RAILWAYS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT
Brazil has an excellent system of fluvial waterways throughout the
Amazon district, where this great river and its many affluents give
access to nearly every part of that basin. Upon these streams boats are
run at regular or irregular intervals, which make connections with the
regular lines on the Amazon running to Pará. The Amazon Steamship Company
maintains forty small vessels on the Amazon and its tributaries, and
there are other smaller companies operating in the same waters. Regular
lines of steamers ply to the United States and Europe from Iquitos,
Manaos and Pará. It will never be necessary, perhaps, to construct
railroads through this richly watered country, except where rapids
obstruct navigation, for railroad construction is difficult and the cost
of transportation would necessarily be much more expensive. Coast lines
run from Pará as far down as Rio de Janeiro, a journey of ten days to
two weeks, including the various stops that are usually made. From Rio
there are many lines that touch at Santos, and two Brazilian lines that
run down as far as Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost port. There is
also communication by steamer from Rio up the Plata, Paraguay and Paraná
Rivers to Cuyaba, capital of the state of Matto Grosso. In all there are
several hundred vessels flying the Brazilian flag and operating either
along the coast or on the rivers of the republic.
In the matter of railway communication there is very much to be desired
still. There are in the entire republic to-day about twelve thousand
miles of railway in operation. These lines are being extended at the
rate of a few hundred miles each year. For the year 1909 the increase in
mileage amounted to about six hundred miles. These extensions are being
pushed out by a number of different lines into regions hitherto untouched
by railway communication. These new lines have nearly all had a certain
return, generally six per cent., guaranteed upon the capital invested by
the federal or state governments. It speaks well for the condition of
the country when one finds that many of these guarantees have never been
called upon, for, almost from the very start, the traffic received has
paid the running expenses, and even greater returns than those guaranteed
to the company.
The great need of the country is a longitudinal railway, so that there
will be continuous communication between Pará, at one extreme, and
Rio Grande do Sul, at the other. In this respect better progress has
been made in southern Brazil than in the northern part. It will not
be many months, after this book is issued, until there will be an all
rail route from Rio Grande do Sul to Rio de Janeiro, and from there
for a considerable distance up into the state of Minas Geraes. This
does not cover more than half of the distance, however, and it will be
necessary to construct many hundreds of kilometres of the parallel iron
rails before the project reaches completion. Pará, Camocim, Fortaleza,
Pernambuco, Bahia, and other ports, have railroads which run inland for
a greater or less distance, but are not connected up with the other
systems. This makes it necessary for the passenger to take ship in going
from one port to another, and for freight to be loaded upon steamers in
order to reach the other than local markets of the country.
The local freight rates are so high, too, that it is often cheaper to
ship freight from a European port to the capital, for instance, than to
ship the same amount of freight from another part of the republic. This
excessive charge for railway haul is a short-sighted policy, and does
not tend to build up a local interchange between the different sections
of the country. On the government railroad, the Central, the freight
rates are so high between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, a distance of
only three hundred miles, that it is cheaper to ship goods from the
former city to Santos at high rates, transship them to a steamer, and pay
port dues as well as loading and unloading charges at each end, than to
forward over the railroad. It is a condition that the government could
and should regulate, and it has been talked about many times; but, like
many political projects, it has ended in talk. At the present time a
commission has this matter in charge, and it remains to be seen what they
will do.
What might be called the backbone of the railroad system of Brazil is the
Estrado de Ferro Central do Brazil. This is one of the oldest lines in
the country. There were about forty miles of it open to traffic as early
as 1858. It was formerly known as the Dom Pedro II Railway, in honour
of the Emperor, but upon the establishment of the republic the name was
changed to the Central. The construction was first undertaken by an
American company, but it was later taken over by the Imperial Government
and completed by them to the city of São Paulo. The development and
extension of the line has been almost continuous, until at the present
time more than one thousand miles are in operation by this government
railroad. The most of the track is of standard gauge, the same as the
American lines, although a part of it is of the narrow gauge, one metre
in width. The main line runs to São Paulo, and that is an important line,
for it is the only railroad running to the important states of the south.
The train service is good, and it pleases one to see American locomotives
at the head of nearly all the trains, and many of the cars were built in
American shops. The passenger coaches on all the Brazilian lines open at
the end after the American plan, but the freight cars are built after the
English models.
