PERU: PORTS AND INTERIOR TRANSPORTATION
From the physical character of Peru, it is evident that inland
communication and traffic is of extraordinary difficulty. The countries
previously mentioned and most of those to follow have rivers by
which access to the interior may be gained. In Colombia the Pacific
coast barrier is not half so high, and another way is open from the
Caribbean. Venezuela presents several doorways, Ecuador also; but in
Peru, entrance by navigable rivers would be to journey over 2000 miles
from Pará in Brazil at the mouth of the Amazon, then arriving only at
the back door, remote indeed from the busy civilized life at the front.
Some few do come in and go out that way, but not many.
Peru’s front is happily 1200-1300 miles long, but then a wall! and in
places not one only; back of that another and another; between each
two a deep, deep hollow; climbs, up and down, up and down, to gain
the fertile _montaña_; or, in the central section, where it might
seem easy going after having surmounted the high wall to the lofty
plateau, there are hills if not dales, with few level spots. Do not
imagine that a table-land is like a table! The country is rolling where
not mountainous; nor is that all. The various rivers that wind about
flowing now south now north, southeast and northwest, with branches
from any direction, these are not simple little rivers, a few or many
feet deep, which require merely an ordinary bridge; but whether deep
or shallow they are liable to be and generally are at the bottom of a
cañon 300 or 3000 feet deep, the top of which may be a mile or two
across. For a railway to descend to such depths and climb up the other
side, not once but the many times needful for a road traversing the
length of Peru is for a sparsely inhabited country, governmentally
poor, quite impossible. Hence the slowness of Peru’s development
despite its wonderful riches.
When some years ago the Pan American Railway from New York to Buenos
Aires was projected, investigation was made of practicable routes
by the United States Government. The way in Ecuador is plain and in
Colombia there is little choice; but in Peru the question of highland,
low coast, or far interior was to be solved. The coast seemed less
desirable as along here one could go by water. Moreover, the Maritime
Cordillera for a long distance is so near the sea with so many spurs
coming down to the coast, or as in Southern Peru a bluff several
hundred or thousand feet high with its feet in the sea is so cut every
little way by one of those 58 streams in a very deep cañon, that it was
not more inviting than the plateau region above, where the road would
be much more serviceable. Plateau was the decision; but for the Great
War, money might soon be forthcoming; as it is, long delay is probable
before the road is completed. As for inland transportation therefore,
it may be said that it is carried on mainly by sea, which is no joke
but stern reality; accordingly coast service is well provided.
COAST SERVICE
British, Chilian, Peruvian, formerly German, and now American steamers
sail along the coast, some express from Panamá, calling at Callao and
Mollendo only; others, express also, call at the other primary ports,
Paita, Etén, Pacasmayo, Salaverry, Pisco, and Ilo; still others,
_caletero_, call at the 20 minor ports also. From many of these ports,
as we have seen, railways extend some distance into the interior,
generally as far as they can go without taking a stiff grade. Beyond
the termini and in some cases directly from the ports, freight is
carried by mules, burros, or llamas, though in but few places do the
latter come down to the sea, their use being confined chiefly to the
region of the sierra. In the old Inca days the fleet footed Indians
sped over the narrow trails, often carrying heavy burdens. Horses were
introduced by the Spaniards; riding is universal, as almost everywhere
it is the only means of travel, from the coast to the mountain region
and within that section; roads aside from bridle trails are almost non
existent. Even in the thickly settled and rich Huailas Valley there was
not a wheeled vehicle in 1908; there is no way by which they could be
carried in except in pieces. The iron horse, however, within the last
half century has begun to make its way.
CHIEF PORT
=Callao.= Although Peru has other primary ports which should be visited
by commercial men, Callao and Lima are the chief centre of commerce for
the greater part of the country. Both cities are of course provided
with good electric car service, lights, and telephones; they are
connected by an electric and a steam railway, the latter, a part of
the Central Railway of Peru, which climbs to the interior heights.
The double track electric road on a broad boulevard, the most popular
connection between the two cities, makes the ride in 28 minutes.
The site of the port, Callao, population 35,000, was chosen with
discretion, as except for Chimbote it has the best harbor below Panamá.
