ACROSS THE ANDES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19373, 8 January 1925, Page 11

ACROSS THE ANDES

TERRIBLE RIVERS TO CROSS. A representative of an important British engineering interest now residing in Sno Paulo, Brazil, has sent home a graphic description of a journey across tho Andos. He was travelling 13 horns over tho mountains and reached a height of 10,000 feet. From Mendoza, at the loot of the Andes on the Argentine sido, to tho highest point, which is, by the way, tho frontier—is 129 miles (he says). Every inch of that is among tho most massive and rugged mountains. Borne heights are 20,000 feet. From 10,000 feet upwards the mountains are snowclad, although it is tho middle of summer. "T had to push out among the snow, and I had to put on my hat because the sun was so hot,” ho wrote. “Strange, isn’t it? I travelled the whole way dressed just as if 1 were in Rio or Buenos Aires—i.e., without a waistcoat. Our rock climbers would find plenty of scope on the Andes. Never did 1 see such rugged rocks. All is practically bare of vegetation. There are facades of -stoop rock of 4000 ft or 5000 ft —tremendous sweeps. And tho different colours are most, curious. From Mendoza some of the mountains look like silver, end it is not the snow. In another plaeo their colour is yellow; further on it will bo red. And in some places are all tho colours, most beautifully shaded Tho rivers are terrible. They flow nt a tremendous pace, and as tho beds are very rocky tho water swirls and swishes and leaps in a. ferocious fashion. Tho water is a thick brown in colour, duo to tho amount of earth which tho torrents carry away. On the Chilian sido it is more silvery in appearance. At tho .summit you pass through a tunnel from the_ Argentine into Chile. The Chilian sido is magnificent; it far excels the other. Tho mountains are steeper; the valleys are deeper. And tho railway—well, 1 felt very much relieved when wo got to tho bottom. Tho whole journey seems most dangerous, though great care is; taken. The journey across the Argentine was most interesting. It took 24 hours to roach Mendoza, 709 miles from Buenos Aires—Hat as a pancake all tho way. I saw millions of cattle and horses. If yon want to shoot duck you must come out oiq this route. There were literally thousands—some as big as turkeys. I'also saw many emus, or ostriches.”