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Show TO UNITE RAILROADS PROPOSED TRUNK LINE IS A GIGANTIC GI-GANTIC TASK. Will Cost Enormous Sum to Build and Equip, but Its Backers Are Confident Con-fident Their Reward Will Be Commensurate. Com-mensurate. - ' About 50,000,000 peoplo live In America south of tho United States and 85,000,000 of them llvo In South America. If tho estimates made by tho Intercontinental Railroad commission com-mission In 1899 are correct, It will cost $1.60 for every person In tho United States and tho Latin republics to build and equip tho proposed trunk lino connecting our rallrpad system with roads already built or tfo-Ing tfo-Ing built from tho chief ports of Chllo and Peru on tho west and Buenos Ayres on tho east. Mexico's railroad system has not yet been extended north and south beyond be-yond the city of Oaxaca, which Is several hundred miles north of tho Guatemalan boundary. Tho Intercontinental Intercon-tinental railroad will utlllzo existing roads ns far as possibles between New York city and Buenos Ayres. Tho total length of tho all-rail routo from Now York to tho capital of Argentina Ar-gentina will bo 10,228 miles. Of this mllcago tho part yet to bo constructed extends between Oaxaca, Mexico, and Jujuy, Argentina, a dlstnnco of 5,450 miles. TIiIh Is merely tho trunk line, as it docs not lncludo tho branch lines which, It Is hoped, somo day to construct eastward to existing railroads rail-roads running to Caracas, Illo do Janeiro and Santos and to Asuncion and Montevideo. Tho Latin republics have not thus far contributed very much to tho preliminary pre-liminary expenses. Tho threo survey parties which performed the enormous work- of tracing a routo for tho railroad rail-road through tho mountain wilds of Central and South America carried out their mission at a cost of $288,000, of which 1245,000 was contributed by tho United States. Tho small remainder was supplied by the South American republics Interested, In-terested, excepting Argentina, which declined to contrlbuto to tho expense of the preliminary survey, but promised prom-ised to connect her railroad system with tho proposed trunk lino at her northern frontier. This means that she will extend her railroad between Buenqs Ayres and Jujuy to tho border of Bolivia. No doubt seems to bo felt in financial finan-cial and commercial circles that this great enterprise would bo a large factor fac-tor jn developing for their mutual benefit tho vast potentialities of tho Americas. The project has tho approval ap-proval of all tho governments con-corned, con-corned, end It was indorsed by tho two Pan-American congresses, tho second of which appointed a permanent perma-nent committee, with headquarters in Washington, to look after tho Interests Inter-ests of the enterprise there. Charles M. Pepper, who Is going to confer with the governments of tho South American republics In regard to carrying car-rying out tho plans for the railroad, will inorefore start on his mission under un-der favorablo conditions, and Is confident confi-dent of success. |