double rails which are laid near approaches to the stationary engines,
so that the trains can pass each other, which, of course, they are
constantly doing, one up and the other down, on the several lifts. I was
at a loss also to understand how they could work their goods traffic to
a large extent with the amount of trains running. I now find the latter
applies only to the passengers, and that produce is dealt with
separately, collected at the top of the Serra, and sent down during the
day, three waggon loads at a time, the waggons being collected together
at the foot of the Serra, and taken on to the station at Santos as
convenient. These arrangements necessitate a large amount of rolling
stock and extra shed accommodation, which I believe is about to be
supplied. Another feature in the works of the Serra is the loose kind of
material they have had to go through instead of granite rock, which they
expected, the former being apt to crumble away from the effects of rain,
although latterly the road has stood very well in this respect. Some of
the embankments crossing the gorges of the mountains are almost
perpendicular, and involved a heavy amount of labour and expense. It is
quite frightful to look down them. Of course the traffic of the Serra
can only be worked from sunrise to sunset, but a large amount of produce
can be brought down during that time.
I have now to record a trip over the remaining portion of the line to
Jundiahy, the terminus. An announcement had been issued that traffic
would be resumed over the whole line on the 2nd March, but a continuance
of wet weather caused further and serious impediment, so I availed of
the kindness of the officials, who were making a survey of the state of
the works, to go to Jundiahy in the best manner circumstances would
permit. We started about 8 a.m., on Tuesday, the 23rd March, in a
carriage attached to the engine, having, amongst others, Mr. Aubertin,
superintendent; Mr. Fox, engineer-in-chief; the fiscal, or Government
engineer; the Postmaster-General, Captain Burton, and other persons,
with some luggage belonging to them, and some small stores for the use
of the line.
My impression was that I had seen the heaviest works on the line, but
this was a great mistake, as I soon found out. The first few miles were
not of much interest, but afterwards, as we approached the mountain
scenery, the view became very fine,—the bold outline of the Jaraguay, a
mountain where gold mines exist, but long since ceased working—deep
gorges began to open out, and huge hanging forests towered above us, in
their wildest and most primitive form. At the first station I got on the
engine with Mr. Fox, and certainly it is difficult to imagine a country
less adapted to a railway—making it against nature, as some one
significantly observed. It is a succession of deep cuttings, high
embankments, curves, and heavy gradients the whole distance, at times
with an incline of 1 in 45, and only occasionally what may be termed a
bit of straight road. It is really wonderful how people could be found
to make such a railway in this country. Scarcely a human habitation to
be seen along the whole distance, except the rough mud huts for persons
connected with it; and about three stations between San Paulo and
Jundiahy. The stations themselves are barely sufficient for the station
master to live in, though probably adequate under present circumstances.
At one of them (Belem) a small quantity of cotton was stored, having
gone there direct, but no means of forwarding it on at present.
The ordinary mule road to Jundiahy crosses and runs parallel to the
railway for some distance, and a wretched state it appeared to be
in—deep mud holes and quagmires, through which the poor mules have to
struggle.
I must now refer to some of our difficulties, resulting from the state
in which we found the road. The first actual gap occurs some seventeen
or eighteen miles from San Paulo, where the river current has carried
away a large culvert, the rails and iron bowls (sleepers) attached to
them hanging suspended for some twenty feet. They were at work
rebuilding another culvert. We had to leave the carriage, cross the
stream, and, walking some little distance, to get to another engine,
which with a ballast truck was waiting there. On we went again, at times
having to pull up or go slowly over slippery places, until we passed the
tunnel, with water dripping from the roof. On the other side of the
tunnel occurs the most serious stoppage, the whole side of a huge hill
having apparently moved forward, the advanced portion of it blocking up
the road. Some under current has raised the rails several feet in
places, notwithstanding the immense piles of timber that have been
driven in to prevent encroachment. The conclusion is that a mass of
quicksands, swollen by the heavy rains, has forced its way under the
hill side and under the bed of the railway. The labour here will be very
great, by having to remove the falling mass, and the uncertainty is when
the movement may subside. The “mountain in labour” has brought forth no
“ridiculus mus” in this case. After walking past this obstruction, we
again mounted on the ballast truck, and went along until we came to a
place where the river had quite overflowed the rails, and the engine had
to force its way through two or three feet of water, of course at a very
slow and cautious pace; here they are raising the road so as to escape,
if possible, future inundations. Once through this last impediment, we
rattled along over a good hard bit of road at a good pace to Jundiahy,
the end of our adventurous journey. The station is a little distance
from the town, which stands on a hill, and after partaking of some solid
refreshments, which we fortunately found ready at the Railway Hotel, in
half an hour we were again on a ballast truck going through the same
process of changing from one truck to another, walking over slippery
ground, until we finally again joined the carriage on the opposite side
of the broken culvert, before arriving at which a thunder storm came on,
accompanied by torrents of rain, and most of us were thoroughly wet
through. The storm continued nearly to San Paulo, but it is amongst the
gorges of the mountains it comes down most furiously.
