feet, and is used for making points and crossings, or any large planing,
and is worked by a boy.
Alongside is a small screw cutting lathe, twelve inch centres. This
machine is useful for all kinds of work.
Then we have a small lathe for brass turning, eight inch centres, worked
by apprentices.
Further on is a screwing machine, patented by Messrs. Sharpe, Stewart &
Co., of Manchester, to screw from ¼ to 1½ inches; also worked by a boy.
Another machine, patented by the same firm, called a shaping machine,
for all kinds of work; one of the most useful in the shop, and worked by
apprentices.
Next comes a break lathe; will turn up to six feet for screw cutting and
for all other kind of work; attended to by operatives.
The shaft pump supplies the great tank with water from a huge algibe,
throwing up 3,500 gallons 18 feet high. This water is used for washing
boilers, &c.
The large wheel lathe, a ponderous machine, turns wheels six feet
diameter: this is used to repair wheels, which, being in constant use,
require continued attention—worked by an operative.
Then comes a double-faced wheel lathe, turning two wheels at one time;
turns up to 4 feet diameter—worked by an operative.
The large stationary engine, the great motive power of the whole shop,
drives all the shafts, is 12-horse power, burning about three quarters
of a ton of slack and ashes per day—attended by one operative.
The patent silent fan, which is used to supply six blacksmiths' forges,
making 2,000 evolutions per minute.
Then comes the monarch of the shop, the steam hammer. Here we witnessed
the strokes of this huge machine, at which even Vulcan himself would
stare. The noise of this hammer striking on the red hot bars echoed
around the whole square. Mr. Daniel Gowland remarked that the first
steam hammer he ever saw in South America was in the ill-fated Paraguay.
There are six blacksmiths' forges constantly at work, fed by the steam
fan, and always occupied in repairing locomotives, coaches, waggons, &c.
Mr. Manier is the foreman of this shop. Before, however, we leave it, we
must notice the casting or blast foundry. Whilst we were present we
witnessed the workmen casting old brass into new plates, which latter
arrangement realised an immense saving, and redounds to the credit of
the indefatigable Emilio Castro, who perceived the great loss in selling
old brass and buying new; and last, not least, we must not omit the huge
punching machine, very useful in its way, but little used. It punches
quarter inch to an inch, and cuts up to three quarter boiler plates.
The repairing shop is large (50 metres by 50), and capable of holding
thirty locomotives; we noticed four locomotives under repair. Damaged
engines are here turned out as good as new; and, indeed, Mr. John Allen,
who is the moving genius of the whole mechanical department, assures us
that they can make their own locomotives, so replete with every utensil
are the shops; but, of course, it is cheaper to import them. Two damaged
engines were landed not long ago, and were about to be sold by auction,
but Mr. Allen took them in hand, and now they are in excellent working
order. Owing to the great falling off of traffic on the line, there are
now only eight engines daily under steam, whereas this time last year
they had sixteen; but in this shop all kinds of repairs can be done.
Already the shops have built several first and second-class
coaches—genuine native industry.
We next pass to the coach and waggon shop, (50 by 12), capable of
holding about twelve carriages. Here all the coaches are overhauled,
repaired, varnished, and even the upholstery attended to, and coaches
built. The only thing which as yet baffles the mechanics are the wheels,
which must be imported.
And now we come to the new carpenter's shop, where the new machines sent
out by Mr. Allen have been just put up.
The chief attraction is the new machine which, as it does every
imaginable kind of work, is called the “General Joiner.” None of the
gentlemen present could give us the exact name in Spanish for this
machine, so we call it the “Nuevo Carpintero General.” A facetiously
disposed writer might opine that as President Mitre has given to the
Republic a new cavalry major, Governor Alsina, not to be outdone, has
given his country a new “General,” the best and most potent general in
the Republic; and we congratulate the Governor on the acquisition of the
new “Carpintero General.”
