and bearing a letter from Seiior Burbaro, the prefect 
 of the province. Next day Mr. Shunk and his comrades 
 called, by appointment, upon the prefect, and were most 
 cordially welcomed and entertained at luncheon. 
 
 From Nudo de Huaca Mr. Sliunk’s line was carried across 
 the RfoTelles, near its junction with the Guaitara, by way of 
 the latter stream, the Guapuseal and the Chimbatangua, to 
 the village of Tanqua; thence turned southward and doubled 
 into the valley of the Taruqui, where another return was made 
 southward, followed by a final one north to the great “ pas¬ 
 tures,” near the village of Tacuanquer, thence to the summit 
 up the southeastern flank of La Galera, a distance of about 25 
 miles on a gradient which should not exceed 3J per cent on 
 location, with two or three intermediate slacks. Ten miles of 
 like gradient carries one down to Pasto, about 80 miles from 
 the start near Tule&n, and 216 miles from Quito. The success- 
 
14 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 ful conduct of the line to Pasto, overcoming the most difficult, 
 probably, of the summits, was therefore happily effected. This 
 involved the ascent of the flank of “the huge ruined cone of 
 La Galera, 15,000 feet above tide, forming a pit 4 or 5 miles 
 athwart, being itself on the rim of a still more stupendous 
 ruin, threefold that diameter, its edge slightly dipped toward 
 the south, cloven by Pasto Eiver toward the north, and inclos¬ 
 ing a circular tract of hill country benching down 2,500 feet 
 vertical to the exit of drainage northward, where the city 
 stands. Viewed from the south, therefore, on Guaitara waters, 
 the summit, heretofore unsuspected, appears to be a wall of 
 mountain, slightly saddled or wind gapped.” It remained for 
 Mr. Shunk’s party to be its discoverer, and, using the privilege 
 of such, named it La Cima de Santa Gertrudis. 
 
 The alternative to the upper Guaitara route, run by Mr. 
 Burgess, via Tuquerres, compares with the line run by Mr. 
 Shunk, in length about 50 to 30. 
 
 Having carried the line prosperously into Pasto, the problem 
 was to get successfully out, for the “next stage of the survey 
 required the crossing of the pro found valleys of the Juanambu 
 and the Mayo, divided by a lofty cordillera, to the valley of the 
 Patla. North of Pasto, the basin in which the city lies is 
 bounded by a high ridge, formerly connected with La Galera, 
 now traversed by Pasto Iiiver in canon. The whole country 
 north of that bounding ridge tumbles down 6,000 or 8,000 feet 
 within 15 miles to the Juanambu, flowing westward, and in the 
 main is heavily timbered and beset with spurs ranging north 
 like the teeth of a comb.” However, owing to the intelligent 
 studies of Mr. Shunk, he found a small brook, the Chichatoy, 
 flowing westward, about two and one-half miles in length, into 
 the Pasto Eiver, north of the high ridge bounding the basin 
 wherein the city lies, and giving access to the comb-like spurs 
 near their roots, and thus enabling the engineers to avoid doub¬ 
 ling ridges and ravines along three parallel affluents of the 
 Juanambu, and owing to a long bend southward on the upper 
 course of that river, above their mouths, to approach it near 
 Tablon, thereby largely reducing the necessary descent to a 
 crossing. 
 
 The neighborhood of Tablon is a ruling objective, whether the old Arenal 
 Summit, the thoroughfare for generations between the .Juanambu and the 
 Mayo, be crossed or one of the streams from the great divide further east 
 he followed. The ascent to the Arenal exhibited a wilderness of sharp set 
 ridges and hollows. The Vado, eastward, was perceived to he a canon 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 15 
 
 water, equally uninviting, besides beading up in the wrong direction, 
 without counter sloped watershed. The Quiha, largest of all the tribu¬ 
 taries in that quarter, appea? ed unquestionably to be the preferable route 
 and was so found; the summit as low as Arenal, sharp edged and indicat¬ 
 ing a tunnel about 2,500 feet long. The neighborhood of Tablon was sur¬ 
 veyed extensively to provide a reserve of development, if needed. The 
 upper valley, however, proved to be a plain, level athwart, about 300 
 meters wide and having a quite regular inclination of 5 degrees. Taking 
 advantage of this topography and of a suitably located lateral ravine, it 
 proved better to develop there rather than at the foot of the valley, thus 
 gaining 2 miles of distance by means of a flaked line on comparatively 
 inexpensive ground and attaining the proper elevation for the tunnel. 
 
 The Quin a Valley was shaley and slaty, the hills rounding down very 
 uniformly in profile, though cut by drainage, with an increasing pitch 
 toward the stream. North of the tunnel, on the Mayo slope, the surveyors 
 traversed a region of crumbly clays and soft pumice rock very much 
 weather worn. True contours would lie in bights between thin-nosed spurs 
 like a slack clothesline between its props. The concaves arefittable, as a 
 rule, by our curvature; cuts through the points deep and short. The Mayo 
 at the crossing, about 6 miles north of La Cruz, is a 60-foot stream in 
 canon .valley, 800 feet wide and 300 feet deep,"requiring aviaduct of that 
 size. At the end of 10 miles (16 kilometers) down the valley it began to 
 break into impassable canon and fingery, wall sided spurs, which were 
 avoided by turning through a short tunnel into the valley of Las Palmas. 
 
 Seven miles additional brought Mr. Shrink to a junction 
 with the alternative line surveyed by Mr. Burgess, said junc¬ 
 tion being about 76 miles (121.6 kilometers) from Pasto, by 
 measurement of an approximate location on the field maps. 
 Free use of curvature, a course clearly prescribed by both phys¬ 
 ical and commercial considerations and the line skillfully 
 located, the cost of these 76 miles north of Pasto will, in the 
 opinion of Mr. Shunk, not exceed the average previously given 
 for the reach north of Quito, while the maximum gradient 
 required will be less than 3J per cent. 
 
 Material for masonry exists in the stream beds. Timber for 
 ties is convenient and sufficient, except in the Las Palmas Val¬ 
 ley, where the supply is scanty, limited to small groves in the 
 lateral ravines. 
 
 From Las Palmas the line was carried via Cuevas to Popa- 
 y£n, situated at the head of the Cauca Valley, camp being 
 pitched near that city December 4, 1891. South of Popay&n 
 the line crosses the ridge of Koble, which is the divide between 
 the headwaters of the Patfa Eiver flowing into the Pacific 
 Ocean and those of the Cauca emptying into the Caribbean 
 Sea. Kidge of Roble also connects the oriental and occidental 
 cordilleras. From Popayan the survey was conducted via 
 
16 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Cajibio to Call, which was reached January 18, 1892, the divi¬ 
 sion of the corps into two sections materially increasing the 
 rate of progress of the work. 
 
 The distance from Quito to Call by the Gualtara route is 
 about 490 miles (788 kilometers) and by the Tuquerres route 
 530 miles (853 kilometers) making an average of about 70 miles 
 per month, commendable progress, when one considers that the 
 route lay through some of the boldest mountain regions of 
 South America. 
 
 Concerning the section between Quito and Pop ay an, Mr. 
 Sliunk is of the opinion that $32,000 per mile ($20,000 per kilo¬ 
 meter) would be a fair valuation for grading, masonry, and 
 bridges, provided the line were well laid in gross and carefully 
 located in detail; that such a line exists, awaiting the finder; 
 and that it must be found eventually if the road is to be built, 
 as there does not appear to be business in sight or in the near 
 prospect to warrant a larger average outlay, if even an outlay 
 so large. That sum in the United States would prepare the 
 roadbed through pretty difficult country; the grades and 
 curves admissible in Ecuador and Colombia go far to offset the 
 peculiar obstacles encountered. Good drainage would be a 
 prominent item of expense. On the other hand, cuts can be 
 taken out to steep slopes in that frostless region, judging not 
 only by the character of the material in place, but by work 
 already done on the highways, whether by storms or by hand. 
 As a rule, the steeper the pitch the better it stands. There 
 would be three tunnels required on the section now under con¬ 
 sideration. One about a mile in length under Boliche Sum¬ 
 mit, another 2,500 feet long under Quina Summit, and a short 
 one under the Kidge of Boble. 
 
 In regard to the reach between Popayhn and Call, Mr. Sliunk 
 reports that there appeared to him to be three alternative lines 
 awaiting examination: 
 
 First. A detour I)y way of the Cauca River from Popay^n to Paso la Bolsa, 
 north of Buenos Ayres. Second. From Popay^n across country ky way of 
 Duende or vicinity to the valley of the Piendamd, thence to and along 
 Cauca River to Paso la Bolsa. Third. From Popayan along the foothills 
 of the central cordillera adjacent to the national road north, by way of 
 Jimena, to the ridge between the rivers Piendamo and Tunia, theuce along 
 that ridge to the vicinity of Aganche, whence a descent may be made 
 along the southern flank of the valley of the Ovejas to the Cauca near 
 Jelima and thence to Paso la Bolsa. At the latter point the valley opens. 
 There is plain ground and no difficulty to Cali. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 17 
 
 Before location, the Ridge of Roble, with the neighboring country 
 between Los Arboles and Popaydn, deserves particular study, for there are 
 several alternatives inviting attention. Of course but one could be fol¬ 
 lowed. 
 
 From Quito to the vicinity of Los Arboles, Mr. Shrink is of 
 the opinion that the line actually run is pretty near the right 
 ground, assuming it to be inadmissible to put Quito itself on 
 a spur. 
 
 Corps No. 2 started the line north from Cali January 25,1892, 
 and in three weeks achieved the distance thence to Cartagoj 
 making, in round numbers, 24 miles (39 kilometers) the first 
 week, 00 miles (90.0 kilometers) the second, and 40 miles (64.4 
 kilometers) the third week. 
 
 They were delayed more or less by foul weather, and, on the 
 reach between Cali and Palmira, by exceedingly difficult ground 
 to get over rapidly. The Cauca there traverses a sodden flat 
 through dense wilderness containing a network of high-water 
 sloughs, lagoons, and bayous. The road was very devious, but 
 was necessarily followed. The bridges on it had been swept off 
 by freshet two and a half years before, a circumstance that so 
 obstructed transportation that the progress of camp regulated 
 the progress of the survey. 
 
 Owing to the frequent fords or portages in mud or water, 
 averaging probably 500 to 700 feet asunder for a long distance, 
 cammoved slowly. 
 
 These 124 miles (200 kilometers) are without serious obstacle 
 to cheap construction. The Cauca River near Calf, requiring 
 a bridge 450 feet (137 meters) long, and the flood waterways 
 to be provided in the vicinity of the river, make the division 
 from Call to Palmira more expensive than that from I^almira to 
 Cartago. 
 
