one, well kept, where we found some excellent partridges just cooked,
which soon disappeared amongst hungry passengers, who had not time to
breakfast before leaving, and there were also other refreshments. About
this and Tortugas station is some very good land, and numerous English
estancias in the neighbourhood, which I am assured are in a thriving
condition, the aspect of the country being also more cheerful. We saw
the plough at work, and I believe a large quantity of corn will soon be
grown in this district. Further on, about Leones station, the country
becomes more monotonous, one dead sea of brown-looking grass, without
cattle or any appearance of cultivation, and not a shrub or tree to be
seen. We passed a long train of carts from Rosario, filled with
merchandise for distant places; also troops of laden mules going in the
same direction, as the facilities offered by the railway are not yet
sufficient to do away with this cumbrous and expensive mode of transit.
This, however, is only a question of time. As we approached Frayle
Muerto station, trees began to appear, and we passed through quite a
forest, which was very pleasant after the long stretch of land bare of
shrub or tree. The station at Frayle Muerto is a substantial brick
building, and will be very commodious when completed. We had plenty of
time to get some dinner here, and being rather behind, it was dark when
we reached the present terminus at Villa Nueva, where I was kindly
received by the manager, Mr. Lloyd, who gave me a shake down for the
night at his comfortable little cottage close to the station. There I
found a nephew of Mr. Wheelright and Senor Don Gonzalez, late Minister
of Finance, with his family, waiting to proceed to Cordova next morning.
I was fortunate, too, in having for fellow-travellers on the line Senor
Moneta, the Government engineer, and Senor Crisofuli, both proceeding to
Cordova on business connected with the railway, so the journey passed
very agreeably and was anything but fatiguing for the distance. There is
ample room in the carriages, which also have the advantage of enabling
the passengers to go from one portion to the other and conversing with
acquaintances who may happen to be there. This is much better than being
stuck in a close carriage without any chance of relief. Indeed, I think
for all South American railways the American saloon carriages are the
most suitable as well as the most economical.
I was up early next morning to see the train start at seven for Rosario,
and diligences for Cordova, Rio Cuarto, and other places. The last was a
most comical sight. The mode of conveyance has been frequently described
by travellers, so I will not enlarge on the subject. The diligences
remind me of the old French _malle poste_, only the gearing is all hide
instead of rope, and they are drawn by six horses, all mounted by peons,
with very long traces, each horse seemingly independent of the others.
The poor brutes, mostly with sore backs, are first driven into a corral
close to the diligence station, where they are lassoed one by one, a
halter thrown over their necks, and then taken to be saddled. The
diligence station is a very busy place at this time, several starting at
the same time for Cordova and other distant places; there are also
private carriages, and all goes to show how extensive the passenger
traffic will be when the line is open to Cordova. The time occupied in
this latter part of the route is so long that a large supply of vehicles
is required, as well as horses, but the latter may be had almost for the
catching; at all events their cost is very trifling. After seeing the
start, I went over the railway station works, and found evident signs of
considerable traffic, even with an unfinished line. A large space of
ground adjoining the station was filled with bullock waggons, some
discharging cargo into railway waggons, while carts conveyed merchandise
brought up by train from Rosario to other bullock waggons at a short
distance, as there was no space for them about the station, where a
large commodious brick warehouse has been built and works on a large
scale are in course of erection, which will greatly facilitate the
traffic now carried on. In fact, all was bustle and traffic under
difficulties. Amongst the produce brought down was wool in bales, dry
hides, wheat, large bars of copper, fruit, and other articles, not even
omitting fowls in large coops, which had been brought all the way from
Cordova.
The day was very fine and sunny, and after breakfast I accompanied Mr.
Lloyd on horseback to visit a large forest and lake two or three leagues
distant from the station. Here the wood used for locomotives is cut. It
is found to answer better than coal, and is of course much cheaper. We
passed over the newly laid rails and earthworks intended for a
continuation of the line, along which piles of cut wood, extending at
least a quarter of a mile, were laid, as well as a large quantity of
wooden sleepers of excellent quality, to be used, I believe, between
this and Cordova. We then struck across the campo to the forest, soon
after entering which we came upon one of the most picturesque lakes I
remember to have seen. We rode along the margin, which is chiefly sand,
seeing numbers of wild fowl and black-necked swans. The water was
beautifully clear. There are numbers of otters here, and at the upper
end are immense rushes, which are gathered for roofing the ranchos built
for the company's peons. We then struck into the forest again, and with
some difficulty worked our way through it, the lining of my coat being
torn off, as I was hardly got up for such an expedition. The forest is
partly the property of the railway and of one of the religious
establishments at Cordova, and it is capable of supplying sleepers to
make the line to that city, as well as to supply fuel for the
locomotives for years to come. The railway has quite a little colony
here cutting wood, which is conveyed to a small steam saw mill on the
line, and dealt with most expeditiously there.