An important branch of this system is that which runs through Juiz de
Fora, and to and beyond Bello Horizonte, in the State of Minas. This
line passes through an important and well-settled section of the country,
and is bringing the towns and rich valleys of that great state into
direct communication with the capital. The upper part of this branch is
narrow gauge, and it is being pushed northward to tap the rich mineral
section of the state, where it is said that there are great quantities
of manganese and other minerals awaiting development. Another branch is
reaching out toward Diamantina, the famous diamond centre in Brazil.
It seems to me that the government can not do better for itself, or
for the people, than to spend just as much money as is possible in the
development of these railway lines, for the land is already settled
by a great many people, and easy communication will aid in inducing
new settlers to locate there. Furthermore, railway communication is
one of the best means in the world to unite the different sections of
the country, and develop a national as well as patriotic spirit. The
people of the states will feel that they have something in common, and
interchange of traffic will also bring about a better acquaintance
among the citizens of the various states. The operation of the Central
Railroad has not been very successful from a financial standpoint, as
too many sinecures have been created for political favourites. The cost
of operation has always been excessive.
The Paulista Railway was the first railroad to be constructed entirely
of Brazilian capital. Its tracks begin at Jundiahy, although its trains
are run into the city of São Paulo. The proposition for this railroad was
first offered to British capital, but they turned down what proved to be
a veritable gold mine. The first work on this line was begun in 1870,
and its tracks have been gradually extended until now it operates about
seven hundred miles of road, about one-third of which is standard and the
balance metre gauge. It reaches to Bebedouroa and Pontat, with branches
to Jahu and other points. By the original contract the government
guaranteed seven per cent. on the investment required, but this guarantee
was later released by the company in return for some other favours. It
has the right to raise tariffs in order to keep the investment on a seven
per cent. basis, but the present high freight rates yield returns far in
excess of that. One part of the concession of this road is a privileged
zone of nearly twenty miles on each side, within which district it has
the exclusive right of both passenger and freight traffic. It reaches
up into the _terra roxa_, the red earth where the blood-red soil dyes
everything its own colour. This is the coffee land, the great freight
producer for this line. In one year, 1906, this line carried nearly
ten million bags of coffee, each bag weighing about one hundred and
thirty-two pounds, besides all the other miscellaneous freight.
The Mogyana Railway is another narrow gauge railroad which starts at
Campinas, and runs in a northerly direction up through the coffee
country. It was started shortly after the Paulista Railway, and upon
practically the same guaranty of the investment, and the same rights to
exclusive territory. Branches have been built for feeders, and the main
line has been extended, until now this company has a mileage of more
than eight hundred miles. The road was evidently built by the kilometre,
and the contractors got in as many kilometres between given points as
possible. Beautiful curves abound everywhere, and it would be difficult
to find a straight half-mile of track between Campinas and Riberão Preto,
a distance of about two hundred miles. The line is well built and is
now being ballasted. A few sections have been straightened out, but it
contains dozens of unnecessary and nerve-racking curves. This railway
is also a great freight producer, especially for coffee. It has paid
dividends of twelve per cent. for several years, and could probably have
paid more except for charter restrictions. The furthermost point now
reached by this railroad is Araguary, in the state of Minas Geraes. From
Araguary this company has in contemplation the extension of its line to
Goyaz, in the state of Goyaz. For the good of the country it is to be
hoped that this project will be carried out in the near future.
Goyaz is as large as France, Belgium, Holland and England combined,
is very similar in topography to Minas Geraes, and also contains
considerable mineral wealth. Politically it is in the centre of the
republic. The maps show a great square block in this state which is
marked “site for the future capital of Brazil.” It will be many years,
however, before this project will be realized, and not until railroads
are constructed, for at the present time there is not a mile of railroad
track in the state. The site is a delightful one among the mountains.
There are splendid natural resources in Goyaz, but the population
scarcely exceeds one to the square mile. The river Maranhão traverses the
state, almost from one end to the other, and it is navigable by small
vessels for hundreds of miles within the state. The Araguaya marks the
western boundary, and is also navigable for a long distance. Both of
these rivers are affluents of the Tocantins, which pours its waters into
the Amazon flood.