 Throughout the latter the alluvion of the valley, a plain sloping toward 
 the main stream at a declivity almost imperceptible, borders the foothills 
 along a winding line of demarcation with curves aud indents like a sea 
 margin. The railroad would cross those hays and coves on fast ground, 
 with hillside excavation around the capes and through cuts through the 
 occasional isthmuses, pretty largely in a gravel formation good for ballast. 
 It is a well-watered country, rivers and brooks frormthe central cordillera 
 abounding, and will necessitate ample provision for drainage. Timber 
 convenient for ties and material for masonry obtainable from the water 
 channels. 
 
 An approximate estimate places the 440 miles (708 kilome¬ 
 ters) from Quito to La Bolsa crossing of Cauca River, south 
 
 14607-2 
 
18 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 of Cali, at the previously given net rate of $32,000 per mile 
 ($20,000 per kilometer) for grading, masonry, and bridges; 
 thence to the 487tli mile (784th kilometer) at Cali, $16,000 per 
 mile ($10,000 per kilometer), and thence to the 611th mile (983d 
 kilometer) at Cartago, $13,000 per mile ($8,000 per kilometer). 
 
 The survey was carried to the camp of the corps, 1£ miles 
 north of Cartago, at noon of February 15, 1892. 
 
 At this point the party was divided, Mr. O’Connell con¬ 
 tinuing the line northward, while Mr. Shunk set out on an 
 exploration of the Quindio Pass in search of a feasible route 
 into the Magdalena Valley. On his return he overtook the 
 main body February 27 at camp north of Manizales, finding- 
 in charge Mr. J. D. Garrison, sent out by the Commission to 
 relieve Mr. Burgess, resigned. 
 
 The main road between Cartago and Medellin was'followed 
 by the line as far as Salamina, where a crossroad permitted 
 access to the western side of Cauca River at Marmato, from 
 which point progress northward was made by way of New 
 Caramento, Valparaiso, the Farralones, Santa Barbara, and 
 Cal das, to Medellin, the suburbs of which were reached Satur¬ 
 day, March 19, 1892, and the line extended through it on the 
 21st. 
 
 It should be observed that the survey northward from Cartago, being 
 restricted to the public road, traversed a rugged region crosswise of tor¬ 
 rent drainage from the Paramos and Nevadas of the. central cordillera, and 
 for the most part out of sight of the true field aloug the Cauca Valley, 
 overground quite impracticable for a railroad at a reasonable cost, except 
 the reach between Cartago and San Francisco. A location could be found 
 there descending the Chinchina River from the latter point to Cauca Val¬ 
 ley. 
 
 Mr. Shunk, however, judges such a line inexpedient. With¬ 
 out apparent advantage of any kind it must be the longer and 
 more expensive alternative, and would enter the valley near 
 head of what is considered its worst portion, avoiding, there¬ 
 fore, no difficulties of importance. 
 
 Mr. Shunk had contemplated trying a line by way of the 
 Risaralda and San Juan valleys, but a report on that country 
 by Mr. Frankin White, presented at Palmira, caused its dis¬ 
 missal. Mr. White’s reconnoisance, made in 1878, indicates a 
 gradient of 7.7 per cent for about 9 miles (14.4 kilometers) at 
 the summit, an ascent thither from the mouth of the Risaralda 
 approximating 4,300 feet (1,310 meters) vertical, and a descent 
 thence northward to the mouth of the San Juan of 6,700 feet 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 19 
 
 vertical (2,042 meters). The valley line, on a continuous 
 descent, would obviously consume the difference only between 
 those figures, or about 2,400 feet (731 meters), distributed over 
 a length of more than 100 miles (160 kilometers). The interior 
 lines, as tabled by Mr. White, seem to be the shorter of the two 
 by about 8 or 10 miles (13 or 16 kilometers), a difference which 
 it is thought would be more than extinguished by the develop¬ 
 ment necessary to reduce gradient within the limit prescribed. 
 On a whole, the valley line is deemed preferable to any other. 
 The scheme of the work forbade an attempt to examine its 
 roadless, wilderness declivities, and smoky Indian-summer 
 weather prevented good views of it from the overlooking 
 upland j but such glimpses as were obtained, the observations 
 made at the crossings, and the information of residents satis¬ 
 fied Mr. Sliuuk that although there may be occasional bluff 
 spurs or precipitous canons, a road can be built there at mod¬ 
 erate expense. Much, if not most, of the “ canon,” so called, 
 is firm hillside for casting work, and there are numerous reaches 
 of u bench” or “bottom.” Yet in the uncertainty of the knowl¬ 
 edge acquired, the division from Cartago by way of the river 
 to the mouth of the Poblanco, in round numbers 100 miles (160 
 kilometers), is estimated at $32,000 per mile. 
 
 After his arrival at Medellin Mr. Shunk reported upon his 
 explorations and studies of the passes leading from the Cauca 
 into the Magdalena Yalley. From these it appears that while 
 descending the Cauca the possibility of finding a line thence 
 up the Paila Yalley, or that of the next affluent northward, 
 which would favorably approach a low summit of the central 
 cordillera at the head of the Bio Coello, a tributary of the Mag¬ 
 dalena, was suggested. From Mr. White, many years resident 
 iu the State of Cauca, the best information concerning the coun¬ 
 try in the neighborhood was obtained. He confirmed the con¬ 
 jecture that either from Cartago or the Paila vicinity a lower 
 pass than that of the Quindio would be found to the southward. 
 He added that the ground in the valley of the Coello and its 
 affluents offered easier construction than the valley of the upper 
 Toche, northwest of Ibaque, the latter being greatly cumbered 
 with bowlders and other debris from the volcano Tolima. The 
 distance by each of the general routes from Cartago to Amba- 
 lema, whether by the Quindio Pass or by the headwaters of 
 the Coello, would be about 125 to 130 miles (200 to 210 kilo¬ 
 meters). Judging the ascent from Cartago to the Quindio 
 
20 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Pass, at the time of his reconnoissance, to he decisive of the 
 feasibility of the work, Mr. Shunk did not extend his journey 
 beyond that pass. The summit tunnel under Quindici would 
 approximate 2,500 to 3,000 feet in length, and would put the 
 railroad 800 to 1,000 feet underground. The material to be 
 penetrated is compact blue slate and shale. By reason of the 
 battening off of the eastern ravine a much lower tunnel would 
 be greatly longer and therefore inexpedient. On the approach 
 to Quindio Pass from the westward there would be light valley 
 work from Cartago to the vicinity of Salento; thence to the 
 tunnel heavy and curvy. Massing those subdivisions, Mr. Slmnk 
 thinks that $32,000 per mile (20,000 per kilometers) would cover 
 the cost of grading, masonry, and bridges; and that, as an 
 approximate valuation, that rate might be used for the entire 
 distance between Cartago and Ambalema, about 130 miles (210 
 kilometers). 
 
 The general map of Colombia seems to offer an alternative 
 line southeastward instead of northeastward from Ibaque to 
 the Magdalena Kiver, which line should .ascend to the national 
 capital by way of the Bio Bogota. 
 
 Owing to impassable roads Mr. Shunk, while at Popayan, 
 was unable to explore Guanacas Pass, but from information 
 obtained it is believed a railroad is feasible from Popayan, in 
 the Cauca Valley, to La Plata, in the Magdalena Valley, via this 
 pass. The ridge of Guanacas is believed to be between 1,000 
 and 1,300 feet above the waters of Palace Iiiver, and this 
 would imply a tunnel of about 1 to 1^ miles long, provided an 
 exit eastward at an elevation of 11,000 feet might be made. 
 The elevation of Lago de Guanacas is given by the French 
 expedition as 11,590 feet (3,533 meters), and it is assumed that 
 the lake stands 500 or 600 feet above the stream into which it 
 flows, and from which it appears to be distant 1£ miles. This 
 assumed tunnel elevation could be surmounted well within 
 the rate of limiting gradient, so that there is room for move¬ 
 ment up or down in this conjecture without seriously dislo¬ 
 cating the conclusions. The distance from Popayan to the 
 tunnel is placed at 40 miles (64 kilometers), and thence to La 
 Plata at 60 miles (96 kilometers). The cost of grading, masonry, 
 and bridges from Popayan to La Plata, inclusive of a tunnel 
 1^ miles long (2 kilometers) at the ridge of the Guanacas, would 
 not exceed $40,000 per mile ($25,000 per kilometer). Below 
 La Plata there would be no difficulty to the sea as to gradient. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 21 
 
 Doubtless there are other passes into the valley of the Magda¬ 
 lena, both north and south of Popayan, but time did not permit 
 a search for them. 
 
 The surveyors were welcomed and offered service by alcal¬ 
 des of towns and prefects of provinces, under orders from 
 Bogota, and the director of national mails and telegraphs 
 gave the freedom of the wires in Colombia. At Pasto a formal 
 reception and lunch, as at Ipiales, was tendered, courtesies 
 were shown at Cartago, but especially at Medellin was the 
 reception most hearty and cordial. The governor of the State 
 had the engineers to breakfast at the Executive Mansion, an 
 entertainment begining at 1 p. m. and not ending till 6, with 
 a distinguished company to assist. Then the business men 
 tendered a supper, an elegant collation, a very solid assembly 
 and an interchange of goodly expressions from 6 p. m. till mid¬ 
 night. This was followed by courtesies from the president of 
 the School of Mines and the municipal council, together with 
 numerous acts of kindness on the part of other individuals, 
 including the American and foreign consuls. 
 
 At Medellin the corps was again divided into two sections, 
 each taking the field at the beginning of April. Section I, 
 under Mr. Shunk, went by way of Antioquia to Cabas Gordas, 
 on the river Sucio; thence, returning to Antioquia, extended 
 the survey southward up the left bank of the Cauca Kiver to the 
 ferry on the trail between Concordia and Titiribi, arriving at 
 this rendezvous May 10. Mr. Garrison, with the second sec¬ 
 tion, joined a few days later, having surveyed a line from Caldas 
 by way of Predonia to the mouth of the river Poblanco; 
 thence through Jerieo to the San Juan Biver, at the mouth of 
 the Quebradona, and thence through Bolivar to the “Quiebra” 
 summit of the western cordillera. He then connected bis line 
 through Bolivar byway of the Cauca Yalley to the ferry above 
 mentioned and returned to Medellin. Both had a good deal of 
 foul weather, and Section II suffered from ill health. 
 