We all stood astonished at the work it did, and have not now time to
explain its varied powers; it plains, moulds, and saws planks of every
size in a few moments; and beside it we noticed the new endless saw;
also the jigger saw for pattern making; also the new wood turning lathe,
and the large drilling machine, the largest in this country for drilling
wheels.
In the yard we noticed sixty pair of extra wheels from the States, but
at these depots they have an immense extra supply of everything.
And if we were to stop to detail all we saw in those wondrous workshops
it would fill half-a-dozen _Standards_.
The works are a credit to Buenos Ayres, and an honour to the present
Administration. We left these busy haunts with the most favourable
impressions, well recollecting that but a few years ago this very site
was a rude brick-kiln.
Yes, there is vitality, after all, in Buenos Ayres, and if any man
doubts it, let him pay a visit on a working day to these shops. The
store-rooms, under the charge of Mr. Tucker, are replete with
everything, and the wool depots are the grandest and most extensive in
the country, capable of holding at one time 100 waggons.
There are sixty-eight mechanics in the workshops constantly employed;
600 men engaged in working the line.
Mr. Emilio Castro, head director; Don Luis Elordi, second in command;
Mr. John Allen next; and Mr. Zimmermann head electrician.
SANITARY CHARACTER OF THE ANDINE HEIGHTS.
We have made the following extracts from an article published in the
“Revista de Buenos Ayres,” on the climates of the Andine Heights, and
mountains of Cordova, written by Dr. Scrivener, who has himself resided
for many years in those countries. The “Revista de Buenos Ayres” is a
most valuable publication, and those who are interested in South America
will find much reliable information in it. It contains many curious
articles on the history and literature of the country. It has now
reached its 13th volume, each book containing 640 pages, 8vo.:—
The sky at the Andine Mountains is pure azure, and the atmosphere bright
and clear, and is so very transparent that it enables you to see objects
at a distance, making them apparently close at hand, although in reality
it would require a journey of several days to reach them.
The climate is fine and healthy, the lightness of the atmosphere
produces an exhilarating effect, and an increase of energy and activity.
The grandeur and magnificence of the mountains fill the mind with
sentiments of veneration and awe.
I have traversed these mountains on many occasions, and am therefore
enabled to form an opinion of the salubrity of the climate, as also of
that on the route from the Province of Cordova to the banks of the
Pacific. All over this vast tract of land, that fatal enemy of man, the
tubercular phthisis, so justly feared by the inhabitants of Lima, and
Buenos Ayres, is entirely unknown.
During a residence of nearly ten years in different and widely spread
districts of the whole country, I never saw nor heard, either directly
or indirectly, through my intercourse with others, of the existence of
that disease.
Doctor Smith remarks,[10] “that incipient and tubercular phthisis,
usually attended with more or less hemoptysis, is one of the most common
pulmonary affections known in Lima and other parts of the coast of Peru.
“Besides, it is a disease almost certainly cured if taken in time, by
removing the _coast_ patient to the open inland valley of Jauja, which
runs from ten to eleven thousand feet above the sea level.
“This fact has been known and acted upon from time immemorial by the
native inhabitants and physicians, and I have,” observes that physician,
“sent patients from the capital to Jauja, in a very advanced state of
phthisis, with open ulcerations and well marked caverns on the lungs,
and have seen them again after a lapse of a little time, return to their
homes free from fever, and with every appearance of the disease being
arrested; but in many instances it would, after a protracted residence
on the coast, again become necessary to return to the mountains, to
prevent a recurrence of the disease.”
We thus learn from the preceding extract, that the influence of the
atmosphere in the mountains of Peru will remove pulmonary consumption in
its first stage, and arrest its progress when far advanced. That such is
the fact, I can also myself vouch from my own experience during a
residence of sixteen years in that country.
Dr. Jourdant remarks,[11] “that consumption is very rare in high
elevations, which is not to be attributed to the latitude of the place,
but to its elevation; that Mexico and Puebla, which are almost free from
this disease, are in the same latitude as Vera Cruz, where it prevails;
and that the condition of the patient who suffers from consumption is
considerably relieved in elevated districts, which he attributes to a
less amount of oxygen in the rarified air.”