On our way home we visited the company's farm, where the plough was at
work, turning up a rich loamy soil, and next year it is expected a good
crop of wheat will be taken, besides potatoes, Indian corn, grass for
the horses, &c. In short, it will soon become a very productive farm,
being also completely fenced in so as to keep out cattle. The plough was
being driven by a young Somersetshire man, who evidently understood his
work.
At length we finished our tour of inspection of about twenty miles very
much pleased and gratified with what I had seen, and much impressed with
the important future that awaits the landed property of the company, in
addition to the line becoming a great main trunk one across this part of
South America. Seeing is believing, and if shareholders who are
sceptical as to the future could take a trip out here to satisfy
themselves, they would be quite re-assured on this point. Many doubts
have been thrown upon the enterprise, which I have never entertained,
from my previous knowledge of the country, and my confidence is much
increased by a personal inspection of the line itself and the traffic
which evidently exists ready to come on the metals when proper provision
is made for it. The company are about laying down the telegraph wires,
which will be a great advantage and prevent accidents, besides
establishing a valuable means of communication and saving much time.
Indeed, no line can be efficient without it. I return to Rosario
to-morrow, having only a few days to spare before embarking for England;
otherwise I should have gone on to Cordova and spent some time in this
interesting region, whose only want is population to render it one of
the most productive of the globe.
When I made a hasty visit to Rosario in 1853 I formed a very strong
opinion of its future importance from the position it occupied in
connection with the river navigation and the traffic of the Western
provinces; but the establishment of the Central Argentine Railway has
immensely added to the other advantages of Rosario, and accounts for the
great increase that has recently taken place in building and population.
Thus far, however, the benefit is in a great measure prospective, the
railway being still incomplete. Nevertheless, there can be little doubt
that the sanguine views of speculators on the future will be realised so
soon as the line is finished.
It is only in traversing the streets that one becomes aware of the great
extent of the town, which is built in squares after the usual manner in
this country. Several commercial establishments, some banks, and many
really good shops now exist, and there is difficulty, I am informed, in
finding house room for the numerous settlers in the town. I was
surprised to find so large a number of cafés crowded at night by all
classes, and there is also a little theatre, where, in the absence of
regular performances, masked balls are frequently held. These are not of
the most edifying description, but the people will amuse themselves in
some way, and better this than political conspiracies, of which Rosario
has often been the scene.
As I have before said the port presents quite a busy appearance; but
there are no facilities in the way of wharves and landing places, which
would be a vast convenience to traffic, as everything has now to be done
by boats. Some gas works are in course of erection, on the river side,
but owing to bad foundations or want of care the chimney fell down and
only the skeleton walls appear. It will be a great blessing to the town
and suburbs when they are lighted with gas, as on dark nights
perambulation is difficult even with the aid of the miserable oil lamps
at present in use. There is an American Missionary Chapel near the
railway station, and recently the nucleus of an English Protestant
Congregation has been formed under the auspices of the Rev. Mr. Combe,
appointed by the South American Missionary Society. Service is just now
performed in a room, but efforts are being made to build a chapel, as
the number of English residents continues to increase. Mr. Combe also
holds service at Frayle Muerto, where some sixty Englishmen reside on
farms within a few leagues of each other.
I had occasion to visit the Protestant burial ground at Rosario to
attend the funeral of a young Englishman who died under melancholy
circumstances, and was sorry to notice that it presented a very forlorn
aspect and was situated in a very inconvenient locality. Many interments
took place here during the cholera, which was very fatal to foreigners
as well as to the natives, who were decimated, and the works of the
railway were also retarded by this terrible scourge.
Before closing my notice of the railway, I may add that I had an
opportunity, through the kindness of Mr. Woods, the company's engineer,
of inspecting the plans of the new railway station, and of going over
the ground, which will be enclosed to the extent of 3,200 feet in
length, with a fine river frontage on the Parana, where there is a depth
of 18 to 20 feet of water close alongside. This will be a great facility
in dealing with the river traffic. As regards the materials for the use
of the line, they have all been landed on their own wharf and drawn up
an incline, as the bank on which the station stands is at a considerable
elevation above the river. Eventually, I believe, it is the intention of
the company to facilitate both their passenger and goods traffic by
means of landing wharves, which would be a great saving of expense and
time. One thing is very certain, that the Rosario station will be the
finest and most complete in South America.
THE WESTERN RAILWAY OF BUENOS AYRES.