 From the mouth of the Poblanco, on Cauca River, 711 miles (1,145 kilo¬ 
 meters) from Quito, or from Cauca River at the mouth of the San Juan, 
 20 miles (32 kilometers) down stream from the former point, a branch to 
 Medellin would be feasible, the length of it the same by both lines, namely, 
 about 46 miles (74 kilometers). The first line would ascend the Poblanco 
 Yalley, pass the summit in San Miguel Ridge near Fredonia, detour the 
 heads of the Sinifan^, pass a depression in the spur projecting westward 
 from the central cordillera near Awaga, ascend to a saddle in said cordil¬ 
 lera at the source of the Quebrada Lejia, a few miles south of Caldas and 
 
22 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 run thence by way of that town down Medellin River to the city of the 
 same name. 
 
 The second line, descending Cauca Valley on its eastern slope from the 
 mouth of the San Juan, would ascend the southern slope to the Sanifana 
 Valley to a junction with the Fredonia alternative near the river sources. 
 The latter line appears to he preferable as occupying better ground, accom¬ 
 modating the country side better, and as being free from objectionable 
 counter gradient. Both lines would serve the unique coal deposit of the 
 Sinifana Valley. 
 
 One or the other of these two lines seems to be the only 
 practicable approach to Medellin from the Canca Valley in this 
 region. Mr. Shnnk’s studies along the road between Medellin 
 and Antioquia revealed a topography insuperable by a railroad 
 at a reasonable cost. 
 
 From the mouth of the San Juan the line through or near Bolivar encoun¬ 
 ters no special difficulty until that town is passed. Development then 
 becomes necessary to overcome the abrupt rise of the cordillera to La 
 Quiebra summit, about 2,000 feet vertical (610 meters) in a horizontal dis¬ 
 tance of 1-i miles (2£ kilometers). Support for such development is offered 
 by the Quebrada Linda, southward. West of the summit the country 
 slopes oft' with a moderate declivity and there would be no great difficulty, 
 according to information, in the way of a railroad thence to Quibdd on 
 the Atrato, about 60 miles (97 kilometers). 
 
 From the mouth of the Rio San Juan the main line descends Cauca Valley 
 on its western slope, over ground alternately bluff, bench and bottom, 
 cloven by frequent streams or dry beds of torrent streams*, 50 miles (80 
 kilometersi to the city of Antioquia, 781 miles (1,257 kilometers) from 
 Quito. Thence it develops up the valleys of the Rio Tonusco and its 
 northern affluent, the Toyo, to a tunnel 2,500 feet (762 meters) long at the 
 head of the latter stream; thence following the western bank of a tributary 
 of the Cahas Gordas River, and developing up the latter stream, reaches 
 the village of Cahas Gordas, 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Antioquia, 816 
 miles (1,314 kilometers) from Quito. Barometrical observations by Mr. J. 
 H. White indicate that northward from Cahas Gordas the river falls at the 
 rate of about 2 per cent, and that thence forward, down the valley of the 
 Sucio, no gradient exceeding 1^ per cent would be necessary anywhere. 
 
 Mr. Sbunk values the main line from thePoblanco to Antio¬ 
 quia at $24,000 per mile ($15,000 per kilometer) for grading, 
 masonry, and bridges; the extension from Antioquia to Canas 
 Gordas, difficult ground, at $48,000 per mile ($30,000 per kilo¬ 
 meter) ; the branch to Medellin and the branch to La Quiebra 
 at $32,000 per mile ($20,000 per kilometer). The material to 
 be moved is chiefly red or yellow clay, loamy or sandy to some 
 extent, but for the most part stiff*. There are exposures of 
 slate and shale, frequently metamorpkic. Here and there 
 occur beds of pumice sand, indurated. Scattered blocks of 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 23 
 
 basalt, trachyte, porphyry and granitoid rock may be said to 
 be characteristic of the whole interandine upland explored by 
 this party. The bowlders in the river bed are very much the 
 same everywhere. South of the Patia Valley comparatively 
 little clay will be met. Prom the point of entrance of the corps 
 into that valley northward it is a predominant material in u ex¬ 
 cavation.” Solid rock occurs so rarely and, in the absence of 
 frost there, the material actually existing stands at so steep a 
 pitch, that Mr. Shunk thinks the whole line might be estimated 
 as loose rock at slopes of J to 1 ® £ to 1. Nowhere was build¬ 
 ing stone seen in the bed. It is found only in the stream beds. 
 There it abounds. Streams also abound; so that by means of 
 steam crushers ballast might be provided quite conveniently. 
 All through the region herein reported on there is timber for 
 ties. 
 
 On June 7,1892, the corps set out northward from Medellin, 
 down the valley of Rio Porce, and followed that valley through 
 the towns of Copacabana, Jirardat, and Barbosa to the bridge, 
 a short distance below the mouth of the Bio Grande. 
 
 The survey there was diverted from the immediate valley of the Porce 
 and, proceeding along the highway through Pabon, formerly called Hojas 
 Anchas, across the Rio Guadalupe to Carolina, thence swung northward, 
 again traversing the bridge north of Rio Guadalupe to the Higueron Sum¬ 
 mit, a marked depression near the junction of the Guadalupe and the Porce, 
 854 meters (2,800 feet) above the said junction on one hand and only 185 
 meters (605 feet) above the San Pablo on the other. Thence the line was 
 continued, still following the road along the crest of the divide between 
 the Porce and Nechi to the town of Anori, where the corps arrived July 1, 
 about 83 miles (133 kilometers) from Medellin. 
 
 At Anori the corps was divided, Mr. Garrison, with section 
 2, traversing the highway thence through Campamento, Yaru- 
 mal, Turbaco, and Randal to C&ceres, and Mr. Shank, with sec¬ 
 tion 1, going to the same destination by way of the hamlets of 
 El Indio, Cruces de Anori, Zea, and Cruces de Caceres and the 
 valleys of the Beguquillo and Cauca. The corps reassembled 
 at Caceres July 21, section 2 some days in advance of section 
 1, the former having made 73 miles of survey, the latter 84. 
 
 From Caceres Mr. Shunk had expected to be able to cross 
 northwestwardly to the divide between the San Jorge and the 
 Sinu to a point about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southward from 
 the Cienaga Betanci. It was learned, however, that the trail 
 in that direction did not go through, that it was in bad condi¬ 
 tion, and was, furthermore, a mere footpath, never yet passed 
 
24 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 nor made to be passed by pack animals. However, as the flat¬ 
 ness of the country would admit a line in almost any direction, 
 the failure to proceed as anticipated became less important. 
 Therefore the Cauca Eiver was descended in canoes about 30 
 miles (48 kilometers) to Cucliaral, the port of Ayapel. Oucha- 
 ral is a hamlet of one house. The animals, sent ahead light 
 by land, were one week in making the journey. At Cucliaral 
 the corps again divided, section 1, with the surplus baggage 
 (everything that could be spared from the held), going down 
 Cauca River in a canoe, and section 2 prosecuting the sur¬ 
 vey by way of Ayapel, Saha gun, Corozal, San Juan, and Tur- 
 baco to the Plaza of the Patriots, in Cartagena, 208 miles (334 
 kilometers) from Cucliaral. Section 1 arrived in Cartagena 
 August 7, section 2 August 26, 1892. 
 
 From Medellin to tlie neighborhood of the Guadalnpe-Poroe junction 
 work will he comparatively light, the lower portion of the valley, north 
 of Barbosa, somewhat more difficult than the upper. On the whole, 
 Juniata Valley work. The section of the line ascending from Porce 
 Valley, crossing the Guadalupe and tunneling Higueron Summit, is exceed¬ 
 ingly rough ground. The Guadalupe viaduct would he about 250 feet 
 (76 meters) high and 1,200 feet (366 meters) long. Higueron Tunnel is 
 projiosed to he 2,000 feet (604 meters) long, at an elevation of 4,625 feet 
 (1,410 meters) above sea, 475 feet (145 meters) below the summit, 2,325 
 feet (709 meters) above the Guadalupe-Porce junction, and 130 feet (40 
 meters) above San Pablo at its western portal. The elevation of Higueron 
 Summit is 5,100 feet (1,555 meters) above the sea. A gradient of 2 per 
 cent has been assumed on the approach from the Porce, in order to cross 
 the Guadalupe above the u Salto” (falls) and to provide for future better¬ 
 ments of line without exceeding the maximum gradient used elsewhere. 
 From Higueron Tunnel the location would follow San Pablo Valley to the 
 Nechi and descend along the latter stream to the vicinity of the Medio 
 Luna, thence developing up the Quebrada Dorada to the divide (3,050’ 
 feet, 930 meters), sloping northward to the waters of Rio Neri, whence a 
 descent is made to the proposed crossing of Cauca River, about 5 miles 
 (8 kilometers) south of Ciiceres. The work on this section is not excessive. 
 Mr. Garrison reports it to be on the whole an easy country, presenting 
 no special difficulties, “ merely a question of fitting the line to the ground 
 and adjusting it to the topography of the streams.” 
 
 From Medellin to the Cauca, near C^ceres, the rock formation is gold 
 bearing, Antioquia being i>reeminently at present the gold-bearing State 
 of the Colombian Union. Excavation would be mainly variegated clays, 
 shales, slates, and schists, more or less metamorphic. 
 
 It is to be observed that neither of the lines on the reach 
 between the Rio Grande and the Cauca, near Cdceres, lies near 
 the prospective location, though occasional views of that 
 prospective ground, from overlooking heights, were obtained 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 25 
 
 by the surveyors. The line traced by Mr. Shunk north of 
 Anon was designed as a reserve against a contingency of 
 defeat on the western line. Maps being very imperfect, and 
 his information leading him to fear a prohibitory summit in the 
 cordillera along Cauca River, bethought it prudent to examine 
 the Quebrada Cruces de Caceres, with a view, if necessary, to 
 exit that way from the valley of the Yechi. Mr. Garrison’s 
 happy discovery of the summit at the head of Quebrada Do- 
 rada superseded Mr. Skunk’s individual work and is unques¬ 
 tionably, so far as can be judged at present, the proper ground 
 for a railroad from Medellin to Caceres. A partial alternative 
 might deviate from the junction of the San Pablo and Yaru- 
 mal, which form the Nechi, to Anori, and thence, descending 
 toward the village of Tami, connect with the proposed loca¬ 
 tion part way up Quebrada Dorada. Mr. Shunk is of the opinion 
 that an alternative is feasible from the same point of depar¬ 
 ture as the foregoing, by way of the Quebradas, Yarumal, and 
 Oro, and thence down the eastern flank of Cauca Yalley, through 
 Raudal, to Cauca crossing. 
 