The Sorocabana Railway system is an important line in this section of
the state and promises much for its future development, as it is pushing
extensions in several directions. It is now operated by an American
corporation made up of Canadian, American and English capitalists. The
main line begins at São Paulo, and then branches out in several different
directions, northwest, west and southwest, and will eventually be the
connecting link between the trunk lines to the western and southern
states. It is thus destined to be one of the greatest railroad systems
in the republic. The Sorocabana is also a narrow gauge railway. It has a
government guarantee of six and seven per cent., and a privileged zone
on each side gives it a local monopoly. This company took the lines over
from the state government of São Paulo, and they have obtained a number
of valuable privileges.
The Sorocabana Railway Company now operates about seven hundred miles of
railroad. One branch has its terminus at Jundiahy, and from there runs
through the important city of Piracicaba. From Jundiahy to Piracicaba it
passes through a great deal of undeveloped country, but at the latter
place it reaches one of the prettiest sections I have seen in Brazil. As
far as the eye can reach the eye falls upon cultivated fields of coffee,
sugar cane, corn, fruit, etc. In the distance the horizon is everywhere
bounded by the hills, which seem to form a frame for the picture. The
city itself is clean and attractive, with wide streets, and beautiful
plazas. It is situated on a knoll with all the streets slightly sloping
down, so that in the distance one can see the green fields and boundary
of mountains. It has a good sugar factory, owned by a French syndicate,
a cotton mill and other industries. The finest sight is the falls on
the Piracicaba River, which are within the city itself. These falls are
beautiful and furnish thousands of horse power, only a portion of which
is now utilized.
The main line extends from São Paulo to Bauru, a distance of three
hundred miles, and passes through some rich coffee lands which are now
being developed.
At Bauru the Sorocabana connects with the Nord Oeste do Brazil
(Northwestern), which is a projected line to run across the immense
state of Matto Grosso and into Bolivia. The projectors believe that this
line will eventually be a part of the proposed Pan American railroad.
Construction has been completed up to Itapura, on the Tieté River near
its junction with the Alta Paraná, and trains are now running to that
village. The most of the line after Bauru follows the general course of
the Tieté River, and passes through an entirely undeveloped country, much
of which is forest land where large quantities of fine hardwood timber
are found. This is the first railroad to touch the borders of the great
undeveloped state of Matto Grosso, and it means much for that state. At
Miranda, a hundred miles or more of grade has been completed, and work is
being pushed from that town toward Itapura. Materials and supplies are
sent up through the Rio de la Plata and its connections. Many hundreds of
miles of this projected trunk line have not yet been touched, although
preliminary surveys have been made over the entire distance.
To the southwest the Sorocabana Railway passes through rich coffee and
cotton lands to Itarare. Here it connects with the São Paulo-Rio Grande
Railway, which is also one of the important links in the lines connecting
up the Southern states, Uruguay and Argentina. From Itarare the São
Paulo-Rio Grande Railway runs in a southerly direction through Ponta
Grossa, to the banks of the Uruguay River, where it will connect with the
Santa Maria and Uruguay Railway. It already has in operation over four
hundred miles. Only a couple of hundred miles are uncompleted to make a
continuous line, with the various connections, from Rio de Janeiro to
Rio Grande do Sul, and Montevideo, Uruguay. The charter of this company
also involves the building of a railroad from the port of São Francisco
at right angles to and crossing the main line, following the Iguassú
River to where it empties into the Alta Paraná. The concession of this
line gives it all the unoccupied lands on either side for six miles, with
the obligation to settle the same within fifty years. This was done by
the government to induce the railroad company to encourage immigration,
and populate the country. The company also agrees to settle one block of
land with immigrants for each one hundred kilometres of track, each block
to contain one hundred lots suitable for agriculture or cattle raising,
within two years after the approval of each completed section.
The Santa Maria and Uruguay Railway runs at present from near Passo
Fundo, south through Cruz Alta to Santa Maria, where it connects with the
line which crosses the state of Rio Grande do Sul, from the prosperous
port of Porto Alegre to Uruguayana, on the Uruguay River, the boundary
line with Argentina, and there connects with the lines of that republic.
This railroad passes through a rich country, and along its line many
colonies have been established which have become very prosperous. The
climate of this state is cooler, and resembles that of large sections
of the United States. At Cacequy there is a branch to the city of Bagé,
where numerous _xarqueados_ are established, and from there runs to
Pelotas and the city of Rio Grande. From near Bagé, also, a branch is
being extended toward the borders of Uruguay, and probably before this
book appears there will be continuous communication by this route with
Montevideo, the capital of that republic.