From these facts we can assert with safety, that those who unfortunately
suffer from incipient tubercular phthisis, will almost with certainty
obtain a cure in the mountainous districts which extend at a higher or
lower elevation from the province of Cordova to the valley of Rimac,
whilst, on the other hand, those in the later stages of that malady will
find it will be arrested, and that their lives will be prolonged for
years.
It becomes a matter for most serious consideration, whether it would not
be well for patients suffering from pulmonary complaints to seek the
renovation of their health in these salubrious regions, in preference to
the Island of Madeira, Italy, and the South of France, where these
diseases are known to originate, and where hundreds have gone to without
obtaining any advantages, and many with positively evil results.
“There is something,” says Mr. Burkhardt,[12] “like the sound of a
death-knell in the physician's mandate sending the sick patient to those
places and scenes where so many fellow-sufferers have preceded him, in
vain search for health, and found—a grave.”
The invalid will not find this in these healthy districts. In the
mountains of Cordova, as well as on the Andine Heights, the patient will
find his disease alleviated, and in time removed, (let him come from
what quarter of the globe he may) by the hand of Nature. There pulmonary
complaints are never known to originate, and there those who suffer from
it, on the borders of the Parana and the River Plate, seek and find a
permanent cure for their ailments proceeding from all affections of the
lungs. “He will not have before his imagination the phantoms of
numberless victims, his predecessors in the same hopeless career, to
cast the shadow of death upon a being already depressed in mind by
disease and loneliness, and pining after the familiar sights and sounds
he may perhaps never hear again.” There, on the contrary, he will be in
the midst of all that is grand—a thousand magnificent objects will
excite his attention, and divert his mind from his unhappy malady, on
which he will not dwell, but, on the contrary, on well founded hopes of
a perfect recovery and a speedy return to his family and friends.
We believe, that when the benefits to be derived from a residence in the
climate of these mountains are more generally known in Europe, very many
who suffer from pulmonary complaints will visit these regions for a
renovation of their health and system.
We would recommend the mountains of Cordova to consumptive patients, in
preference to the Andine Heights of Bolivia, as being the nearest to the
River Plate, and containing a greater variety of objects to divert the
attention and amuse. The facility of transport, the shortness of the
passage, combined with a well-founded hope of renovating the health,
will be of themselves sufficient reasons for undertaking the journey.
The passage from England can be made in thirty-four days. There are
several lines of merchant steamers, from London and Liverpool, as well
as the Government vessels from Southampton and Bordeaux, which arrive at
Buenos Ayres every month. From this port you can embark in a steamer for
the city of Rosario, which is most beautifully situated on the banks of
the river Parana, and is the finest port in the Argentine Confederation,
at which you arrive in about twenty-six hours.
From thence you take the Argentine Central Railway, and arrive at the
city of Cordova on the same day.
Here commence the serraicias or mountainous districts, which extend to
the valley of Rimac, comprising an area of about 1,000 leagues.
We believe that at no very distant time, a public establishment will be
founded in the mountains of Cordova for consumptive patients; should
this be the case, we can vouch that there would be no lack of visitors
willing to support the establishment, and anxious to aid it by their
means, in exchange for the benefits they have received there; the
natural grandeur and magnificence of the mountain scenery would also
contribute, in no small degree, to the attractions of the place, and the
benefit of the invalids.
The city of Cordova is situated in a deep valley on the banks of a
river, amidst the most beautiful and varied scenery.
Ascending from the city to the mountains, the traveller finds every
variety of climate, with a difference of temperature at every additional
ascent.
In these varieties of temperature, he will be certain to find one that
is suitable to his complaint, and agreeable to himself.
The tops and sides of the mountains are partly covered with trees and
shrubs, and the soil in the valley is rich and very fertile, producing
Indian corn, wheat, barley, sundry fruits and vegetables, and whatever
the husbandman may desire to cultivate. Cattle, horses, mules, with
sheep and goats, roam in large herds, on most excellent pasture.