 Objections to this line are the height of summit west of Yarumal, 7,500 
 feet (2,280 meters) above the sea, and a greater length of 20 miles (32 kilo¬ 
 meters) as compared with the proposed location. The crossing of the 
 Cauca River south of Caceres would approximate 700 feet (213 meters) in 
 length; the banks firm, east side bluff, west side fiat for a short distance; 
 depth of water at ordinary stage, 8 to 10 feet (3 meters), with a flood 
 range making it 12 feet (4 meters) deeper at high water. Bottom, shingle. 
 Piers to be founded like those in the Allegheny, at Pittsburg. No cross¬ 
 ing of the Cauca equal to this or at all comparable with it anywhere down¬ 
 stream was seen. Below Caceres the river soon enters flat ground and 
 laces the adjacent country with bayous. 
 
 Mr. Shunk’s line from Anori, by way of Cruces de Caceres, 
 calls for no particular remark, being about 25 miles (40 kilo¬ 
 meters) longer than the proposed location. The summit near 
 Tamana mines, 2,300 feet (701 meters), is considerably lower 
 than that at the head of La Dorada, 3,050 feet (930 meters); 
 but in every other respect the line is at a disadvantage. Prom 
 the Cauca crossing no material obstacle exists to a line north¬ 
 westward to the upland between the Rivers San Jorge and 
 Sinn, whence, trending northeastward, it merges in a surveyed 
 line north of Ayapel and follows that survey, with occasional 
 slight deviations, to Cartagena. After passing Ayapel, the 
 country is rolling prairie and timber, better populated and 
 better utilized than any region of like extent seen by Mr. 
 
26 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Shunk in South America. It is a very rich farming and cattle 
 district. The only high ground met was the “Paloma” ridge, 
 rising about 1,000 feet (300 meters) above tide between San 
 Juan and Cayetano; but it would be taken on the slant, with 
 good approach spurs both sides, and yet at moderate cost. The 
 general elevation of the plane north of Ayapel is 120 to 150 
 meters (400 to 500 feet) above tide. It ascends northwest¬ 
 wardly and culminates in the Paloma. The approximate cost 
 of grading, masonry, and bridges from Medellin to Cartagena 
 is estimated as follows: 
 
 24.85 miles from Medellin to Barbosa, 40 kilometers, at $12,000 . $480, 000 
 
 38.52 miles from Barbosa to foot of Hi gueron-tunnel gradient, 62 kilometers, at 
 
 $15,000 . 930,000 
 
 13.67 miles from foot of tunnel gradient to western portal, 22 kilometers, at 
 
 $45,000 . 990,000 
 
 55.92 miles from Higueron tunnel to and across Cauca River south of Caceres, 
 
 90 kilometers, at $15,000 .: . 1,350,000 
 
 239.86 miles from Cauca crossing to Cartagena, 386 kilometers, at $12,000 . 4, 632, 0C0 
 
 Approximate cost. 8,382,000 
 
 Average, $22,500 per mile; $14,000 per kilometer. 
 
 The railroads now building would reduce the length of line 
 to be built 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Medellin northward, 
 and 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Cartagena southward. Tim¬ 
 
 ber for ties, stone for masonry, and water will be found on the 
 line or near by throughout its length. From the San Jorge 
 crossing, 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of C^ceres, a line 
 about 75 miles (120 kilometers) in length is believed, from 
 trustworthy information, to be feasible over the low western 
 ridge to Pavarandocito on the Sucio. 
 
 Maps of the line from Quito to Medellin have already been 
 received and are on file in the central office in Washington. 
 
 Owing to the unsuitableness of the season at the time of Mr. 
 Shunk’s arrival in the lower Cauca Valley, it was not advisable 
 to attempt a survey of the Isthmus of Panama at that date, 
 consequently he has been transferred from Cartagena to San 
 Jose de Costa Rica, with orders to begin a line at some suitable 
 point in that neighborhood and work southward toward 
 Panama, reaching the isthmus in February, a favorable season 
 for operations in that unhealthy region, and make connection 
 with the northwestern terminus of his line in Colombia at 
 Canas Gordas. He sailed from Cartagena on the 16th of Sep¬ 
 tember and reached the capital of Costa Rica the 26th of the 
 same month. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 27 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Corps No. 3. 
 
 J. Imbrie Miller, Engineer in Charge. 
 
 W. D. Kelley, Assistant Engineer. 
 
 J. R. Kurtz, Assistant Engineer. 
 
 Winter L. Wilson, Topographer. 
 
 Algernon B. Alderson, Draftsman. 
 
 J. Douglas Forster, Junior Assistant. 
 
 Charles W. Rush, TJ . S. Navy, Surgeon. 
 
 This party was assigned the survey of the line from Quito 
 southward through Ecuador and Peru to Cuzco, the ancient 
 capital of the latter country. 
 
 The engineers sailed on April 10,1891, from New York, with 
 those of the second corps; but as Mr. Miller had been in¬ 
 structed to proceed in advance to Peru, to gather information 
 regarding the route, he turned over his party to the engineer 
 in charge of corps No. 2, and sailed direct to Callao, arriving 
 April 27. 
 
 He reports having been courteously received and hand¬ 
 somely entertained by the United States minister to Peru, Mr. 
 John Hicks; by the secretary to the United States legation, 
 Mr. Bieliard B. Neill; by Admiral Brown and officers of the 
 flagship San Francisco , and by private residents of the capital. 
 
 Attache Ensign W. E. Salford, U. S. Bavy, on special duty 
 in Peru in connection with the Columbian Exposition, kindly 
 acted as interpreter. 
 
 Interviews wnre secured with Gen. Bemijio Morales Ber¬ 
 mudez, the President of the Bepublic, and with the secretaries 
 and other Government officials thought to be most able to for¬ 
 ward the interests of the Commission. Letters of introduction 
 from Mr. Leffert L. Buck, the commissioner from Peru, to El 
 Senor Dn. Ernesto Malinowski, Mr. Edward Thornton, and 
 other distinguished civil engineers procured much useful 
 information. Through El Senor Malinowski permission was 
 accorded to visit the Geographical Society of Lima and trace 
 portions of Bairnundi’s new map of Peru. Copies of the text 
 of this important work were presented. 
 
 May 6, nine days after landing, the engineer started for 
 Guayaquil, arriving there May 10, and at Quito May 20. 
 
 El Senor J. M. P. Caamano, governor of the Province of 
 
28 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Guayas, furnished transportation, as liad already been done for 
 the double engineer corps with Mr. Shunk. On arrival at camp, 
 3 miles north of Quito, the supplies were inspected and 
 repacked, instruments adjusted, riding horses and pack mules 
 purchased, and a few natives exercised in field duties, so that 
 on June 1 the third corps camp was moved 12 miles south of 
 Quito. 
 
 The next day both the second and third corps commenced 
 work on the railroad survey at Quito, the third corps working 
 southward, taking a belt contour-line topography from 3 to 5 
 miles in width, including all available ground for railroad loca¬ 
 tion on the Quito route, and also connecting with the main 
 valley route eastward of Quito, surveyed by Mr. Shunk. 
 
 From June 2 to October 31 (five months) the corps com¬ 
 pleted 507 miles of careful instrumental surveys, equal to a 
 little more than 100 miles per month, of which 80 miles per 
 month were on the main route south of Quito. 
 
 The compass and barometer were only used as checks on the 
 instrumental alignment and levels, the measurements being 
 taken with the stadia, the ground being too broken for accu¬ 
 rate use of chain or odometer. 
 
 On October 31 the survey reached a point 60 miles south of 
 Loja, in Ecuador, near the border of Peru, and 415 miles from 
 Quito by main survey. 
 
 Some of the principal points on the location are noted below, 
 with the distances from Quito, the altitudes above ocean level, 
 and their respective populations. 
 
 Quito. 
 
 Zero Monument .... 
 Santa Kosa Summit. 
 Amaguana Bridge.. 
 
 Uyumbicho. 
 
 Tambillo. 
 
 Machaclii. 
 
 Tiopullo Summit.... 
 
 Latacunga. 
 
 San Miguel. 
 
 Ambato. 
 
 Mocha. 
 
 Chimborazo Summit 
 
 Chuquipogio. 
 
 Cajabamba. 
 
 1 From 
 Quito. 
 
 Altitude. 
 
 Popula¬ 
 
 tion. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Feet. 
 
 9, 350 
 
 80,000 
 
 1 
 
 9, 325 
 
 
 101 
 
 9, 986 
 
 
 11 
 
 8,470 
 
 2,000 
 
 12 
 
 8,850 
 
 2,000 
 
 14 
 
 9, 250 
 
 3, 000 
 
 22 
 
 9, 760 
 
 8,000 
 
 34 
 
 11,540 
 
 
 574 
 
 9,177 
 
 15,000 
 
 654 
 
 8, 786 | 
 
 3,000 
 
 81 
 
 8,304 
 
 18,000 
 
 954 
 
 10,810 
 
 3,000 
 
 102 
 
 12,000 
 
 
 106 
 
 11,716 j 
 
 
 1201 | 
 
 10,715 ; 
 
 4, 000 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 29 
 
 ! Fiona 
 j Quito. 
 
 Altitude. 
 
 Popula¬ 
 
 tion. 
 
 ! Miles. 
 
 .{ 121 
 
 Feet. 
 
 10, 631 
 
 4,000 
 
 134J 
 
 10,454 
 
 1,000 
 
 138 
 
 10, 080 
 
 8,000 
 
 148 
 
 11, 650 
 
 1,000 
 
 155J 
 
 9,784 
 
 1,500 
 
 161 
 
 7,857 
 
 3,000 
 
 1721 
 
 7, 632 
 
 2,500 
 
 197 
 
 11,160 
 
 
 203i 
 
 9, 990 
 
 1,000 
 
 205 
 
 | 10,368 
 
 5,000 
 
 213| 
 
 10, 888 
 
 
 ! 2271 
 
 8, 840 
 
 3,000 
 
 1 231 
 
 8,494 
 
 6,000 
 
 2341 
 
 8,100 
 
 200 
 
 247 
 
 8, COO 
 
 40,000 
 
 Place. 
 
 Columbe. 
 
 Guamote. 
 
 Palmyra. 
 
 Tigsan. 
 
 Alausi. 
 
 Chunchi. 
 
 Azuay Summit 
 
 Tambo. 
 
 Cauar. 
 
 Azogues. 
 
 Cuenca 
 
 From Quito to Loja tlie survey follows the valley of the 
 Andes between the Maritime and Central Cordillera. This 
 valley is crossed by numerous mountain spurs, each of which 
 divides the drainage (as at Tiopullo, Azuay, etc.), and the en¬ 
 gineering problem is to cross these summits with suitable gra¬ 
 dients and alignment, and at the same time avoid as much as 
 possible the numerous deep ravines along the mountain slopes. 
 
