Show A C df A A 2 TU all J r N THE mountain frontier between the argentine re public and chile nearly 13 feet above the tho level of the sea at cumbre C pass Is a piece of statuary absolutely I 1 unique in history b the christ of the andes cast in the bronze from the I 1 G cannon of opposing chileans and argen tines it was placed on the boundary line of the two na eions in march 1904 as a symbol of the perpetual peace which sheild thenceforth obtain between them it stands a colossal figure egure 26 feet in height placed on a gigantic column surmounted by aglore a globe on which the configuration of the earth Is outlined one hand holds a croos crops ard the other Is ls ex tendel I 1 in bassing at the base bae are two tablets one inscribed with the history ot of the ert and the oth er bearing in spanish the following legend sooner shall these mountains crun ble into dust than the people of argen una tina and chile break the peace to which they have pledged themselves it the feet of christ the redeemer scarcely less potent than treaties and tributes to the prince of peace for the maintenance of harmony between e le 4 iw WA ia A 0 1 r x e 0 12 2 jp the native will be the fulfillment fulfilment of the dream long chaj bed by engin ceis of cing the an des uhl h was accod on the morning of november Nov embr 97 7 1909 when the workmen ot or th Tran railway rail w ay approaching from opposite sides of the tunnel faced the last thin line of rock which in the heart of the andes separated chile from the argentine c it was an ita lan ian workman operating i ader a british engineer in tha the en ploy of an anglo amer lean ican firm and carrying to fruition the project of two chilean brothers who placed the fuse for the of the rocky barrier and opened up a line of communication which in the opinion of a leiding of the united states is like ly to change political relations in south america and commercial conditions throughout the world the fit alist st marf maiato to ti averse the tunnel from end to end ws the chief of the argentine section of workmen wol kraen followed by 40 90 of his operatives most ly IY chileans Chi leans v who ho returned to their native land with banners flying and cries of victory from prom the capitals of chile and the argentine republic functionaries and private individuals journeyed to be pres present nt at this list last act in an un der taking velch has engaged the talents of a succession of engineers and financiers since 1860 and which completion will take rani with the great alpine tunnels I 1 efty years ago the north american captain of 0 industry william wheelwright prepared a ten dative plan for crossing the continent from fi om rosano rosario in the argentine to the chilean jort tort of caldera over the pass of san francisco thir teen years liter the chilean brothers juan and mateo dark clark to whom the credit for the project of the line aa as coal completed comil eted must be awarded took the first practical steps in the matter through a 4 conces conc esslin simi obtained from the argentine govern 01 ment for a railroad from buenos aires to the chilean frontier in 1880 the first section from villa killa mercedes to mendoza was built bv the argentine government coine coi ne ting with mith the dark clark line from I 1 aenlo alres aires to mercedes Alerc edes in all miles A subsequent co cession to a british company secured the con eti sti c I 1 n of the load road from mendoza Alen doza to the chilean it fici 07 tier and thence to the chilean to of los anies mies mi es where con confection would be m je to v lh the ext existing ting line to valparaiso alpar atso 8 i 1 lies iles in extent making a tran transcontinental continental line 1 ssi n eilf iltz s in length it was the trans andean section between mn and log los andes which presented the great eit for heie here lay the old pack route over cumbre piss feet above sea level which a adern engineering had decided to elim linte by tunnel ng the mount aln 9 feet lower at caracoles on the chilan chil an slope and at las cuevas on the argentine side men and machin er eo entered the iro wo mcain tor for a final conquest of nature hollo d out of solid rok the gallery as oi of 1 10 40 4 feet above sea level meters in le apt lpt 1 t eters I 1 in n height and f meters wide MCI U imbibe A 1 VIV hk A am al A P wa YA 4 71 t eLP IWI 14 A Q 2 V I 1 5 I 1 L V A rl k J 04 0 t 4 ln I 1 blat ar T CHI AN 4 b I 1 f TO 4 4 to T 0 T 1 qt L 0 br A k of f 1 ot tbt A as being located about 1000 1 meters below the ere cre t of the andes the chilean section covers 1 1383 38 meters and the argentine 1 1782 the completed work being estimated at a cot coat of JC the is made to the same dimen as th simp on and la Is therefore large eno gh to allow locomotives carriages or trucks that are run on a 5 foot 6 inch gauge to pass through it it Is straight through out except for yards at the eastern en trance where there Is a curve of yards radi radl s buch work still cremins rem ans to be done be fore timins vill be running over the route rou to b t it Is proposed that communication shall be e established by may alay 29 09 thus afford ing ng i n ost appropriate and adequate cele bration of the centenary of the i evolution revolution which gave to both nations their indea n dent life it will undoubtedly be utilized in th official exchange of visits between the execl executives tives of chile and the argentina argentine re I 1 ul lie which have been arranged as a tea fea ture of the centennial year the immense practical value of 0 the new route Is shown by the statement that the time for the trip from to buenos alres aires will be reduced to 34 or 35 25 ho ITS irs thus facilitating the trans port of passengers and of perishable merchandise while alle the romantic aspects of the journey will be gro greatly atly reduced the saving of time and the great er ease of travel will more than atone tor for the loss the picturesque mountain pass and the stage trip be railway terminals will be sj sa pers eded by a contini ous all rail journey from ocean to ocean in a day and a half so long as the chief exports of the countries in te tested continue to be raw materials no great changes may be expected in the character of prod act transported to the seaboard though the vol ume will inevitably be greatly a argen tine grains hides and beef and chilean cof corier I 1 er and nitrates will continue to be sort sert abroad by th sea but in the development of a greater corn com n ei cial volume between the countries of the east oc 0 and west coasts of south america and in the transport of lighter man goods from europe nd america the rail route will prove a formidable rival though brazil and the argentine republic are v washed by the atlantic vast tracts of rubber growing districts of the one and of the agrical tural and cattle sections of the other lie tar far nearer nearer to the pacific with facilities of trans port tt s reasonable to suppose that products which have hitherto found their sole per ports 0 shipment on the atlantic seaboard will ultimately turn to the pacific and vice versa As a medium of ocean traffic the importance ol 01 the route can not be overestimated at present boath america Is to a great extent a commercial aplan age of europe on the east coast the trade of the united states with the countries of the at lantic alantic has been handicapped by inadequate shipping and also by the fact that the east cast coast to the so ith of the turn of the continent Is really much nearer to europe than to the united stated with the added advantage of more favorable sail ing conditions and the west coast Is as remote by sea from new york aa as ft it Is from I 1 liverpool Iver pool or hamburg when the panama canal is completed a different condition vill prevail then the united states especially in its ring sections will enjoy a tremendous advantage in respect to all that portion ot of south america situated on or commercially tributary to the already the opening of the tehuantepec line across mexico and of the route in guatemala has aug merited the volume of trade between the atlantic and pacific W with ith the bi bilonos nos aires valparaiso route open to easy tran tian port chile and peru will not longer ba be cut off from tl e great streams of the world s corn com merce 1 I 1 I hey will be in direct and constant in with the countries to the east and will be bro proportionately closer to europ and a long step will be taken toward south american holi solidarity darity by bringing the capitals of the west coast under the same ame influences as those of the eat 0 0 0 00 0 |