Huanacos and other wild animals inhabit the mountains. The wool of the
sheep is of a superior quality and highly prized in the European
markets.
There are great varieties of trees on the plains, many of which are very
lofty, and their branches form an agreeable shade, as well as add to the
beauty of the scenery. The timber of these trees is of superior quality,
well suited for the construction of houses, and in the manufacture of
furniture, &c.
There are mines of gold, silver, copper, and iron; the latter is very
abundant and of good quality; there are also marble quarries, and the
marble is very fine and of different colours; limestone of an extremely
white nature is abundant; in short, there are few spots in the world
where nature has lavished such a variety of animals, vegetables, and
mineral productions as the province of Cordova.
It must follow, that with all these natural advantages, a country
producing every commodity for the subsistence of man, and capable of
affording all that tends to the convenience and luxury of life, will
become at no distant period the abode of a numerous, industrious and
wealthy population.
For a long period the Jesuits held their head-quarters in this province,
and they were remarkable for their tact and knowledge in selecting the
most healthy and fertile spots for their residences.
They erected in the capital the finest churches in the Argentine
Confederation: they acquired large possessions throughout the province,
and they also built splendid country mansions, which are models of art,
taste, and convenience.
The fine edifices at Santa Catalina, Jesus Maria, and Caraga, are much
visited and greatly admired by strangers.
It has been truly remarked by an eminent writer, that the greatest
wonder of the age is a locomotive engine; that since its adoption
travellers have been multiplied through the facility of transit: and
that the greater those facilities, the greater the number of travellers.
These facts have become generally known in this Republic, where several
railways have already been made, and others are being constructed. The
Central Argentine Railway, when completed, will extend from the city of
Rosario to Cordova; this will be a great and lasting benefit to the
commerce of the country. Cordova is now the grand emporium of the inland
provinces; their productions of hides, wool, cotton, indigo, sugar,
wine, wheat, tobacco, skins of animals, gold, silver, copper, iron and
other valuable productions, are transported thither and conveyed by rail
to the port of Rosario and shipped for Buenos Ayres, or direct to
Europe. This railway extends 248 miles in length. Passengers have much
increased since the opening of this line to Villa Nueva, and will still
further increase on its completion to Cordova. In addition to men of
business, many will avail themselves of it as a journey of pleasure, to
visit the city and its beautiful mountain scenery.
Those who are fond of this kind of scenery will find much to please
them. The mineralogist will see minerals, and the botanist plants, to
attract their attention. We fully believe that before the lapse of many
years strangers from Buenos Ayres, and other provinces, will build
cottages in these beautiful and healthy regions, which would only
require taste in their erection, and judgment in selecting the sites, to
render them all that can be imagined as beautiful and romantic.
BUENOS AYRES AND THE OTHER PROVINCES A FIELD FOR EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION.
The following interesting and reliable statement has been published and
circulated under the authority of the Argentine Government:—
The recommendations of the Argentine Republic to Europeans are:—
1. That the climate is as healthy and as favourable to vigour and
longevity as that of England, or any other country of Europe.
2. That its cultivable lands are practically of unlimited extent, and
require no outlay for clearing.
3. That it contains already, and especially at Buenos Ayres, the
Capital, a large and prosperous European population, composed of
Italians, French, English, Scotch and Irish, Germans, Portuguese, and
others.
4. That the Government is solidly established and perfectly liberal, the
aim of all parties being to maintain the financial honour of the
country, to preserve peace, and to promote the development of industry
and commerce.
5. That, while the State religion is Roman Catholic, complete toleration
is upheld, churches of all denominations being established at Buenos
Ayres and other places, where a considerable portion of the settlers are
English or German Protestants, or Scotch Presbyterians.
6. That there is fortnightly[13] postal communications with England and
the Continent by powerful Mail Steamers from Southampton and Bordeaux.