 The line from Quito to Cuenca presents no extraordinary 
 engineering features excepting high viaducts and somewhat of 
 a lack of good .building materials adjacent to the work. 
 
 South of Cuenca the ground is very broken and in places 
 covered with dense forests, the cross ridges being frequent and 
 irregular. 
 
 Both at Cuenca and Loja and elsewhere the Government 
 officials and private citizens were very prominent in showing 
 attention to the officers of the Commission, and the leading 
 ladies made silk American flags to grace the banquet tendered 
 the engineers. 
 
 To El Sehor Antonio Borero, governor of the Province of 
 Cuenca, and El Sehor Ulpiano Yaldivieso, governor of the 
 Province of Loja, grateful mention is due. The latter was good 
 enough to cash bank drafts on Guayaquil, so as to save delay 
 in carriage of specie required. 
 
 The weather proved wet and cold at the high altitude selected, 
 and there was considerable sickness caused by exposure. Mr. 
 Miller, the chief of the party, was, soon after his arrival at 
 Quito, attacked by a malady to which persons unaccustomed 
 
30 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 to tliese high altitudes are somewhat subject, aud, although 
 warned by the surgeon of the party aud by resident physicians 
 that he ran great risk by remaining in the country, he refused 
 to return home until after two relapses, when he was so much 
 reduced in strength that he had to be carried to the coast in a 
 litter. Great credit is due Mr. Miller for the very satisfactory 
 work and good progress of his party, as well as for his pluck 
 in remaining so long at the serious risk of his life. 
 
 Mr. William B. Sorsby, United States consul-general for 
 Ecuador, and Mr. Martin Beinberg, the vice-consul, were very 
 attentive to the interests of the Commission. 
 
 Upon his return to the United States Mr. Miller submitted 
 the following: 
 
 Estimate of cost of railway, Quito to Cuenca. 
 
 [271.7 miles single track (main and side tracks), main track 247 miles.] 
 
 Gold values. 
 
 Excavations and tunnels. $5,203,461.35 
 
 Masonry and riprap. 1,295,576.00 
 
 Iron viaducts and girders. 2, 392,040.00 
 
 Fencing, guards, road ciossings, etc. 248,500.00 
 
 Land damages. 150,000.00 
 
 Engineering, legal expenses, and incidentals, .05. 464,478. 86 
 
 Total. 9,754,056.11 
 
 Cost of roadway only.per mile.. 35,900.10 
 
 Track and ballast. 2,037,750.00 
 
 Telegraph. 98,800.00 
 
 Passenger, freight, and water stations. 322,900.00 
 
 Engine houses and repair shops. 175,000.00 
 
 Total . 12,388,506.11 
 
 Total cost without rolling stock ....•.per mile.. 45, 596. 83 
 
 The prices upon which the estimate is based are as follows: 
 
 Earthwork.per cubic yard 
 
 Solid rock.-do. 
 
 Tunnels.per running foot 
 
 Riprap.per cubic yard 
 
 Arch culverts.do. 
 
 Iron work erected.per pound 
 
 Track and ballast complete.per mile 
 
 Loose rock.per cubic yard 
 
 Foundations.do. 
 
 Box culverts.do. 
 
 Abutments.do. 
 
 $0.25 
 1.25 
 75. 00 
 2. 00 
 10. 00 
 •07| 
 
 7,500. 00 
 . 75 
 .50 
 6. 00 
 8. 00 
 
 Upon the departure of Mr. Miller from Ecuador, Mr. W. D. 
 Kelley was placed in charge of the corps and successfully con¬ 
 ducted the survey, under trying circumstances, to Cuzco. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 31 
 
 Messrs. Kelley, Wilson, and Forster, constituting tbe field 
 force, left Loja on the 19th of October, 1891, and reached the 
 Peruvian line on the 26th of November, covering a distance 
 of 72 miles. At Loja it became necessary to reorganize the 
 camp, purchase fresh mules, and hire new men. The first hired 
 by public advertisement became frightened at the prospect 
 ahead, and refused to enter the mountains through fear of the 
 Indians and the wild beasts. Requisition was accordingly 
 made upon the governor for the usual forced “peon” labor for 
 linemen and mule drivers, the former being paid by contract 
 to move the main camp, consisting of Messrs. Kurtz, Alderson, 
 Rush, and Bosanquet, who had in charge the necessary pro¬ 
 visions to carry the party through the unpopulated section 
 between Loja and the first considerable towns in Peru. The 
 help thus obtained moved the main camp a distance of ten 
 leagues on the 2d, 3d, and 4th of November, but on the night 
 of the latter date the natives escaped from camp and ran 
 away. Requisition was again made upon the governor for 
 more men and the necessary guard of soldiers. The men could 
 not be obtained, but 12 soldiers under a captain were by per¬ 
 mission of the Ecuadorian Government procured. These sol¬ 
 diers moved the camp, under charge of Mr. Kurtz, a further 
 distance of 2J leagues to a summit of the cordillera called 
 Savanilla. 
 
 It was now the 20th of November, the members of the 
 camp being disheartened, and, after holding a meeting in the 
 rain, decided to return to Loja, thus leaving the advance party 
 without proper provisions. Mr. Kurtz, being too ill with rheu¬ 
 matism to continue on, remained at Loja some time and finally 
 returned to the United States, having been actually employed 
 in the field less than three weeks. Mr. Bosanquet, however, 
 makes a trip on foot through the forests and reports to Mr. 
 Kelley the condition of affairs. Bosanquet is then placed in 
 absolute charge of the main camp, and receives orders to 
 return to Loja, reorganize, and conduct the main camp by 
 another route until he overtakes the survey camp under Mr. 
 Kelley, which was successfully accomplished, the reunion tak¬ 
 ing place at Cajabamba, Peru, February 5,1892, Mr. Alderson 
 and Dr. Rush accompanying Mr. Bosanquet. The action of 
 Mr. Bosanquet in making a trip on foot through this wild 
 region, leading a mule packed with provisions for the three 
 surveyors in advance hidden in the depths of the forest, was 
 
32 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 highly commendable, and probably prevented an unfortunate 
 delay in the prosecution of the enterprise if not the loss of life. 
 
 From Loja southward the line as surveyed has a gradual 
 ascent for 7 miles to the summit of Cajanuma, 8,302 feet, 
 in a flat open country, thence to a summit of the cordillera, 
 elevation 9,350 feet, 35 miles distant from Loja by a meander¬ 
 ing liue along the mountain side, the small villages of Vilca- 
 barnba and Yangana lying to the westward below. After 
 crossing over to the headwaters of the Amazon, the line runs 
 through a very mountainous region covered with dense forests 
 as far as the Bio Canchis, only an occasional Indian hut being 
 encountered, the section almost destitute of food and resources, 
 the canned supplies brought from the United States having 
 been the main dependence. The mountain streams carry 
 some gold, and signs of other metals are apparent, but owing 
 to the remoteness of the locality and its inaccessibility, it 
 would not be profitable to work mines in this section at pres¬ 
 ent. At this time very long stadia sights and barometer 
 checks had to be resorted to in order to make sufficient head¬ 
 way to prevent being inclosed between the swollen mountain 
 torrents, for the rainy season was on in full force and the 
 region was devoid of food supplies. The precipitous moun¬ 
 tains and the dense forests, requiring much chopping, all 
 tended to delay the work, but by clearing the hilltops, strip¬ 
 ping the trees of bark, erecting cross-arms thereon and utiliz¬ 
 ing them as stadia rods, maximum sights of about six miles 
 were obtained and the necessary rate of progress secured. 
 The Indian help was short; many had the fever, much of the 
 work being in the rain and mud. Both men and animals became 
 greatly fatigued, and the latter having no feed except vines, 
 all exercised an unfavorable influence upon the speed of the 
 work. 
 
 Mention is due of the kindness of Dr. Castillo, dean of the 
 cathedral of Loja, for the supplies he personally furnished and 
 for his orders to the Indian communities to supply provisions 
 to the surveying party and feed for their animals. 
 
 The next reach in the survey is that extending from the 
 northern boundary of Peru to Cajamarca, a distance of 191 
 miles. From the frontier southward the same mountainous 
 country continues for about 50 miles, when the flat bottom 
 lands of the valley of the Maranon are encountered at an 
 elevation above sea level of 3,000 feet. These are low, hot, 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 33 
 
 and sandy, the trees of the forest being replaced by a low, 
 hardy growth of thorny bushes, with woods in patches. In 
 This section numerous insects are found, while the climate is 
 unhealthy. The line was run so as to skirt along the edges of 
 the foothills, through the old town of Jaen, and reached the 
 Maranon Kiver at a point 76 miles from the Ecuadorian fron¬ 
 tier and 12 miles south of Jaen, at an elevation of 2,550 feet, 
 thence following the western bank of the river, in an upstream 
 direction, a distance of 20 miles to an elevation of 2,957 feet, 
 when such abrupt projecting spurs, 4,000 feet in height, alter¬ 
 nating with deep-cut cross gorges at right angles to the line, 
 were encountered that it became impracticable to adhere to 
 the valley any longer, and the surveyors were forced to carry 
 the line to the right and up on the table-lands. At the point 
 where the valley was left the character of the ground was bar¬ 
 ren sand and rocks, the region was without population, with¬ 
 out mule trails, and without provisions for man or beast. 
 
 The survey of the Maranon Valley can best be accomplished 
 by starting at the headwaters near Oerro de Pasco and descend¬ 
 ing the stream. 
 
 By ascending to the plateaus, as indicated above, the pre¬ 
 liminary line traversed the richest mineral and agricultural 
 sections of the interior of Peru all the vray to Guzco and 
 passed through the principal towns and capitals, whereas, had 
 the conditions along the Maranon been favorable to the prose¬ 
 cution of the survey in an upstream direction, as was originally 
 intended by the Commission, the line would have been run, 
 it appears, through a region without population and without 
 present resources. It is desirable that the alternative elevated 
 line from Loja, Ecuador, to the neighborhood of Chota, Peru, 
 should be surveyed in the near future. Owing to the small 
 size of the field party, three engineers and a few Indian helpers, 
 and the scanty supply of the plainest food, it was not practi¬ 
 cable for Mr. Kelley to make other route inspections while push¬ 
 ing his line over the best route that the limited information 
 obtainable indicated. Cajamarca, the capital of the depart¬ 
 ment of the same name, was safely reached on the 15th of 
 January, 1892, and ten days were then devoted to recuperating 
 the worn-out mules, making records, and developing certain sec¬ 
 tions. At this town, the Prefecto, El Sehor Dn. M. O. Vargas, 
 hospitably entertained the engineers at the prefectura for ten 
 days, cared for and fed the mules, all without charge. A ban- 
 14607-3 
 
34 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMxMISSION. 
 
 quet was given the engineers and other evidences of the 
 friendly feelings entertained by the Peruvians towards the com¬ 
 mendable scheme of an intercontinental railway were ex¬ 
 hibited. 
 