It ranks in traffic as the fourth American port on the entire Pacific,
following Seattle, San Francisco, and Valparaiso. Callao has been
distinguished as the only port south of Panamá with docks accessible
to large ships, though, as the accommodations are inadequate, passing
coastal steamers usually anchor half a mile away, employing lighters
for cargo; recently, steam launches serve passengers, heavy baggage
going in row boats. A floating dry dock receives ships of 8000 tons.
RAILWAYS TO THE INTERIOR
=The Central Railway.= In spite of the enormous difficulties of
making a roadbed up a steep cañon or on the face of a bluff, bridging
torrents, and tunneling side buttresses and mountain ranges, two
railroads, both monuments of skill and perseverance, climb from the
coast to the plateau, the Central, and the Southern Railways of Peru.
The first, a standard gauge line from Callao begun in 1870 by the
American financier, Henry Meiggs, was in 1876 completed as far as
Chicla, 88 miles. On account of troubles resulting from the Chilian
war, it did not reach Oroya, long the terminus, till 1893. The road
follows up the Rimac Valley, which, however, is so steep and narrow
that detours into side valleys are necessary, as into the Verrugas,
which is crossed by a bridge 225 feet high, one of 67 bridges on the
journey. Many curves, tunnels, and V’s are also needed to gain in
7¹⁄₂ hours, with no more than a 4 per cent grade, an elevation of
15,665 feet at a distance from the sea in a straight line of less than
100 miles. Frequently the floor of the cañon has room only for the
rushing stream, and the road passes high up on the slope or cliff, at
one point, 575 feet, or through one of the 57 tunnels. Some of the
cliffs are more than one third of a mile in perpendicular height. The
road is considered in some respects the most wonderful of the world’s
railways. A branch 10 miles long from Ticlio to Morococha, reaching
an altitude of 15,865 feet, a trifle above that of Mont Blanc, is
absolutely the highest railway in the world. At Ticlio, the highest
point of the main line, is entered the Galera tunnel, three quarters
of a mile long, which cuts through the continental divide. The road
then descends to Oroya, altitude 12,178 feet. In taking the trip for
pleasure or business one not absolutely sure of the soundness of his
heart should have it examined, or at least should stop over two days
at Matucana, 7788 feet, where there is a fairly comfortable hotel. Any
one is liable to suffer somewhat from _soroche_, which may be avoided
by the stop-over. In general persons of good constitution, not too
full blooded, will be troubled only by a headache, perhaps accompanied
by nausea, and those who are careful to avoid rapid walking or over
exertion of any kind for a day or two after arrival above, and who
do not overeat before setting out on the journey or afterwards may
suffer no inconvenience whatever. No liquor of any kind should be used
except in collapse from heart failure. Ammonia is desirable in case of
headache.
From Oroya, terminus of the direct line, there are branches to the
north and south over the plateau. To reach the _montaña_ interior,
which is more accessible here than from any other point in Peru, one
may go by automobile over another range a thousand feet above, and
beyond this, down, down, down into the _montaña_. Tarma at 10,000 feet
has a delightful climate, and here are trees, perhaps the first seen
in Peru, growing as it were of their own accord. The picturesque cañon
below is lined with verdure, here and there are entrances to side
valleys. Tunnels and romantic swinging bridges formerly lent variety
to the ride. The new automobile road opens up a rich and delightfully
attractive country. La Merced, altitude 3000 feet, is quite a little
town with a pleasant summer climate.
A short distance farther is the Perené, a coffee plantation, at 2500
feet, belonging to the Peruvian Corporation. The estate of 5,000,000
acres is not half cultivated, though 1¹⁄₂ million coffee trees had
been planted in 1903. At this altitude the country is still in the
foothills of the Andes with steep slopes on every hand, a narrow way
only extending along the river bank. The Perené is a considerable
stream easily navigable, an affluent of the Tambo, which flows into the
Ucayali; but the stream goes south a long distance around, and through
a region inhabited by savage Indians. It is therefore not used. The
Chunchi Indians living close by are fine looking people and friendly,
sometimes working on the plantation. This plantation is on the main and
mail route from Lima to Iquitos, capital of Loreto, to which with good
luck a journey may be made in 15 days. Seven days are spent between
Oroya and Puerto Jessup, then one in canoe to Puerto Bermudez, and 5 or
6 in steam launch to Iquitos, where a steamer may be taken to Manaos,
Pará, or New York.