It is not my intention to comment further on the errors that have been
made in the construction of this railway. No doubt obstacles had to be
met at every step; nor can shareholders be supposed to know much about
engineering details of this kind. They subscribe their money on the
faith of a Government guarantee, believing in the estimates, and that of
course the line will, under any circumstances, pay its working expenses.
The late Mr. Brunel used to repudiate the existence of engineering
difficulties. It was a mere question of money; but I think had he
surveyed the intended line of the San Paulo Railway he would have said
both these points were involved, the result being that the original
estimates are greatly exceeded, and the works still require a
considerable outlay before they can be permanently relied on. The thing
certainly appears incredible, if it were not the fact, that to work a
line consisting almost entirely of short curves and heavy gradients, the
directors should have sent out rigid locomotives suited to a first-class
English railway, without even bogie frames attached, causing great wear
and tear to both engines and rails. I quite believe that with suitable
locomotives the line may be safely and properly worked, and it seems
exactly a case in point for such engines as Fairlie's. The question as
to maintenance of way must always be a very important one; whether in
such a mountainous country, subject at seasons to heavy rains and
flooded rivers, and with a treacherous soil, the nature of the works is
such as can be relied on, for unless this is the case, as the public
journals of San Paulo justly observe, the real utility of the railway is
destroyed. Coffee growers and cotton planters have been looking to it as
a sure and certain means of getting their produce down to Santos, and
unless this can be depended on they will have to resort to the old,
cumbrous, and expensive mode of carrying it upwards of one hundred miles
on the backs of mules as heretofore. It is a momentous question for this
province whether or not they can depend on railway conveyance, which I
think may fairly be looked for when the line becomes consolidated, but
both shareholders and the Government must be prepared to make sacrifices
of no common kind before this end is finally attained. That the
officials and managers of the line in Brazil are doing all they can is
very certain, and it is for the company or the shareholders to provide
them with everything required to ensure the permanent success of the
company. They entered into a solemn contract with the Brazilian
Government and the Provincial Government here, which it is their duty to
fulfil, no matter at what sacrifice, and the sooner the shareholders
look their position in the face the better, instead of being guided
entirely by directors, who could only appreciate their position if they
came out in a body and personally inspected the line. One thing is very
certain, that if it had not been for the great liberality of the Baron
de Mauá in coming to the rescue of the concern, the works might never
have been completed or the line opened.
THE CITY OF SAN PAULO.
If it appears a long time in reaching here after passing the wonders of
the Serra, I was not disappointed either in the first peep at the city
or by a more intimate acquaintance with it. One cannot help marvelling
how the adventurous handful of men who originally penetrated the forests
and founded these cities in South America had the courage and
perseverance to do so; but I believe they availed, in many cases, of the
Indian tracks, and doubtless of Indian assistance occasionally. The city
has rather an imposing aspect as you wind round it to the station, being
built on a ridge of high ground which overlooks the River Tieté—a stream
rising in the neighbouring hills, and after traversing nearly the whole
of the province, eventually finds its way to the Parana and the
Paraguay. At the railway station sundry omnibuses and carriages were
waiting to receive the passengers. We drove to the Hotel d'Italia, where
a friend had taken rooms for us, and found ourselves tolerably
comfortable in a large house rather the worse for wear, and, like most
things in this country, allowed to get out of repair. During the
construction of the railway it was the head-quarters of the engineering
staff.
The first thing we did next morning was to pay our respects to the
President of the Province, who received us very graciously. He is a man
of a very expressive, benevolent countenance, and I believe he
administers the affairs of the province in a most satisfactory
manner—not the easiest of tasks in such troublous times as the present.