 The line from the Ecuadorian frontier to Cajamarca, with 
 the exception of about 30 miles through the bottom lands of 
 the Maranon, would be expensive and would require maximum 
 gradients and curvatures, but when the final location is made 
 it is believed that the elevated alternative between Loja and 
 Cajamarca would be the one adopted. Along the southern 
 end of this line there are several considerable towns. Near 
 Buena Vista and Jaen coffee, tobacco, and cocoa are grown in 
 limited quantities, and much more could readily be produced, 
 but in the absence of means of transportation to the outside 
 world there is no incentive for such extension. Near Oaja- 
 marca there are extensively worked silver mines, bituminous 
 coal fields of good quality and ample quantity, together with 
 productive agricultural lands. At this point the Maranon 
 River lies about 40 miles to the eastward. 
 
 The next reach of the survey is that extending from Caja¬ 
 marca to Huaraz, a distance of 225 miles as measured on the 
 preliminary line. The engineers left Cajamarca 4anuary 25 and 
 reached Huaraz March 12, 1892. From near the former town 
 the line descends through a broad, open valley to a junction 
 with the Rio Huamachuco for a distance of about 35 miles to 
 an elevation of 7,500 feet (the Maranon being 15 miles east¬ 
 ward), thence ascends the former stream to its source and to 
 the top of the main cordillera of the Andes, at which point a 
 spur of somewhat higher elevation and with snow-capped peaks 
 runs eastwardly to the Maranon. Here two alternatives pre¬ 
 sented them selves, the eastern one on the Maran on slope of the 
 main cordillera and the western one on the Pacific slope. The 
 former would require tunneling through the numerous spurs 
 and cross at right angles the deep gorges and waterways lead¬ 
 ing to the Maranon for a distance of nearly 150 miles, and would 
 traverse a country very rough, but little populated and of mea¬ 
 ger natural resources. The latter crosses the main cordillera 
 on the surface at an elevation of 13,020 feet and after a dis¬ 
 tance of 90 miles enters the beautiful valley of the Rio Santa, 
 also called the “Callejon de Huailas,” thus enabling the line to 
 be carried in its true southerly direction by easy grades up this 
 valley, which is by far the most fertile portion of Peru, with 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 its large towns, thickly populated roadsides, rich mineral lands 
 both east and west, gold and silver predominating. These 
 mines are worked on a large scale, as easy communication with 
 the coast permitted the introduction of heavy machinery and 
 supplanted the handling of the ores by the primitive methods 
 of manual labor formerly in vogue. 
 
 Lower down in the same valley is the sugar cane, while to the 
 eastward, in an almost continuous line, rise the snow-capped 
 summits of the Andes, thus affording within a few hours’ 
 journey all degrees of climate, temperature, and vegetation. 
 For the above reasons, the latter route was the one selected 
 by Mr. Kelley, and in his opinion has proven the better. The 
 gold districts of Pallasca and Cabana, the richest in Peru, are 
 on the immediate line of the survey, and when the construc¬ 
 tion of the road is once commenced, the nearness to the coast 
 and the facilities for getting machinery and supplies would 
 lessen the cost of building. Moreover, the Chimbote railroad, 
 which was destroyed by washouts, is likely to be rebuilt in the 
 near future, and this, with the local traffic here existing, in 
 itself remunerative, all confirm the advantages of the Pacific 
 to the Maranon slope of the Andes. 
 
 The surveyors arrived at Cajabamba, (10 miles south of Caja- 
 marca, ou the 3d of February and were met there on the 5th 
 by the supply camp from Loja under Messrs. Bosanquet, Alder- 
 son, and Push. This latter party, being under mule hire to 
 Caraz, 125 miles farther, continued the direct line of march to 
 the latter place, which was reached February 21, intending to 
 await the arrival of the surveying party at that point and util¬ 
 ize the time in drafting the maps then in arrears. On the 
 arrival of Mr. Kelly’s section at Caraz, March 4, he found the 
 other party all sick, Mr. Alderson being in bed with a high 
 fever and not in condition to be moved, while Dr. Rush and 
 Mr. Bosanquet were also ill. Under these circumstances it 
 was impossible for Mr. Bosanquet’s party to continue the march 
 to Cerro de Pasco, and accordingly as soon as Mr. Alderson 
 could be moved he was carried to the coast, and he with Dr. 
 Rush returned, via Lima, to the United States, where they 
 arrived in April, 1892. Under orders from the Commission, 
 Mr. Bosanquet’s party was disbanded at Lima, and he in person 
 proceeded to join Mr. Kelley in the field at Huancayo, where 
 he arrived May 10, 1892. 
 
 The unfortunate illness of Messrs. Kurtz, Alderson, and Rush 
 
36 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 and the Savanilla mishap, all show the difficulties under which 
 the survey was prosecuted to a successful end by the un¬ 
 swerving determination and skillful management of Mr. 
 Kelley, ably seconded by Messrs. Wilson and Forster, who 
 remained with him to the end. 
 
 The next stretch of survey to be considered is that from 
 Huaraz to Gerro de Pasco, a distance of 144 miles as measured 
 along the preliminary line actually run. Leaving Huaraz 
 March 16, Gerro de Pasco w r as reached April 6, 1892. From 
 the former toAvn southward the line ascends by easy gradients 
 and cheap construction a distance of 16 miles along the Rio 
 Santa to the town of Recauy, situated at the head of the indus 
 tries of the valley and the populous district and where are 
 located extensive silver smelting works. 
 
 At Recauy two alternatives present themselves; but, owing 
 to the reduced size of the surveying corps, only one could be 
 examined: First, an eastward line requiring a triple crossing 
 of the cordillera via Huallancaand the Marafion slope of main 
 chain to Gerro de Pasco. Secondly, a westward line on the 
 Pacific slope, passing by Cajatambo and crossing a high spur 
 of the cordillera, forming one of the above-mentioned triple 
 crossings. The former route passes through the large coal and 
 silver-mining districts of Huallanca and enters the populous 
 department of Huanuco, which is very fertile and productive. 
 The latter crosses a spur with as high a summit as that of the 
 main ridge, but without the coal and silver industries and 
 population to recommend it, and besides would require a steeper 
 and more troublesome ascent in order to attain the high pampa 
 of Gerro de Pasco. Under these circumstances the first alter¬ 
 native was selected and is believed by Mr. Kelley to be the 
 better route, although before final location the other should be 
 surveyed. Kear Recauy the main cordillera is crossed at an 
 elevation of 14,927 feet and the two spurs can be crossed on 
 the surface by developing the line along the rocky and snowy 
 mountain sides, at elevations of 15,199 and 15,128 feet, but it 
 is believed that tunnels here would be preferable. 
 
 Thence descent is made by a rather narrow valley to Hu¬ 
 allanca, w r here coal is abundant in quantity and is of good 
 quality, while the silver ores pay as high as $320 per ton, those 
 as low as $37 per ton being cast on the dump. Smelting works 
 with improved machinery are being established. At this point 
 hospitalities were extended to the engineers, while the pre- 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 37 
 
 feet and certain citizens of Huanuco, 32 leagues distant, came 
 to pay their respects to the representatives of the Commis¬ 
 sion. From Huallanca to Cerro de Pasco, 84 miles, owing to 
 the crossing at right angles of the numerous gorges of the 
 headwaters of the Maranon, the line would be costly, except the 
 last 15 miles at the Cerro de Pasco end. This latter town is 
 famous for its silver mines, its business industries, and exten¬ 
 sive commerce, and for the number of foreigners to be found 
 there. Within a radius of 12 miles the country is dotted 
 with small mining towns and haciendas for working silver. 
 There is a railroad 3 leagues long from the mines in Cerro de 
 Pasco to the reduction works. The mines are mostly under 
 the city, and in addition to the railroad thousands of llamas 
 are used to transport the ore. 
 
 The city has an elevation of 14,293 feet and consequently no 
 timber exists in its immediate vicinity, but barley straw grows 
 in scattered patches, but never produces grain. The llamas 
 graze off the very short pampa pasturage while mule feed has 
 to be brought from a distance. Coal, brought some 10 leagues, 
 is used by the smelting works, the railroad, and the richer 
 families, but the fuel most in use is the llama dung, gathered in 
 bags by the Indian women. A sun-dried sod, called “champa,” 
 is also used for the same purpose. A banquet under the 
 auspices of El Serior Chavez, acting Prefecto of the Depart¬ 
 ment of Junin, was tendered the engineers at this point, while 
 El Senor Vildasola, United States vice-consul, showed many 
 attentions. Here telegraphic instructions were received from 
 the central office in Washington to continue the survey to Cuzco. 
 
 After reorganizing his party, Mr. Kelley left Cerro de Pasco 
 on the 18th of April and reached Huancayo, 140 miles distant, 
 May 10. From Cerro de Pasco southward the route lies across 
 the high pampa at elevations varying from 13,400 to 14,000 feet 
 above sea level, and passes by the eastern side of Lake Junin. 
 So far as the topography of the country is concerned, this is 
 the cheapest portion of the line to be constructed, the grades 
 being easy, no heavy crossings required, and a good alignment 
 attainable. However, wooden cross-ties in Cerro de Pasco cost 
 $1.25 each, in native money, and prices of all classes of com¬ 
 modities are very high. After leaving Junin the line passes 
 over a slight summit (13,751 feet) and then descends by a tribu¬ 
 tary into the Bio Oroya Valley to the town of the same name. 
 The route followed is practically that of the Oroya and Cerro 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 <le Pasco Bailroad, and on April 28 Mr. Kelley’s party were in 
 camp with the engineers of that road and exchanged elevations 
 with them. Oroya is 137 miles from Lima, and the railroad is 
 already built from the latter place to Oasapalca, which is 41£ 
 miles from Oroya, this latter distance being covered by mule 
 traffic in one and a half days. This interval is noAV under con¬ 
 struction, and it is expected that the road will be open to the 
 public by the 1st of January, 1893. From Oroya to Huancavo, 
 68 miles, the line surveyed follows down the Oroya Biver, 
 encountering no difficulties, and for the last 28, or from Jauja 
 to Huancayo, passes through an open country, rich agricul¬ 
 turally, but without mineral wealth, at elevations varying from 
 9,000 to 10,000 feet. This section is claimed to be adapted to 
 tea culture, although none is grown there now. It contains 
 many large towns, and the construction of a railroad would 
 develop a considerable passenger and local freight traffic. 
 