7. That the commercial policy of the country is in the direction of free
trade.
8. That there is a treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation between
Great Britain and the Republic, and that foreigners are exempted from
compulsory military service or forced loans.
9. That there are a sufficient number of British subjects in the
Republic to render a knowledge of the Spanish language non-essential for
immigrants, and that this language is capable, during a short residence,
of being more easily acquired than any other: likewise, that an English
newspaper is regularly published at Buenos Ayres, and also at the city
and port of Rosario, and that there is an influential English Bank and
other institutions.
10. That the staple productions of the country are such as at all times
to command the markets of the world, the principal exports being tallow,
hides, and wool, while, during the past year, a trade in preserved meat
has been opened up which seems to promise, if sufficient attention be
given to establish a scientific process of curing, to assume proportions
as sudden and profitable as those of the newly-developed petroleum trade
of North America; that there is also a mining district in the interior
provinces on the slope of the Andes, which appears, from the operations
thus far conducted, to be one of the richest silver regions yet
discovered.
11. That the country is being opened up in all directions by English
Railway enterprises, one of which, the Rosario and Cordova Line, will be
247 miles in length, and is considered to be ultimately destined to
cross the entire country to Chili, and thus to form a highway for the
traffic between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
12. That the acquisition of land is easy and its tenure secure, and that
additional and extraordinary facilities for settlement are in course of
introduction by the circumstance of about a million of acres on the
sides of their line having been ceded to the Rosario and Cordova
(Central Argentine) Railway Company, and of a grant of 10,400 square
miles in the fertile province of Cordova having been made to Mr.
Etchegaray, which is to be transferred to a London Company.
Finally, it is to be observed, that the debt of the country, foreign and
internal, the interest on which is paid with unfailing punctuality, is
comparatively small; that it is gradually in course of extinction, and
that the six per cent. bonds in the London market range between 90 and
100; that there are no direct taxes; and that the commerce of the
country is increasing with such rapidity, that in the Board of Trade
Returns of British exports for the past year (1864), it figures for
£1,758,058, and stands higher in the list than Chili or Peru, and, as
regards European countries, higher than Prussia, Sweden and Norway,
Denmark, and many others with which we have an important traffic.
The present population of the Argentine Republic is but about 2,000,000,
and immigration may be said to be its only want. This is felt and
acknowledged by all classes, and every arrival is therefore warmly
welcomed. The tide thither is gradually increasing, and persons best
acquainted with the country express a conviction that the growth of
Buenos Ayres, which at present is a fine city, with about 200,000
inhabitants, will during the next twenty years rival that which has been
witnessed at New York during the like period in the past. In several
cases persons of moderate capital have emigrated from Australia and New
Zealand to the Argentine Republic, owing to the advantages of its
greater proximity to England, and its superior facilities for the
acquisition of land.
By far the greater portion of the country consists of rich alluvial
plains, constituting what are called the Pampas. The climate is subject
to a great difference of temperature in winter and summer, but the
changes are gradual and regular. The winter is about as cold as the
English November, with white frosts, and ice at sunrise. “Taken as a
whole, the Pampas may be said to enjoy as beautiful and as salubrious an
atmosphere as the most healthy parts of Greece and Italy, and without
being subject to malaria.”[14]
The country is universally celebrated for the abundance of its cattle,
horses, sheep, goats, asses, mules, and swine. The number of cattle
fifteen years ago was estimated at 12,000,000, and the horses, mules,
and asses at more than 4,000,000, and they are supposed since that
period to have largely increased.
The salubrity of the climate seems especially beneficial to immigrants
from this country, its influence being singularly restorative wherever
there is any tendency to bronchial or pulmonary affections. In some
districts, such as that of the beautiful city and province of Cordova,
these disorders appear to be almost unknown, and as on the completion of
the Central Argentine Railway it will be possible to reach the city of
Cordova from London in little more than a month, that place may probably
become a sanitarium for Europeans in a majority of the most important
cases where change of climate is desirable.