A ramble over the city impresses one favourably: good wide streets,
paved with a material resembling macadam. It is obtained from one of the
neighbouring hills, and forms a capital road. The sides are well made of
large flags, much superior to those of Rio de Janeiro, although the
pavement there is admirable. There are several fine churches, an
extensive new public market, and, as a rule, the houses are well and
substantially built. The shops are also numerous and well appointed with
all the requisites for convenience and comfort suited to a city of
20,000 to 25,000 inhabitants. There are several national colleges here,
with a number of young students, who help to enliven the place. The
Province of San Paulo has always held a good position, from the
enterprise and spirit of the people, the latter owing in some measure to
the cool climate, which even now occasionally renders woollen clothing
and blankets at night desirable, and a few months hence it will be
positively cold, with ice in the morning. Previously to and since our
arrival it has been raining so much that a vast tract of land bordering
the Tieté is overflowed, and travelling must be very bad. We took a
drive to the church of Nossa Senhora de Penha, a few miles distant, on
elevated ground, from whence a good view of the city and surrounding
country is obtained; but unfortunately rain came on, and we had only to
make the best of our way home, the carriages nearly sticking fast in a
quagmire. Otherwise the road is a pretty good one.
I may here allude to the kind hospitality of Captain and Mrs. Burton,
which rendered our visit an exceedingly agreeable one. On the occasion
of this visit to Nossa Senhora de Penha, a curious incident occurred. On
our way out Mrs. Burton took a fancy to some geese which were quietly
feeding by the roadside, and she determined to make a purchase of them
on our way back, although it was raining heavily. After some bargaining
the geese were bought, their legs were tied, and each of us took charge
of one or more. They were quiet enough until we reached the city, where
the people began to pelt us with wax water balls, as it was the Intrudo
time, when such pastime is still carried on to a great extent in an old
fashioned place like San Paulo. The geese became alarmed, struggled to
release themselves, and after some difficulty and much amusement we got
them safely disposed of in the yard attached to the Consulate. Geese are
very plentiful in Brazil, but there is a prejudice against them amongst
the natives as food, from an idea that they eat snakes and other vermin,
but a few weeks good domestic feeding is calculated to do away with any
objection of this sort, as we had occasion to find in the excellent
quality of these very geese when we afterwards dined at the Consulate.
A ridge of mountains forms a background to the north-west of San Paulo,
in some of which are gold mines that have been long abandoned, nor is
the mineral wealth of the province at all developed. The railway may
bring with it new enterprise of this kind, but it will be slow work.
I went over the San Bento Convent, where only one priest appears to
reside in an enormous building, a portion of which has lately been
fitted up with considerable taste. The church is also kept in good
order, but it seems absurd for only one man to occupy such a building.
The wealth of religious orders in Brazil is by no means insignificant,
and it would be to the advantage of the country and of the people if
this was made available for national purposes. Religion would be better
appreciated, and the State would be able to form colonies in some of the
richest lands of the Empire, which naturally enough fell into the hands
of religious bodies.
It is said that the Tropic of Capricorn passes close to the city of San
Paulo, but of course the exact spot cannot be defined. There is plenty
of fruit and vegetables to be had, grapes are abundant and very cheap,
good milk and fresh butter are easily obtainable, the cow going round to
the houses in the morning with a bell attached to her, and generally the
calf following. Indeed, a great many of the comforts and conveniences of
life are to be found here which do not exist in other Brazilian towns,
whilst the climate is infinitely superior. For many months of the year
the thermometer ranges about 60°, and at times goes down to 40°; on the
other hand it is sometimes very hot, but of short duration. This morning
I saw a black boy in the street engaged in the occupation of shoeblack,
with his little box and brushes very much after the London style. In
fact there is a more general inclination to work when it is not so
intensely hot. There goes the railway whistle, the train starting for
Santos, and it will return about 3 p.m., bringing the passengers by
steamer from Rio, which left there yesterday. There are two fast
steamers a week between Rio and Santos, so the communication is well
kept up.
The number of old fashioned waggons or carts on two solid wooden wheels,
drawn by teams of oxen according to the weight carried, and the constant
passage of them, and of mules and horses, the former with tinkling
bells, all laden with country produce, indicate the nature of the
traffic which existed prior to the opening of the railway, rendering the
streets of the city a busy scene. The railway being closed between this
and Jundiahy no doubt increases this traffic for a time, but it must
always exist to a greater or a less degree, as everything for the
consumption of the city has to be brought into it by these means. The
bulk of the through traffic of coffee and cotton must, however,
inevitably find its way on to the rails and be taken down the Serra, as
it is impossible mules can compete with a railway for so great a
distance. The troops of mules, horses, and carts assemble at shops or
warehouses in streets where their business is carried on, their produce
discharged, and a certain portion of the animals loaded back to their
respective destinations. Hence the perpetual tinkling of bells and
creaking of wheels; at the same time a number of carriages and tilburys
are constantly in motion, conveying passengers about the city or
outskirts, causing a degree of activity one would otherwise hardly
expect to find.
Yesterday, Sunday, being the first Sunday in Lent, there was a grand
procession, consisting of a large number of figures of saints, carried
on men's shoulders, after the old style of chairing an M.P. at home.