 After enjoying a banquet, the surveyors left Huancayo May 
 13 and reached Ayacucho, 117 miles distant, June 1. From 
 Huancayo southward the survey continues down the Oroya 
 Biver a distance of 47 miles to Izcuchaca, at an elevation of 
 9,413 feet. At this point two routes became available,* the 
 first continues down the Oroya Biver to its junction with the 
 Bio Huanta, and then ascends that stream to Ayacucho. The 
 second adheres to the highlands in a generally straight direc¬ 
 tion. The first having been surveyed by other parties, although 
 it may be the better of the two, Mr. Kelley decided to follow 
 the second, so as not to duplicate the surveys, but obtain addi¬ 
 tional data. The line as actually run passes some towns and 
 is not far from the rich quicksilver mines of Huancavelica, 
 which lie to the westward of the best direction. The section 
 under consideration is but slightly productive, is without tim¬ 
 ber^ without mines, and but sparely populated by poor Indians. 
 The first route indicated above would pass through a timbered 
 country and through lower levels into or near the sugar, coffee, 
 and tobacco district below Huanta. Special mention should 
 be made of the kindness of the prefecto, El Seri or Leonardo 
 Cavero, and other officials at Ayacucho, and of the banquet 
 tendered the members of Mr. Kelley’s party. 
 
 From Ayacucho to Abancay is 137 miles. The former town 
 was left June 6 and the latter reached July 8, 1892. The 
 survey gradually ascends from an elevation of 8,900 feet at 
 Ayacucho to that of 14,062, where it crosses a ridge 38 miles 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 39 
 
 from tlie starting point, and thence descends to an elevation of 
 7,040 at the Bio Pampas by a side hill grade line 44 miles long. 
 The Bio Pampas was crossed on rafts June 18, and the work 
 continued, the line ascending the valley of the Bio Huancaray 
 by an easy grade to a summit of the main cordillera having an 
 elevation of 14,628 feet. This ridge here runs east and west, 
 the town of Andaliuailas being situated on the other side of 
 the ridge at a distance of five leagues to the eastward. From 
 the summit just mentioned the line then descends by the use 
 of much curvature to an elevation of 5,800 feet in the valley of 
 the Bio Pachachaca, lying at right angles to the line of survey. 
 After crossing this stream there is another ascent up the valley 
 of the Abancay to the village of that name, the route passing 
 through the large sugar estates of Dr. Letona. In the section 
 between Ayacucho and Abancay small villages and a sparse 
 Indian population are found. The country, being generally 
 high, is adapted to sheep raising, and although minerals are 
 said to exist, no mines had been opened along the route. Owing 
 to the crossing of the rivers Pampas and Pachachaca, the trans¬ 
 versal ridges, and the main cordillera, the construction of this 
 portion of the Intercontinental Bail way would be expensive. 
 
 As portion of the route was believed to be infested by 
 hostile Indians^ a cavalry escort for a distance of 40 miles and 
 arms and ammunition were furnished the engineers by the 
 Government authorities at Ayacucho. 
 
 As elsewhere, courteous attentions were shown the Commis¬ 
 sion’s representatives. Dr. Letona entertained them for sev¬ 
 eral days, and provided feed for the animals free of charge. 
 The prefecto of Abancay, El Senor Juan Pablo Palosminos, 
 was equally attentive, and a banquet was one of the hospitali¬ 
 ties extended here. 
 
 The next reach of the survey, 69 miles, is that from Abancay 
 to Cuzco, where the instrumental work ceased. The former 
 town was left July 11, and the ancient capital of the Incas 
 reached July 20, 1892. 
 
 Leaving Abancay, the line ascends to a summit elevation of 
 12,900 feet, and thence descends to that of 6,083 in the valley 
 of the Apurimac, through a populous district, fine agricultur¬ 
 ally, and producing considerable quantities of sugar cane. 
 Crossing the river, there is another ascent to a summit of 
 12,438 feet, thence by a light gradient a descent by hillside 
 work into the valley at Cuzco, 11,103 feet above sea level. 
 
40 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Before final location a survey of tlie valleys of tlie rivers Pam¬ 
 pas and Apurimac in a down stream direction towards the 
 eastward and northward would seem to be advisable as well as 
 the examination of an alternative line from the 12,900 foot 
 summit south of Abancay to some point on the existing* rail¬ 
 road between Maraugani and Santa Rosa, thus adhering to 
 the table lands and avoiding the deep crossing of the Apuri¬ 
 mac. 
 
 A three days’ mule ride of 75 miles brought the engineers to 
 Secuani, the present terminus of the Arequipa, Puno and 
 Cuzco Railroad. Secuani is 111 miles from Puno, on Lake Titi¬ 
 caca, situated upon the western boundary of Bolivia. Cuzco is 
 453 miles from Mollendo on the seacoast, of which distance 
 378 miles are in operation. It is therefore apparent that by 
 carrying the instrumental survey to Cuzco it has practically 
 been carried to the frontier of Bolivia. 
 
 Owing to the kindness of Mr. McCord, the entire party and 
 baggage were passed to the seacoast, and an excursion to 
 Puno afforded an opportunity to inspect the whole line. Are¬ 
 quipa was reached July 28, and the usual courtesies and ban¬ 
 quet extended by the prefecto, El Senor Abrill. At this point, 
 Mr. Kelley was met by Dr. Parro, director-general of public 
 works of Peru. 
 
 Arriving at Lima August 2, the engineers were taken ashore 
 in a special launch and met by officials of the Government. A 
 private reception was held by Dr. Parro at his residence, a 
 banquet by the president of the cabinet, El Senor Carlos M. 
 Elias, in the exposition building, and an official presentation 
 to the President of the Republic and his cabinet took place, 
 all in honor of the Commission’s representatives. Courtesies 
 were also shown by Mr. R. R. Neill and others of the United 
 States legation; by Mr. Holcombe, of the banking firm of 
 Grace Bros. & Co., and by Chief Engineer Thorndike, of the 
 Oroya Railroad, who provided an excursion over his line in a 
 special observation car. Leaving Lima August 9, the party 
 arrived in Washington on the 30tli of the same month, since 
 which time they have been engaged in working up the data 
 collected and in preparation of the finished maps. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 41 
 
 Some of the principal points on the line surveyed, their altitudes above sea level, 
 and approximate population. 
 
 Locality. 
 
 Dis¬ 
 
 tances.* 
 
 Eleva¬ 
 tion . 
 
 Popula¬ 
 
 tion. 
 
 South of Quito. 
 
 
 
 
 
 j Mies. 
 
 Feet. 
 
 
 
 
 9, 350 
 
 80, 000 
 
 
 
 
 Cuencat. 
 
 228.3 
 
 8, 600 
 
 40,000 
 
 Zaraguro . 
 
 
 8,456 
 
 5,000 
 
 
 I 341.0 
 
 7,138 
 
 18,000 
 
 Yilcabamba. 
 
 i 361.5 
 
 j 5,476 
 
 600 
 
 Yangana. 
 
 369. 8 
 
 6, 273 
 
 200 
 
 
 I 413.1 
 
 3, 000 
 
 1 
 
 | 
 
 
 South of Rio Canchis. 
 
 
 
 Jaen. 
 
 i 64.3 ; 
 
 3,389 
 
 300 
 
 
 l 76.3 
 
 I 2 550 
 
 
 
 | 96.9 
 
 I 
 
 | 2,957 
 
 
 Chota. 
 
 | 143.0 
 
 10, 000 
 
 7,000 
 
 Cajamarca. 
 
 | 191.2 
 
 9, 843 
 
 30,000 
 
 Cajabamba. 
 
 250. 6 
 
 9,374 
 
 15,000 
 
 Huamachuco. 
 
 • 266.1 
 
 11, 035 
 
 15,000 
 
 Summit of cordillera... 
 
 283.8 
 
 13,026 
 
 
 Rio Mollepata. 
 
 { 303.1 
 
 7, 336 
 
 
 Pallasca. 
 
 306. 9 
 
 10, 350 
 
 6, 000 
 
 Summit of spur of cordillera. 
 
 j 327.7 
 
 14,179 
 
 
 Corongo. 
 
 338.3 
 
 9, 908 
 
 7, 000 
 
 "Rio Santa. 
 
 1 352.1 
 
 3, 952 
 
 
 Caraz. 
 
 j 376.8 
 
 7,174 
 
 15,000 
 
 Huaraz. 
 
 j 416.0 
 
 9, 537 
 
 25, 000 
 
 Recxiay. 
 
 ! 431.7 
 
 10, 615 
 
 6, 000 
 
 Huarapasca (summit of spur). 
 
 456. 8 ! 
 
 15,199 
 
 
 Yanachachas (summit of spur). 
 
 463. 6 ! 
 
 15,128 
 
 
 Summit of cordillera. 
 
 464. 7 j 
 
 | 14,927 
 
 11 302 
 
 
 Huallanca. 
 
 476. 5 
 
 4,000 
 
 8 000 
 
 Cerro de Pasco. 
 
 560.4 
 
 14 293 
 
 South of Cerro de Pasco. 
 
 
 
 Lago de Junin. 
 
 33.7 
 
 13,422 
 
 12,166 i 
 
 
 Oroya. 
 
 72.2 
 
 112. 6 
 
 300 
 
 Jauja. 
 
 
 12 000 
 
 Other towns. 
 
 
 11,145 | 
 
 50 000 
 
 Huancayo. 
 
 " 
 
 140. 3 i 
 
 10, 635 1 
 
 20 000 
 
 Rio Huancayo (at Izcuchaea River). 
 
 387 3 
 
 9,413 
 
 
 Summit of spur. 
 
 197. 8 
 
 14,723 
 
 8 900 
 
 
 Ayacucho. 
 
 256. 9 
 
 40 000 
 
 Summit of spur. 
 
 294. 6 
 
 14 062 
 
 
 Rio Pampas (at crossing). 
 
 321.9 
 
 7,040 1 
 
 
 * Distances measured on the preliminary line, 
 t Cuenca is 247 miles south of Quito on the “location.” 
 1 Dividing line between Ecuador and Peru. 
 
42 
 
 INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 
 
 Some of the principal points on the line surveyed, their altitudes above sea level, 
 and approximate population. — Continued. 
 
 Locality. 
 
 Dis¬ 
 
 tances. 
 
 I Eleva- 
 
 | lion. 
 
 Popula¬ 
 
 tion. 
 
 South of Cerro de Pasco— Continued. 
 