From Montevideo it is but a few hours ride by comfortable steamer to
Buenos Aires, where connection is made with the extensive railway systems
of that republic. By way of the Buenos Aires al Pacifico and Transandine
lines through rail communication now exists to Valparaiso and Santiago,
Chile, and the rich “Valley of Paradise,” south of the latter city. In a
year or two also it will be possible to go by rail from Buenos Aires, via
the Central Argentina and the government lines, up to La Paz, the capital
of Bolivia. The Peruvian government has also a project for a railroad
across the Andes from Lima to La Paz, although this is far from being
realized as yet. It simply gives an idea of the railway development that
has taken place, and what is projected for the future.
North of Rio de Janeiro there has not been so much or so systematic
railway development, as there has been south of the federal capital. The
principal company operating in that direction, the Leopoldina Railway,
is also the company having the greatest mileage of any road in the
republic. Its lines traverse the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo
and Minas Geraes, and have a total mileage of over eighteen hundred
miles. This system has been made up by the consolidation of a number of
different lines. Hitherto it has not been able to run its track into the
city of Rio de Janeiro, because of the opposition of the Central, which
road claimed a monopoly. Its terminals have been at Nictheroy across the
bay, and at Mauá. At last the right was granted, a depot constructed,
and, by this time, the trains of the Leopoldina Railway will be running
into the capital city. They promise service from that city to Petropolis
in a little over an hour, instead of two hours by the present combination
of rail and boat. This line taps rich coffee and sugar lands, reaches
back into the mineral section of Minas Geraes, and passes near lands
where fine timbers, such as rosewood, abound. It also connects with the
port of Victoria, which is destined to be an important port for the
products of this district. One of the lines is gradually being pushed up
toward Bahia, and will eventually connect with the lines of that state,
of which there are three or four spurs that spread inland in different
directions from the city of Bahia.
The state of Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit) tapped by the Leopoldina
system, stretches along the Atlantic coast for nearly three hundred
miles. With an area of twenty thousand square miles it has a population
of less than twelve to the square mile. It is a tropical state with much
rain and dense vegetation along the coast lowlands. The capital city,
Victoria, has a good harbour which is now being improved by the national
government. In coffee shipments this port ranks third in importance.
A railroad is also being constructed from Victoria to Diamantina, but
progress up to date has been rather slow.
The next largest system in northern Brazil is the Great Western Railway,
whose lines run from Maceio, in the state of Alagoas, through Recife, or
Pernambuco, capital of the state of that name, Parahyba, capital of the
state of Parahyba, and ending at Natal, capital and chief seaport of the
state of Rio Grande do Norte. A number of branches wind their tortuous
way inland, and each year extensions are being made. The total length
of the lines of this company now exceed nine hundred miles, upon all
of which a government guarantee of at least six per cent. exists. These
lines were formerly operated under several different names, but have
recently been consolidated.
In the state of Ceará there are two railways. One connects the port and
capital city, Fortaleza, with Senador Pompeu, a couple of hundred miles
inland; another line runs from the port of Camocim to the interior town
of Ipu. A short railway connects Caxias, on the river Itapucurú, with
Floris, on the Paranahyba River. This is the only railway in the state
of Maranhão, the sixth state in the republic and as large as Texas. Its
natural resources have hardly been investigated, but they are no doubt
very rich. St. Luiz is the capital and one of the ports. The adjoining
state of Piauhy has no railroad. There is, however, excellent river
communication with the seaports. A railway is projected from the port of
Santo Luiz to run down and connect with the line now running from Bahia
north. From Belem, or Pará, there is one short railroad that runs to
Braganca, a distance of about one hundred miles.
The Madeira-Mamoré railroad is an isolated railroad, being built in the
western part of Brazil by an American company under contract with the
Brazilian government. One must go a thousand miles up the Amazon, and
then six hundred and sixty miles up the Madeira River to Santo Antonio
de Rio Madeira, where this line begins, and which is in the very heart
of South America. Above the rapids there are several hundred more miles
of navigable waters, upon which a service of steamers is maintained.
There are few people in that section of the country, and it may never
be popular with immigrants. The line is being constructed in pursuance
of an agreement with the Republic of Bolivia when the Acre (pronounced
Ack´ray) territory was ceded by that government to Brazil. The rich
eastern slope and fertile plains of Bolivia are practically bottled up.
