The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

IRON BRIDGE OVER THE URUBAMBA RIVER.

In no country have greater obstacles been overcome in the construction of railways and public roads than in Peru, the physical features of which present the most varied peculiarities. The millions that were spent in building the Oroya railway alone would have sufficed to cover many times its mileage on a level plain; and nearly all the railways of the country present evidences of difficult engineering and expensive construction. The lines at present in operation cover about fifteen hundred miles, while those projected and under construction will more than double that mileage. Most of these railways are the property of the state, the Peruvian Corporation having the use and management of them until 1956. Several important lines belong to Peruvian or foreign enterprises, or to private concerns; and in the extension of existing railways, these enterprises play an important part. The branch from Oroya to Cerro de Pasco was built by North American capital; and new lines are being constructed by other foreign companies. The railways which in 1890 were turned over to the Peruvian Corporation for a term of years in cancellation of the foreign debt of Peru, included, in addition to the Central, or Oroya Route, the Southern railway, and the shorter lines from Paita to Piura, sixty miles; from Pacasmayo to Guadalupe and Yonan, the same distance; from Salaverry to Trujillo and Ascope, fifty miles; from Chimbote to Suchiman, thirty miles; and from Pisco to Ica, fifty miles. Some of these lines have since been extended, the Southern railway having been completed to Cuzco in the present year.

ANCIENT SUSPENSION BRIDGE ON THE ROAD FROM HUANCAYO TO CAÑETE.

The Southern railway covers a distance of two hundred and eighty-five miles, from the seaport of Mollendo to Juliaca, where it divides, the main line going from Juliaca to Cuzco, two hundred miles to the north, and a short branch extending south for twenty-five miles to the port of Puno, on Lake Titicaca. The first section of this railway was built in 1870, from Mollendo to Arequipa, across the arid sandhills of the coast. A journey over this of the road has little to offer in variety of scenery, yet there is a peculiar fascination about its drifting crescents that seem to move with rhythmical undulation like the waves of the sea. Barren and dull as the prospect appears, it is not without interest, because so unlike anything one sees elsewhere. Along the first part of the route, a glimpse of green fields brightens the view as the train skirts the valley of Tambo before entering the Pampas of Cachendo and Islay, where not a blade of grass is to be seen. But the most of the route lies across the Pampas until, within a few miles of Arequipa, the sierra comes into view, and the fertile valley of Vitor is passed, with its plantations of maize and its flourishing orchards. From this point, a new railway is being built to the valleys of Siguas, Majes, and Camaná, in southwestern Arequipa. As the train speeds through Uchumayo, Tiabaya, and Tingo, the dreariness of the desert is forgotten in the smiling gardens of the campiña, and when a curve of the road shows Arequipa’s white towers against a background of green with the snow-crowned Misti just behind, the traveller is ready to believe all that enthusiasm relates in praise of its charm.

Mollendo, the seaport terminus of the Southern railway, is one of the most important cities of the southern coast. As it lies within the arid region, its water supply comes from the sierra eighty-five miles distant, through an aqueduct made of iron pipes, from which half a million gallons of water are discharged daily. This is said to be the longest iron aqueduct in the world. The port of Mollendo is visited by all ships trading on the west coast, and is the chief outlet for an extensive region in Peru and northwestern Bolivia. In order to improve the port, a breakwater is now being constructed along a reef of partially submerged rocks, extending about six hundred feet to the northeast of Ponce Island, which forms the harbor. This breakwater will protect the bay from the heavy surf which formerly dashed over the rocks, and will thus facilitate the working of the launches in loading and unloading merchandise from the ships, besides increasing the discharging capacity of the port. The breakwater consists of a sea wall of concrete on the inner side of the reef, with heavy concrete blocks weighing many tons, placed irregularly to seaward to break the force of the surf. A new landing-place of iron and concrete is also to be constructed.

RAILWAY UP THE SIERRA FROM MOLLENDO TO AREQUIPA.

The railway from Mollendo to Arequipa reaches its highest altitude at its destination, Arequipa being situated eight hundred feet above sea level. From Arequipa to Puno the ascent is much greater, reaching fifteen thousand feet at Crucero Alto, about midway along the route. The first train from Arequipa to Puno arrived at the shore of Lake Titicaca on the 1st of January, 1874. The cost of this railway was four and a half million pounds sterling. Along its route are several bridges, and a tunnel four hundred feet long pierces the mountain about thirty miles east of Arequipa. As the train begins its ascent from Arequipa to Juliaca, the city remains in view for several miles, and the white crest of the Misti flashes in sight several times before it is hidden finally behind the higher peaks of the sierra. After crossing the Chili River, over a massive bridge sixteen hundred feet long and seventy feet above the stream, the train makes a rapid run to Yura, fifteen miles distant, where the most noted mineral springs of Peru are situated, a singularly picturesque resort.