 TTnamearay ______ 
 
 Miles. 
 341.5 
 
 Feet. 
 
 9, 669 
 
 14,628 
 
 5,800 
 
 7,853 
 
 12.900 
 
 3, 000 
 
 Summit of cordillera..... 
 
 364.8 
 
 TMo Pacha eh a,oa, ____ __ 
 
 388.8 
 | 393. 8 i 
 
 
 Abancay. 
 
 7,000 
 
 Summit of spur. 
 
 401.0 
 
 Eio Apurimac at (crossing!. 
 
 415.7 
 
 6,083 
 
 
 Summit of spur. 
 
 433.4 
 
 12,438 
 
 11,003 
 
 
 Cuzco (end of survey). 
 
 462.7 
 
 60, 000 
 
 I 
 
 
 Summary of work of Corps A T o. 3. 
 
 
 Main line. 
 
 Spur lines. 
 
 “A” points. 
 
 . 
 
 Totals. 
 
 Quito to Ecuadorian frontier. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 413.1 
 
 973.5 
 
 1,436. 2 
 
 Miles. 
 
 84.7 
 
 127.5 
 
 172.3 
 
 Miles. 
 
 57.5 
 
 73.9 
 
 90.8 
 
 Miles. 
 
 555.3 
 
 1,174. 9 
 
 ’ 
 
 Quito to Cerro de Pasco. .. 
 
 Quito to Cuzco. 
 
 Total number of miles run. 
 
 
 j 
 
 1,699. 3 
 
 
 
 | 
 
 Population near line of survey. 
 
 Ecuador.215,500 
 
 Peru. 384, 600 
 
 Total. 600,100 
 
 Throughout the entire distance a stadia transit and level 
 line was run, the barometer being used simply to check up. 
 The time employed in the field work was that from June 2, 
 1891, to July 20, 1892, or one year one and one-third months. 
 The maximum elevation attained was 15,200 feet above sea- 
 level and the minimum 2,500 feet. The maps covering the 
 Ecuadorian section were made in the field by the survey camp, 
 while those relating to the Peruvian portion of the line are 
 now being constructed in Washington. The total survey of 
 1,700 miles will be exhibited on about 50 maps and as many 
 profiles. The estimate of the cost of construction of the sec¬ 
 tion between Quito and Cuenca, by Mr. Miller, has already 
 been given. Mr. Kelley submits the following approximate 
 estimate of the whole line: 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION, 
 
 43 
 
 Quito to Cuenca (by Mr. Miller): 
 
 247miles, at $35,900 per mile .. $8,867, 300 
 
 Cuenca to Loja, 113 miles: 
 
 36 miles, at $25,000 per mile. 900, 000 
 
 77 miles, at $55,000 per mile. 4,235,000 
 
 Loja to Peruvian boundary, 72 miles: 
 
 5 miles, at $20,000 per mile.-. 100, 000 
 
 67 miles, at $60,000 per mile. 4, 020, 000 
 
 Ecuador. 18,122, 300 
 
 Peruvian boundary to Cajamarca, 191 miles: 
 
 55 miles, at $20,000 per mile. $1,100,000 
 
 136 miles, at $52,000 per mile. 7,072, 000 
 
 Cajamarca to Huaraz, 225 miles: 
 
 40 miles, at $18,000 per mile. 720,000 
 
 185 miles, at $50,000 per mile. 9,250,000 
 
 Huaraz to Cerro de Pasco, 144 miles: 
 
 60 miles, at $20,000 per mile. 1,200,000 
 
 84 miles, at $55,000 per mile. 4,620,000 
 
 Cerro de Pasco to Huancayo: 
 
 140 miles, at $20,000 per mile. 2, 800,000 
 
 Huancayo to Ayacuclio. 117 miles: 
 
 47 miles, at $25,000 per mile. 1,175,000 
 
 70 miles, at $55,000 per mile. 3, 850, 000 
 
 Ayacucho to Abancay, 137 miles: 
 
 43 miles, at $30,000 per mile. 1, 290,000 
 
 94 miles, at $55,000 per mile. 5,170,000 
 
 Abancay to Cuzco, 69 miles: 
 
 29 miles, at $25,000 per mile. 725, 000 
 
 40 miles, at $40,000 per mile. 1, 600, 000 
 
 Peru. 40, 572,000 
 
 Ecuador. $18,122, 300 
 
 Peru. 40,572, 000 
 
 Total.* 58,694, 300 
 
 ^Calculated on tlie mileage of tlie preliminary survey. 
 
 The line by location, owing to curvature in development, 
 etc., may be longer, but the cost of construction of the Inter¬ 
 continental trunk line would depend very much upon the cost 
 of getting machinery, supplies, tools, materials, etc., into the 
 interior. The building of the several roads now projected 
 from the coast into the interior, as well as the utilization of 
 those already existing, would materially lessen the outlay. 
 
 A. J. Cassatt, 
 Chairman Executive Committee. 
 
 Washington, D. C., January 31 , 1893. 
 
Intercontinental Railway Commission, 
 
 LIST OF DELEGATES. 
 
 (Arranged alphabetically according to nations.) 
 
 President , Alexander J. Cassatt. 
 
 First Vice-President , Luis J. Blanco. 
 
 Second Vice-President , Pedro Betim Paes Leme. 
 
 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 
 
 Carlos Agote. 
 
 Julio Krause. 
 
 Miguel Tedin. 
 
 BRAZIL. 
 
 Pedro Betim Paes Leme. 
 Francisco de Monlevade. 
 Francisco Leite Lobo Pereira. 
 
 COLOMBIA. 
 
 C. Federico Parraga. 
 
 Julio Ren gif o. 
 
 Climaco Calderon. 
 
 ECUADOR AND PERU. 
 
 Leffert L. Buck. 
 
 GUATEMALA. 
 
 Antonio Batres. 
 
 44 
 
 MEXICO. 
 
 Leandro Fernandez. 
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 John Stewart. 
 
 SALVADOR. 
 
 Benjamin Molina Guirola. 
 
 UNITED STATES. 
 
 Alexander J. Cassatt. 
 Henry G. Davis. 
 
 Richard C. Kerens. 
 
 URUGUAY. 
 
 Francisco A. Lanza. 
 
 VENEZUELA. 
 
 Luis J. Blanco. 
 
INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY COMMISSION. 45 
 LIST OF COMMITTEES. 
 
 AUDITING COMMITTEE. 
 
 Mr. Julio Rengifo, of Colombia. 
 
 Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 Mr. Pedro Betim Paes Leme, of Brazil. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES. 
 
 Mr. Henry G. Davis, of the United States. 
 Mr. Leandro Fern&ndez, of Mexico. 
 
 Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 Mr. C. Federico Pdrraga, of Colombia. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. 
 
 Mr. Henry G. Davis, of the United States. 
 Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 Mr. Francisco de Monlevade, of Brazil. 
 
 Mr. Miguel Tedin, of the Argentine Re¬ 
 public. 
 
 Mr. Climaco Calderdn, of Colombia. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION. 
 
 Mr. Matias Romero, of Ecuador. 
 
 Mr. Climaco Calderon, of Colombia. 
 
 Mr. Henry G. Davis, of the United States. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION OF SURVEYS 
 
 Mr. C. Federico P&rraga, of Colombia. 
 
 Mr. A. J. Cassatt, of the United States. 
 
 Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 Mr. Julio Krause, of the Argentine Repub¬ 
 lic. 
 
 Mr. Pedro Betim Paes Leme, of Brazil. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Molina Guirola, of Salvador. 
 Mr. Henry G. Davis, of the United States. 
 Mr. John Stewart, of Paraguay. 
 
 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 
 
 Mr. A. J. Cassatt, of the United States. 
 Mr. C. Federico P&rraga, of Colombia. 
 
 Mr. Leffert L. Buck, of Ecuador and Peru. 
 Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 Mr. John Stewart, of Paraguay. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON PARLIAMENTARY RULES. 
 
 Mr. Julio Rengifo, of Colombia. 
 
 Mr.Carlos Agote,of the Argentine Republic. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Molina Guirola, of Salvador. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON SURVEYS. 
 
 Mr. C. Federico Pdrraga, of Colombia. 
 
 Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela. 
 
 Mr. Leandro Fernandez, of Mexico. 
 
 Mr. Leffert L. Buck, of Ecuador and Peru. 
 
 Mr. Henry G. Davis, of the United States. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Molina Guirola, of Salvador. 
 
 Mr. John Stewart, of Paraguay. 
 
 I Mr. Julio Krause, of the Argentine Repub¬ 
 lic. 
 
 Mr. Pedro Betim Paes Leme, of Brazil. 
 
 Mr. Francisco A. Lanza, of Uruguay. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND RESOURCES. 
 
 Mr. Richard C.Kerens, of theUnited States. 
 
 Mr. Miguel Tedin, of the Argentine Repub¬ 
 lic. 
 
 Mr Pedro Betim Paes Leme, of Brazil. 
 
 Mr. Francisco A. Lanza, of Uruguay. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Molina Guirola, of Salvador. 
 
 The President of the Commission is ex officio a member of each committee. 
 
 o 
 
TEGUCIGALPA 
 
 •RCIO 
 
 chwanoega 
 
 Grevtc 
 
 LIMON 
 
 Intercontinental R' 
 Surveys made 
 
 .. projected. * < 
 Other Railroads. 
 In Operation ™ 
 
 Projected. == 
 
 :ou>n 
 
 Wax'. WbsA /?C./tec. 
 
N?2 
 
 Intercontinental R'way. 
 Surveys made 
 
 0 projected ■ 
 
 Other Railroads, 
 in Operation. — 
 Projected. ===== 
 
N’3. 
 
N?4. 
 
 IUARAZ 
 
 iecuav 
 
 IUANUCO 
 
 IERRO DE PASCQ. 
 
 IUNIN 
 
 oroIa 
 
 TARMA 
 
 IANCAYO 
 
 LIMA 
 
 'ELICA 
 
 PISCO 
 
 HUANCARAV 
 
 SIC U AN 
 
 Intercontinental R'way. 
 Surveys maxCe “—— 
 
 « projected. “ “ “ ' 
 
 Other. Railroads. 
 
 In Operation — — — — 
 
 Projocted ... ■■ . 
 
 jouaca 
 
 ITICACi 
 
 PUNO 
 
 iAREQU IPA 
 
N 9 5. 
 
 * 
 
 s 
 
 /*s \ 
 
 Intercontinental Rway. 
 Surveys made 
 
 u projected mmm ^wm 
 
 Other Railroads. 
 
 In Operation 
 Projected 
 
N 9 5. 
 
'