Its products, including a large rubber and cacao production, either had
to be transported over the Andes, or around a couple of hundred miles
of rapids and cataracts on the Madeira River, to the part of the stream
where navigation is uninterrupted. From there they were carried down on
steamers to Manaos, or Pará, and then to the markets of the world by
ocean-going vessels. This line will be about two hundred miles in length,
and will open up one of the richest sections of Bolivia, a part of Peru,
which also borders on the Acre territory, and the rich territory itself,
which produces a large amount of rubber and cacao, and much of which has
never been exploited at all. Many native Indians inhabit this section,
and their little rafts and row boats navigate all the streams. In these
the Indian rubber gatherers visit the different sections, tap the trees,
and bring the rubber to the establishments of the various companies
engaged in the rubber trade, which may be found in many places.
The first sod for this railway was turned in 1871, but this auspicious
beginning soon ended in disaster. Again, in 1878, a second attempt was
made, and work was prosecuted faithfully for a year. A survey was cut
through the almost impenetrable forest, and four miles of track were
completed. At that time, however, sanitation was not understood as well
as now, and the great mortality stopped the work, as it did in Panama.
This time a sensible beginning was made by first looking after the
health conditions, and practically the same methods are employed as are
followed by the United States on the Isthmus. Sanitary buildings were
erected with provision made against infection from mosquito bites, and
a fully equipped hospital was built and furnished. By these means the
health of the twenty-five hundred employees has been looked after in
a thoroughly scientific way. At the present writing about fifty miles
of track have been completed, and a dozen engines are already at work.
Forces of workmen are engaged in cutting down the forest, grading, laying
track and rails, and all the other processes incidental to building a
railroad. Nature has not changed one iota, for malarial fever is still
malarial fever, the rainfall is as great as ever, and vegetation is just
as luxuriant; but science has taught man how to conquer nature, and it
will not be many years until locomotives will be hauling freight and
passengers around these falls in a few hours, where formerly it required
weeks. Americans may take a pardonable interest in this project, for it
is American energy and American equipment that is doing the work.
[Illustration: THE SÃO PAULO RAILWAY, NEAR SANTOS.]
I have reserved for the last one of the most important, as well as one
of the most interesting railroads in the world, the São Paulo Railway.
This line is important, not from the amount of mileage, for it only runs
from the port of Santos to Jundiahy, a distance of about one hundred
miles, but because of the amount of freight shipped over it. It is the
only railroad in the state of São Paulo running to the coast, and all
the products of that state are shipped over it. Two-thirds or more of
the world’s coffee is produced in Brazil, and of this three-fourths is
shipped from this one port, and all of it hauled over this one road. As
high as thirteen million sacks of coffee, weighing sixty kilograms each,
have been shipped from this port in a single year. It has a monopoly
of thirty-one kilometers on each side of the track. This restriction
heretofore has prevented any other railroad from entering Santos,
although both the Mogyana and the Sorocobana have surveyed routes and
projected lines to it, because of the excessive freight rates charged.
Both of the other roads are narrow gauge, and the expense of reloading
for a short journey, and the rates demanded by this monopolistic line,
are a big drain on the revenues of the other railroads.
The São Paulo Railway originally held a seven per cent. guarantee from
the government, but this was long ago released. Its earnings have
been so great in some years that the company did not know what to do
with the surplus. It was allowed to pay only twelve per cent. to the
stockholders, and the balance must either be paid to the state or the
rates reduced. Unwilling to do either, this company has built fine
stations where there are not more than a score of people, and has
expended money in every way to keep down the net earnings under that sum.
For six miles, soon after leaving Santos, the road climbs the Serra do
Mar by means of cables. This is divided into four sections, each with
its own power station. The trains are run in sections of three or four
cars each, with an engine on each section. One section goes up as another
comes down on each cable. A few years ago the traffic became so congested
that it was necessary to construct a second roadway over the Serra, the
one roadbed being considerably lower than the other. The mountainside is
paved in some places to prevent landslides. Water courses and gullys of
masonry and cement have been constructed everywhere to carry away the
rain, which sometimes falls here with almost the force of a cloudburst.
The road is well ballasted with a crushed stone found in the hills
which is as hard as granite. The Luz station in the city of São Paulo,
belonging to this company, is by far the finest station in South America,
and one of the finest in the world. The railroad is owned by an English
company, and the engines and equipment are distinctly English, and the
entire track is built with the care and precision of an English railroad,
with an overhead bridge or tunnel at each station to pass from the
station on one side of the track to that on the other. The road has only
one little branch in addition to the main line.