TUNNELLING THE ANDES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 13

TUNNELLING THE ANDES.

, pnMe;'has.' ; Tritries^"'^veVMit- i ! l bf.v greater 'importance'iffiaja., the .piercing' on'■'■•Saturi; day... of .the ih^ :i ,tniinel'i. through v.the .Andes;" writes '''Tne.-.Times.'' i'.'Tn-'. a?.'ierr" monthsiV'.possiblyVby';' nest torn .Biienos'rAjTes ;to;jVWparaisd; ■;;;-:'( r-r //■."ThatJ.the {'first;; fcinscbhtinentai::,';>r'aiy .way..;, of (SouhvAmerica;.should:' be'.opened •Argentinaiis. eminently Argentina 1 Bbuth> Americans States,i,and to Enterprise .'toe.-: inception: > of, -the';. railway,' ;linei_wiU.'.'nark.--' thewbegiining. '. of/ a/ ne\t era in-*, tie ..social i'and -'.commercial' history of the, Latin' AmerieairiacefcS:'££> s? i.'■ '

T-'^i^'TAmerica-i«'''BHU'- : mffi6uV'means' of 'intercourse"• such 1 as-the v exigencies <bf; modern commorce/demandi-ilf :Na'ture-has endowed;, it with/some-of' the/finest.-.water-' /ways',in;the:.world, she .has/qualified ;her bounty/-by, building-;behind'.;these-water-ways lan,.: almost /'impassable .-.barrierW-of' .mountains: -; ; The/result:is/that,.;' though/, flourishing/icommuhities': in.,'direct//touch' /with //the Old;•'World;, pomyt up' .around; the; Amazon; and: the 'Plate' River,' the.//countries -of.i'the -'PacifioDcbast-. have' teaped /only- slight/benefitifrom/their .development.: ■'^\-:r:i.\^?'U } ;i:yic'-'\ff':;:;'^:<"/ railway: was'only ;mado; p'ossiHe/by'-Cordial 'Cooperation'- /; between :■■ ■■'. Argentina -'/'-/ and .'Chile/:; ahdj'not > so'"many-years,'agoV the .twoj'cbuntries./werejon /the; pbiut/of ; fighting ./over;the//very-;: ■■: boundary > : . : /that.'-it: ; .crosses/-ißut;' it ia-in'its?relation'to'/the future:;that'-'Saturday/|s't'event :>is'.most, ,apificaajt../Thero;seems/UWo/'dbubt that' of/, a,i series //of /; similar,- ventures.."; At the'; present/'moment' anotherit^anscontihenta^ , line; is; contemplated-by /way:; of '/Bolivia'; wWKYiMaxec y-.the/^Equators'/Brazil-'vis ! Penrnanvfrontier. A To/ the •' south /one.- of ' ;tnei;great.;Argentine. /railway'/systems vis pusning; ; its (. tentacles .'■ across the /Pampas, and-.means,; it /.is /said,'' eventually/to 'ex-; tend,one. of them;to /the.Pacific^.■ V ; //V"y-'; ejected to: revolutionise.-tho ; relations' of' the.States J'of-South i&jmerica/iinbt' only .among themselves, but, 'in all -probability, with the; rest ;qf :.the; world; ///Wheh-oy'en. the; Buenos' Ayres^Valparaiso r railway/- is open/to.traffio.of 'all-kinds;.'' Chile'aid Perrwillino longer'live:,wedged:behreen■the Paafio.and'theiwalls'of tho Andes;in from -'/the great streams :.bf. world//cominerce'.''';: : .They .irill be in direct and/ constant intercourse with the. .progressive countries'.'to"the east of them.and/will be -brought; proportionately .closeT.:/'fo;;lhirope?v^: : ,'. ; .^'After. a//period,/ of though by-no/moans .complete, l ' stagnation;? they :.^';nnd/theinselyes,;under;the/same/in-fluences./.that-have v made 'Buenos"Ayres: I'an.d.Eio'do-'Jaheiro/twd-of the most''goahead* .capitals;'in'::the/ .world. \ :'A .long step/'mil have been'- taken;, towards; South .Ainericaa:/soUdmity.''v l ;i'i;;,;-,i:/':j;//; ;;;,.•.•; j/';^The;/tunnel of /says. .the., .?Mail,V - ; "is.-3280yds'; '-long, .'and is .about..^OOOft..above-i/tuo'; : sea.v.Some |' 1500 men have, been .'engaged /at the work ! for/,;four,/• years,;;/labouring.;''continuously in: eight-hour '. shifts, ; ''.without■•-■■ stoppages for. Sundays '.or'•/holidays.'//Th'Bituniiel ] ruh3 below the Pass bf/Cumbre; beginning' i'.at Las ,Cueyas in; Argentina l ; and ending iat .Caracoles/in Chile."';.;;;.''; ';■';-;/,