I had a very pleasant excursion over the Western Railway as far as
Mercedes, in company with some friends. Mr. Emilio Castro, Government
Superintendent of the railways in the province of Buenos Ayres, to the
Government of which this line belongs, accompanied us, and he kindly
provided a very luxurious saloon carriage for the occasion. We left the
Parque station at 8 a.m., going over some curves of a formidable nature,
and along streets until we came to the company's goods station and
workshops. The latter are on a very extensive scale. After this we got
fairly on the main line, which is single, except at certain stations
where the trains cross each other. How any engineer could have been bold
enough to construct such curves, or the Government could allow
locomotives to run through the streets, it is difficult to conceive, as
there must always be much risk both to the train and to passengers.
There are also some heavy gradients before the goods station is reached,
which increases the danger, but people seem to have become familiarised
with it.
For the first twelve miles to Flores station the country presents a
succession of quintas, or country houses, many large and picturesque,
and Flores itself is quite a large and extensive town, though merely a
suburb of Buenos Ayres. The town is called San Jose de Flores, and near
it is a large Anglo-Argentine school, where the train stops. Flores
station is a very good one, capable of being doubled, with a peculiar
pattern of light ornamental roofing inside. In the summer season the
traffic to and from Flores is very considerable, and there is also a
large resident population. After leaving Flores, we got more into the
open campo, with plenty of cattle, sheep, and horses about, and numerous
farm buildings, until we reached Floreste station, close to which is a
large fanciful looking building, originally intended, I believe, for a
hotel, but it does not appear to have been successful as a speculation.
San Martin is an important station, diligences and carriages being in
attendance to convey people to the neighbouring villages of San Custo,
Santa Lucia, and San Martin, one of which was called Rozas' Saladero,
from the number of victims he is said to have sacrificed there at a
prison established for his political enemies. Near this station are some
fine, handsome quintas, belonging to the Madero family, the country
being well wooded, with many farms, and the same features are observable
as far as the Moron station, near which the battle of Caceres was
fought, which decided the fate of Rozas. There is a theatre close to
this station, and Moron is quite a large town, having grown up under the
influence of the railway. A public road runs in proximity to the line
for a distance of some fifteen miles, which is very objectionable, and
the rails might just as well have been laid a few squares apart from it.
After passing Moron we got more into the open campo, with large flocks
of sheep, droves of cattle, and horses feeding all around, until we
reached the ancient Spanish town of Merlo, which has a church, with a
little steeple very like that of a village church at home. There is a
nice looking two-storied house there, built by Mr. Boyd, planted with
trees, showing they will grow well enough if people will take the
trouble to plant them, and I understand Mr. Boyd was the first to
introduce the gum tree, which now flourishes in many gardens in the
neighbourhood. A branch line is shortly to be constructed from this
place to Lobos, some forty miles south-west, through, I am told, a very
rich part of the province, and from which district a large traffic is
expected. A river, called Las Conchas, runs near Merlo, crossed by an
iron bridge, the first I have seen on the line, there being only open
culverts where the line crosses streams or watercourses. The next
station we came to was Moreno, a new town built since the opening of the
line. Midway between Moreno and Lujan is a small station called General
Rodriguez. Lujan is one of the oldest towns in the province, a river of
that name running past it to the Parana, joining the little stream of
Tigre, the terminus of the Northern Railway, whence passenger steamers
go up to Rosario. There is a large station and warehouse at Lujan, where
a quantity of wheat was being loaded into carts, to be ground in a mill
called the “Mill of the Virgins,” a name which I conclude arises from an
anecdote recorded as to the formation of the town. A travelling
expedition, it would seem, while conveying an image of the Virgin, came
to a standstill here, nor could the animals be made to proceed until the
image was left on the spot. So it remained, and to this day it is a
place of great religious festivities; and express trains are run from
Buenos Ayres on these occasions. Whatever may be the real facts of the
case, the Lujan Mills grind good flour. The wheat is grown in Chivilcoy,
the present terminus of the Western line. It is small but hard. It was
to Lujan that General Beresford sent a detachment in 1807, when the
first attack was made on Buenos Ayres, arising out of the war with
Spain, and which was subsequently renewed under such disastrous
circumstances by General Whitelock. I merely make this allusion to show
that at that time it was a town of some importance. The little station
of Oliveres comes next, but is yet only in course of erection, in the
midst of an immense open campo, with large flocks of sheep and plenty of
cattle to be seen in all directions. A fine stream of water crosses this
part of the campo. The thistles, about which we hear so much, abound in
most parts of the campo, but the dry season has kept them down, and they
do not rise much above the surface, nor do they appear to prevent the
growth of grass suitable for sheep and cattle. No donkeys are seen in
this country to luxuriate on the abundance of thistles, and very few
mules, horses being generally used and very badly treated. Their dead
carcasses are frequently encountered, as when “used-up,” they are turned
adrift to die in the campo. A few miles further brought us to Mercedes,
a town of some 12,000 inhabitants, the terminus of the railway before it
was lately opened to Chivilcoy, an extension of forty miles, making a
total distance of 100 miles now open, and the number of stations denotes
the amount of traffic carried on by this railway, for which it has a
stock of 420 wagons and 20 locomotives, besides passenger cars, chiefly
the large American description.
