1000062609_037

126

INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN CONFERENCl::.

termiuns at Cardova,

miles ft·cm Bnena>entnra.

is now government propert.y;

ha been snrveyed to Cali, but

tbc

wOTk

beeu suspended.

At tbe time the contract

'vas

made tbe Natioual Government ceded to tlw grantee

500.000

acre of wild land on both sidcs of the line in alternate lots of

10,000

bectares

eacb. Dn ·ing t

he const

rnction of the road, and for fivc year.·

a~t~r

its completiou,

al!

tbe material for

const

.ru ction

mtd

operation-tools, food, mcchcmc, etc., were to be

free of duty, tax, or impoRt. The State governments of Cfwca, aud Antioqnia

~·ere

joint

share~bolders,

the National GoYernment agreeing to contribute

:·3,000,000,

one–

ha.lf

of tbe estnnated co t of

tlll~

road. Au e.xclu ·iye frauchise for fort.v years

wa::~

gua

ra.ntiecl bythe National Government. The pas engertariff for the

miles-Buena–

ventnra. to Cali-was to be

for tirst class,

for second cla

and

ceut a pound

for freight. For way traffic a differential tariff would bo established within tbe speci–

fied lirnit .

An integral and important pnt of the contract was tbc constrnction of a pier at

the port of Buena\entnra to accommodate loaded trains anrl ships dmwing

feet of

water. As far a can be Jearned

frolll

uoofficial sources, failnre in payment of prom–

i erl suh idies and !'eYolutio¡¡ary tronhles

ve pre\·ented the continuaoce of the work.

Th6 grautee

()l

l the

one part and the Government on tlw other macle an ami cablead–

justment, aud

t.be

lioe as far as completed

(1:¿

miles)

hecame

theproperty ofthe gov–

eroruent of Canea and the natíon, and its fnture is a matt.er of vague nncertainty.

1.'he

Jinl1'dot Railroad.-By

reference to the accompanying plan it will Le seen that

this line has beeu completed to Portillo,

1;¿

miles. The

liue

has been snrveyed to

Bogotá, a distance of abont

mile .

í ·

a Goverumeut enterprise, and presents

engineering tlifficnlties of no ordinary chamcter. The work is pTogressing slowly,

but owing to

tbe

topograpbical feature of the ronte, gradient will be necessary at

severa! points on tbe line of survey; and

is con idered doubtful whether the road

when completed will ever pa.y its rnnning expen es. Pas3engers coming up tbe river

en ron te for Bogoi:á prefeT to leave tbe river

teamer at Yeguas, taking the Dorado

Railroad to Honda; tben they eros the river anclproceecl by the old mnle road, con–

secrated by a century of nsage. Comfortable hotels, in picturesque locations, break

the jonrney into eas,y stages, ancl whether for bu iness or pleasure the majority of

tmvelers who have hada snrfeít of riYer tmvel between Barranquilla aud Yeguas do

not oare to spend two or threP dars more on a swall ste::tmer on the Upper Magdalena

for the doubtful pleasurc of skirting mouutain spur and crossing ravines on trestle–

work arnong the Cordilleras. Remarks on the fnture progress and proé'pects of this

line would be prernature; ib; history is a subject for the future.

(Gauge

feet, raíl

pounds, section completed in

18 4.)

1.'he Antioquia

Railroad.-From

Puerto Berrio to :Meclellin,

1~5

miles, llas been com–

pleted to PaVJ ,

:50

miles from Puerto Berrio. Tbe first contract for tbis road was

·igned in February,

1374,

modified on the 4th of May followíng, and in .Jnl,r,

1 76,

new contract

was

ruade for the termination of th

e line a

t Barbosa,

disttmce of

100

miles from Puerto Berrio. This al o i a road of llea.vy gradients. The

tate of An–

tioqnia was to contribute at the rate of

$17,700

per

mile, bnt not to e.xceed a total of

$2,000,000,

upon wbich basis Sta te bonds were is ·ued. The State of A.ntioquia, as

share-holders of one-third part of the enterprise, owned the right to ooe-thir(l of its

proceetls. The gmut was for the period of tifty-fi \'e year ·, with exclusive privilege

for thirty years, beginniug from tbe

t of March,

lrlS::t

The ::;ame immnnities aud

privileges in regard to duties

aucl

taxes as specified for the Canea road were also

conceued for the Antioquia. Tbe maximum rates of fare and freight were: For first–

cla s passengers,

cents per mile; second e

las~,

cents; third ciass,

cents.

Im–

port ,

cents per ton per

mile;

export ,

cent , aud co:ffee and tobaceo

cents

mil

With tbi brief snmmary oftbe principal features ofthe U'rant it ma.y not be amiss

to meution ·ome of the difficnlties.

There are to be

bri1ge.

115

tre tles,

ñ8

cnlverts,

4,135,2R

cnbic yard ofearth–

wor:k and

l77,24:l

cnbic

~arcls

of retaining

wall .

The central Cordillera to be

::>cd

at it greate t

depr~>ssion,

5,l 77

feet above sea-Jevel, ' req

res the adoption of

p~r

cent. gradient." Bnt in spite of the difficnlties to be overcomo, tlle original

de.

~~.n

of the projector, the granel project of joining thfl Magdalena Vnlley to tbe

Pac1fic coa

by the union of tbo Canea and the Antioqnia roads wonld open np a

real

of wealth. Tbere

are

fi ve hnndred and eighty mines of gold or

~il

ver constantly

worke~l,

a large nnmbN witbout macbiner.v, withln tuose monntain barríer , only

~cce~. 1~le

l1y

bridle-path ,

rent~ering

the transportation of proper tools and machiuery

1mpos

•tble. On sorne of tlle interior rivers marble in ine:x:han tibie q nantlties couhl

be qna.rri ·d, e pec!ally ou the Claro and Nare.

. Coal

l'elt ·

h~we

been discovered, alnm, odium, calcinm, manganesa, cobalt, lead,

zm~,

lllercnry, ar. enic, and platinnm ha\e becn reportecl u pon· agate , jasper, antl

v~egated.

marbles are found iu the mon.utains. The popnlation ofthe more mount–

amo? regl(?ns

Colombia :::.re the bone and sinew of

the

nation- hardy, persevering,

and mdustnous-good herdsmen, agriculturists,

fQrester

in time of :peace

aud

brave

and

reliable oldiers iu wax.