A branch railway line, American owned, built by the Cerro de Pasco
Copper Company, extends north from Oroya to Cerro de Pasco, about 90
miles over a hilly country, past Lake Junín. Along the way many Quichua
Indians are seen, the chief population of the plateau region. Cerro
de Pasco, the terminus of the road from Oroya, is a town of 15,000
population at an altitude of 14,300 feet. A branch railway leads to
Goyllarisquisga, 26 miles, another to Quishuarcancha, 11 miles, to
their coal properties.
Another branch or a continuation of the Central Railway runs south on
the plateau in the valley of the Jauja River past a city of that name,
population 3000, altitude 11,050 feet, a resort for consumptives for
whom the coast is too damp. Seventy-eight miles from Oroya at Huancayo,
population 6000, the road halted some years, but lately building
has recommenced and the road is probably open some miles farther.
Construction is proceeding in the direction of Ayacucho to continue
from there to Cuzco. By the time this is accomplished a long stretch of
the Pan American Road will be completed, probably from the Callejón de
Huailas to Lake Titicaca, but the crossing of three cañons, one 3000
feet deep, makes this an expensive job.
=The Southern Railway of Peru=, also planned and partly constructed by
Henry Meiggs before he commenced the Central, begins at the port of
Mollendo; after a few miles along the beach it climbs the high bluff
on the side of projecting buttresses, winding about till it reaches
the edge of the desert plateau 3000 feet above. Then it proceeds on
the almost imperceptibly inclined desert, presently along the edge of
the Vitor Valley, 107 miles, to the beautifully situated Arequipa,
population 50,000, altitude 7550 feet.
The city is on the lower slope of El Misti, partly in the valley of
the Chili River which flows between Misti, 19,200 feet, and Chachani
a little higher. Arequipa has a fine cathedral, and cultured society,
but poor hotels. A good one, opened prematurely some years ago,
unfortunately failed; it would be a great success now. In the crater
of Misti are pure sulphur crystals, with some of which I once filled
my pocket; but other sources are more accessible. Much business is
transacted in the city, this being the centre of commerce for Southern
Peru, an immense district with many towns and mining centres on and
off the railroad. At least one night must be spent here on the way up,
and several days are desirable both for business and to become proof
against _soroche_. The city is the site of the machine shops for the
railway, which with 526 miles of track is the longest in the Republic.
From Vitor between Mollendo and Arequipa an automobile road is to be
constructed to the Majes Valley and Chuquibamba.
From Arequipa there are semi- or tri-weekly trains to Cuzco and Puno.
The road winds around the desert slopes of Chachani to the higher land
beyond. From the divide, 14,688 feet, the descent is gradual to Puno on
the shore of Lake Titicaca, 219 miles from Arequipa.
At Juliaca, 30 miles before Puno, the line branches north towards
Cuzco, 210 miles, a journey of a day and a half. Sleeping cars run from
Arequipa. The highest point on the north division is 14,153 feet. Cuzco
itself is at an altitude of 11,445 feet. The place, almost surrounded
by hills, has a more genial climate than might be expected at this
altitude. The appearance of the country is very different from that
near Cerro de Pasco with more green and a milder atmosphere. Cuzco is
said once to have had a population of 400,000, instead of the present
30,000. Some progress has been made since railway connection was
established in 1908; a decent hotel, the Pullman, has superseded the
apologies for one then available. The population is chiefly Indian,
and many come in from the surrounding country to the markets. The
Department, a very rich but undeveloped section, is on the border where
Quichuas and Aymarás mingle.
From the port of Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, altitude 12,500
feet, there is, in connection with the railway, steamboat service
(an all night journey) to Guaqui, at the south end of the lake. Here
is railroad connection for La Paz, a three hours ride, all under
the management of the Peruvian Corporation, a British company which
controls also the Central Railway and most of the short lines from the
various ports; the Corporation has further among other concessions one
for the export of guano.