The Western Railway was originally a small passenger line to San Jose de
Flores, but was afterwards continued and opened by sections, the point
for goods traffic only commencing at the great open square called the
11th of September, where the goods traffic in bullock carts has always
been carried on. A large number of bullock carts still find their way to
that market.
We remained at Mercedes to enjoy an excellent lunch provided for us by
the station master, who resides there with his family, as going on to
Chivilcoy would have entailed the loss of another day, and having to
sleep there with probably limited accommodation. The station at Mercedes
is a very fine one, with iron pillars and a corrugated roof, brought
from England; also a large roadside shed for the locomotives, workshops,
&c. The large area of ground occupied by the station must be with a view
to future requirements. Omnibuses and a diligence were waiting to convey
passengers to the town, which is near the station, and to distant
places. We did not go into the town, as it looked rather dusty and our
time was limited, having to return by a special train at 1.30.
We rode some distance back on the engine, making twenty-one miles in
thirty-five minutes over part of the campo, and reached the Parque
station at Buenos Ayres about five o'clock, or three and half hours for
a distance of about sixty miles; but we had to wait at two stations for
the up train to cross, besides calling at most of the other stations,
all of which involved a good deal of delay. The engines have to water
frequently, and there was a scarcity of coal, so they were obliged to
burn slack, mixed with cinders, causing some difficulty in keeping up
steam. It must be admitted that the Government have shown real energy
and determination in prosecuting this railway, which is of great benefit
to the Province, and I believe well managed, yielding a good return for
the capital invested. The rails used on this line are the Barlow, and
they are in very excellent condition after being down several years. The
line from Mercedes to Chivilcoy is laid with Griffin's rails, which I
understand are not so rigid as the Barlow. There is no wood suitable for
sleepers in this part of the country.
It is intended to carry on the line to the north end of Buenos Ayres,
and to build a wharf out to the river, thus enabling the company to land
and ship goods without passing through the city, which will be a great
convenience and save expense, besides the advantage of opening up
communications with the other railways by such a branch line. Eventually
there is to be a Central Station on the beach for all the railways, so
that goods and passengers can be conveyed from one to the other. As
already observed, a branch is to be made from the Merlo station to the
town of Lobos, and no doubt it will be carried further in that
direction, so as to develop the resources of the country. All this will
require time, and a large outlay of money, for which the Government is
not prepared now, but it is sure to be accomplished later on, with many
more urgent improvements required in this large and growing city.
We had a very fine day for our excursion, and enjoyed it much, thanks to
the kindness of Mr. Emilio Castro, who made ample provision for creature
comforts, and was exceedingly attentive. Mr. Allen, the engineer for the
line, was also of the party, and gave us much valuable information. He
has been many years out here, and with his brother, has worked his way
to an important and responsible position.
In the Appendix will be found a very interesting description of the
workshops of the Western Railway, which we extract from the columns of
the Buenos Ayres _Standard_, an influential paper extensively circulated
in the River Plate.
BUENOS AYRES.—SECOND NOTICE.
The more I look over this great city the more I am struck with its
increase, as well as the luxury by which it has been attended, evinced
in the style of building and in the large private establishments, some
of which are really on a princely scale.
Speaking of public buildings, I do not much admire the opera house,
called the Colon—it is badly formed and the decorations are too heavy.
The gas-lights are ugly, being plain jets instead of small gas
chandeliers. They give a very common-place look to the whole. The tiers
of boxes look too much like _boxes_, and ought to be light and open,
suited to the country. The entrances and corridors are also very rough
and nearly as bad as the unfinished theatre at San Paulo, though the
design of the latter is infinitely superior. On the other hand, the
secondary theatres are cheerful little places, and the new Music Hall,
built by private subscription, is a model for lightness and elegance. I
attended an amateur concert there, and was much pleased; some fifty
ladies and gentlemen forming the vocal strength, aided by a large
instrumental orchestra. It was a sight not often seen at home, where _la
mauvaise honte_ would prevent so agreeable a gathering. The large hall
was quite filled and the programme gone through most systematically. In
alluding to this building, I may remark that it is precisely of the same
dimensions as the new River Plate Bank, being by the same architect.
This Bank occupies a large corner area of one of the most central
streets in the city, and can vie in architectural effect with many of
the new buildings in Lombard-street, with the advantage of being much
better seen.