DREDGING IN PERU.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 83, 28 September 1911, Page 6

DREDGING IN PERU.

LETTER FROM NEW ZEALAXDER. I On the Inambari river in 'Smith America the first dredge ever worked in Peru has been started", and (says the Free Press) sonic interesting descriptions of those parts have been written home by a young New Zealandcr (.Mr. .Tames McPherson, a son of Mr. C. MePherson. of Romahapa), who has gone out to work on it. To get to the locality the railway crosses the Andes mountains at the immence height of 17,000 ft. The train zig-zags, spiral fashion, round the mountain until the top is reached. The gauge used is very wide. To the traveller looking down from the ■ top the line is visible in about twelve different places—that is, if the traveller is feeling quite well enough toitako the required in- ! terest, for if he is not "acclimatised" his whole attention will probably be. directed towards keeping his life-blood at home. This is because, at such an altitude, there is not sufficient air outside the hody to counteract the pressure from inside, and bleeding at the mouth, nose and cars is the result. The sole inhabitants along the route are savage Indians, who live in most insanitary conditions. The train service does not 'extend right to the scene of the dredge's operations, and mules had to be requisitioned for the latter part of the journey, a matter of about 170 miles, which.' 1 "took seven days at 10 hours' riding a day. Sometimes the "going" was so treacherous that the mules had to be led. The Inambari is about the size of the Clutha, and is expected to prove very rich. A few of the expert hands are English, but the re.-t are Peruvians. The writer relates how a promising young Englishman lost his life by drowning. Had he survived another minute he would have been saved, but he was caught in a whirlpool and sank immediately. So that life for these pioneers, despites its isolation, is not without its measure of pathos and excitement.