PROPOSED RAILWAY EXTENSION
It is evident that the railways of this great country which nowhere
touch the vast _montaña_ region and which leave destitute most of
the towns of the sierra district, are totally inadequate for its
development. However delightful the climate or rich the country in
agricultural or mineral resources, few persons in the present age
will settle in regions remote from cities in time if not in distance,
and where the interchange of products is almost impossible for lack
of means of transportation. The leaders of the Government are well
aware of this fact and are doing their utmost to promote railway
development, both through their own initiative and by their willingness
to grant favorable terms and, to some extent, guaranteed concessions to
foreign capitalists. The importance of connecting the coast and sierra
cities, and these with the Amazon Basin and river transportation to
the Atlantic is perfectly apparent. The ideal is for three or four
railways serving different sections to extend from coast ports up over
the mountains down to the navigable waters of the Amazon affluents,
and that such roads should be connected by a north and south line in
the sierra country as a part of the great Pan American system long ago
planned. Branches would diverge from all of these lines, thus opening
up large mineral deposits for operation, and the rich agricultural
lands of the _montaña_ for settlement and commerce.
For a long time several routes have been under discussion and some
concessions have been granted, which mismanagement or the difficulty
of getting capitalists to invest in so remote a field have rendered
abortive. Therefore there is still discussion; and opportunities for
construction are open.
Beginning at the north the first cross line proposed is that in the
Department Piura, continuing the road from the good port of Paita to
Puerto Molendez, Calantura, or Limón, on the Marañon River below the
Pongo de Manserriche. This plan has the great advantage of crossing the
Andes at its lowest point, 6600 feet. An important consideration is
that it would make practicable the export from Paita of rubber which is
now carried from Iquitos by way of the Amazon and Pará; the far shorter
journey by sea from Paita to New York, easily made within ten days,
would more than counterbalance the rail freight from the river port 400
miles to Paita. It would surely be a better route for business men and
offers other advantages; among these access to coal and iron mines en
route.
Another transcontinental route proposed is from some point connected
with the Central Railway which has already surmounted the divide. A
route on which much money has been spent for engineering investigation,
surveys, and otherwise is from Cerro de Pasco or Goyllarisquisga to
Pucalpa or some other point on the Ucayali. This central road for
political reasons seems extremely desirable. It would open up the
fine grazing lands of the Pampa Sacramento, and rich alluvial gold
deposits in or on several streams, as well as the forest and rubber
country. Another suggestion is to continue the road directly east from
Oroya down to the Perené River and to Puerto Wertheman; a better may
be to build 175 miles from Matahuasi, a station on the Oroya-Huancayo
Railway, to Jesus Marie on the Ené River near the mouth of the Pangoa,
where 12 feet of water would permit of commerce by large steamers by
way of the Tambo and Ucayali.
One important cross route would naturally be by the Southern Railway,
from a point on the Cuzco branch, Tirapata, Urcos, or Cuzco, the
earlier plans looking to a connection with the Madre de Dios River. But
as this route would necessitate a long roundabout journey, as well as a
passage through Bolivia and freightage on the Madeira-Mamoré Railway,
the Government has recently undertaken for itself a line from Cuzco to
Santa Ana on the Urubamba, by which the journey is greatly shortened
and will be wholly within the Republic as far as Brazil, following
down the Urubamba and Ucayali to the Amazon and Iquitos. The drawback
to this route is that only very light draught steamers can come up to
Santa Ana at any season of the year.
Lines quoted as under construction by the Peruvian Government in
1919 are that from Chimbote up the Huailas Valley to Recuay, already
referred to, which when completed will be immediately profitable, the
continuation of the road from Huancayo to Cuzco, now open 30 miles from
the former city; and the Cuzco to Santa Ana just mentioned. A short
line recently opened from Lima to Lurín, crossing the Pachacamac River,
brings two fertile valleys with their fruit and vegetables into close
connection with the capital. Lurín is but 16 miles from the suburb
Chorillos, which for some years has had railway service. The ancient
pre-Inca ruins at Pachacamac are now easily accessible.
The Longitudinal or Pan American Railway, crossing all the others,
would come in at the north from Cuenca and Loja in Ecuador, continuing
to Huancabamba, Jaen, and Cajamarca in that Department, thence down the
valley to the Santa River, there joining the railway to Recuay, which
will be prolonged to Goyllarisquisga. By this time the connection will
be complete to Cuzco, and so to La Paz, La Quiaca, and Buenos Aires.