Sundry children were dressed up as angels, and there were also a
military band and some few soldiers; for, as the latter have been
drained by the war, only a sufficient number remain to keep guard, &c.
The figures are as large as life. They were collected together at the
church of San Francisco, a large and rather showy building, and at five
o'clock the procession started, amidst discharging of rockets, ringing
of bells, and other demonstrations. It passed the street in front of the
hotel, and, being a tolerably long one, it had rather an imposing
appearance. After traversing the principal streets of the city, it came
back by a side one, which also skirted the hotel. A thunder storm had
been gathering, and broke over the city just as the procession was
reaching the church from whence it started. An indescribable scene of
confusion ensued. The pace was quickened, angels were lifted on the
shoulders of blacks, the carriers of saints hurried along as fast as the
weight permitted—in fact, it was a race with the saints—each trying to
pass the other, to the imminent danger of an upset. The only part of the
procession which retained a show of decorum was that in charge of the
Host, where the high priest walked under a canopy with a number of other
priests, accompanied by attendants, swinging censers; and as the Host
passed, all the spectators knelt down. Fortunately the rain kept off
until the greater part reached the square, and the saints escaped a
terrible wetting, as it came down in torrents, with loud peals of
thunder and lightning, such as I have rarely met with.
The storm continued in this way for several hours, and curiously enough
in the midst of it came a telegram from the Government of Rio de
Janeiro, announcing that the iron-clad fleet had succeeded in passing
the fortress of Humaita, while a division of Brazilian troops had also
taken a redoubt, &c., particulars of which will doubtless shortly reach
England. Excitement was at its height, and spite of the thunder,
lightning, and rain, houses began to light up, rockets were flying
about, and later on, a band of music, with many followers, paraded the
streets, playing and shouting vivas, with other joyous demonstrations
quite edifying under such an accumulation of atmospheric difficulties.
On Monday evening the city was entirely illuminated with candles, lamps,
and Chinese lanterns, the latter very pretty, and the effect altogether
striking. A full military band paraded the streets, followed by crowds
of people; indeed, nearly the whole of the population, male and female,
turned out and paraded the streets to a late hour, the wonder being
where they all came from. The demonstration continued for three days, or
rather nights, but not on so extensive a scale, nor was the firing of
rockets so profuse. The news from the seat of war has, therefore,
created quite a sensation, the Paulistos being somewhat a martial
people, and proud of the exploits of their countrymen before Humaita,
though further advices are needed before the war can be considered at an
end. A drawback accompanied the war news, namely, the cruel
assassination of General Flores at Monte Video, and the sanguinary
proceedings that followed on the occasion.
I may mention having attended a sitting of the Provincial Assembly, in a
very pokey, close room attached to the palace, with a miserably low
gallery at each end for the public. The proceedings, however, were
orderly and dignified, and good speeches were made, one by Senhor Leite
Moraes, a tall, handsome man, who appears likely to distinguish himself
as an orator. The subject under discussion was a complaint against the
conduct of the Roman Catholic priests. There are thirty-six members of
the Provincial Chambers, who annually attend for a period of two months,
and some of them come from considerable distances at much personal
inconvenience to themselves. I believe they are to have a larger and
better place for conducting their business, which is certainly very
desirable. I also visited, in company with Captain Burton, English
Consul, one of the seminaries or schools, presided over by French monks,
who received us with attention, showed us over the extensive building
and well laid-out gardens, and entertained us afterwards with some good
English beer. The college, to which a good sized garden is attached,
contains accommodation for about one hundred youths, who come here for
their education, and remain several months, being comfortably lodged,
and, I believe, well cared for.
This is only one of the many similar establishments in San Paulo, which,
in this respect, answers to our Cambridge or Oxford. The view from the
college is very extensive and picturesque—the city on one side, the
large plain in which the city stands, with mountains in the distance,
and close to the railway station. We heard the locomotive whistle, and
saw the steam a long way off, reaching the station in time to see the
train come in with 115 passengers, quite a large number, it being about
the period of the students returning. It also brought a company of
performers from one of the Rio de Janeiro theatres, who are going to
afford the inhabitants a month's display of their artistic skill, so
that in all respects the city will be very lively during the season of
Lent, one of the eccentricities connected with the Roman Catholic
religion. I went to the public gardens, which are at only a little
distance from the railway station, and cover a large space of ground.
They are in tolerable order, with flower beds and a piece of water in
the centre. A considerable sum of money must have been originally
expended on them, but not keeping things up is one of the major defects
of the system in this country.