RAILWAY BUILDING IN BRAZIL

Otago Witness, Issue 3018, 17 January 1912, Page 99

RAILWAY BUILDING IN BRAZIL

I LINKTNO UP THE NORTHERN ANI» SOUTHERN CAPITALS. (Bv Emit, Dkiss, in the World's Work.) One of the most important railway lines lin Brazil, and perhans in the whole of Smith America, has been opened to pa* ; seng-er traffic within the last few months. j This line. !/ie Pasaofundo-Alto-Ufnguay : railwcrjf." f&* yjrovwibnally inaugurated last l October; hut it Avas not until the early | summer that bi-weekly passenger trains ' began to run from Rio de Janeiro, the I union capital, to Forto AJegre, the capital

of the Southern Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul.

The total distance is over 1720 miles, which the passenger trams make in 70 hours. The line passes through enormous tracts of virgin forests, and is therefore expected especially to serve the lumber regions, attracting more and more sawmill enterprises oh every part of the line. It is by the promotion of such enterprises as this that the Brazilian Government is able to attract increasing attention to this giant "among South American States. Perhaps the least known and most culminated of the great Latin American Republics, Brazil offers to Europeans an ideal field for capital and labour. It is in reality since the fall of the Empire in 1889 that the economic advancement of the country has attracted the attention of Europe towards her.

He would he a daring man indeed, however, who would, as an unbiassed onlooker, venture to say that Brazil has made progress only since she became avowedly democratic. It is difficult for one not knowing her people thoroughly to understand how (in spite of itself) the Empire prepared the way for the Republic. It is. however, safe to say that the venerated Dom Pedro II foresaw that he would be the last of the Braganzas to rule, in America—indeed, he himself said to one of his Ministers that the advent of the Republic could be delayed no longer.

To-day, when it is proposed to &et up a monument to his memory in Rio de Janeiro, when the last of the old Imperialists are no longer likely to make any active propaganda for the revival of the old regime, one may be permitted to say that the present culture, wide views, dignity, and other good qualities of the Brazilian are not unconnected with the traditions and training of the old school. The new Brazil dates only from 1902, although the way was prepared by the two previous Governments—lß94-1902. During the last few years -many notable reforms have been planned and carried out to the betterment of the Republic. The greater part of Central Rio has been demolished and rebuilt, including the central and water-front . avenues, the new market, the magnificent Opera House, which cost over £1,000,000, and many other fine buildings. Port works have been studied and begun at Rio. Bahia, Pernambuco, Para, Santos Victoria, and Rio Grande do Sul.

A new system of compulsory military ■service has been instituted, while the navy has been entirely reorganised, and several new battleships of the latest pattern have been built in England. A new arsenal of war has been built, and the capital has had its water supply overhauled, and Rio and many other of the big cities have had an entirely new method of sanitation installed.

Every effort has been made to place the resources of the country, not only before the people of Europe, but before those of the whole world. To return to the construction of the railway, it was no easy task for the chief engineer, Mr Henry Gursching, although the last link was only some 150 miles long. But within a short distance of AltoUruguay severe engineering obstacles were met with, and the work had to be done under extremely difficult circumstances. In consideration of the strategic importance of the whole line, in joining the northern and the southern capitals, the Brazilian Government demanded that the last span be completed at the highest possible speed. The engineers, after having followed several different trails through practically uninhabited virgin forests, definitely began the construction of the line in April, 1908, and it required their utmost efforts to secure its completion in October, 1911. To give an idea of the problem .solved, I may mention the fact that the several sectional engineers had to deal with some 400 small contractors. The last four sec- 1 tions of.the line were built by night and clay work, with double wages to the men ; but the contract was kept, and the line was ready on the day fixed by the Government.

One of the chief difficulties confronting the engineers was to get together a great number of working men, for the mast part Brazilians and Italians—a difficulty which could only be solved by paying unusually high wages. Since the completion of the undertaking, however, all parties of the Government have expressed their satisfaction to the "foreign engineers" at the way in which this important railway link was built.

As i.s generally known, railway construction in Brazil, with but few exceptions, lias followed the line of least resistant e, and consisted of one-metre narrow-gauge tracks. This method of construction, as well as the narrow-gauge system, is the subject of much controversy by those who have such work to do; but fortunately engineers are for the most part experienced men, who know how to solve all such questions smiling. Pa&sofundo, the starting-point of the railway link last built, was a short time ago only a small town. Its population i.s rapidly increasing, and it will soon be economically what it i.s geographically—the chief northern city in the great backwoods of Rio Grande do Sul. It is at the same time one of the highest points in the whole State, being 700 metres above sea-level.

After leaving Pawsofundo on the new line, you -enter almost at once the famous virgin forests which are so typically i Brazilian, and which border the line till , you reach the frontier of the State at the Uruguay River. The Brazilian Govern- . ment is' working zealously to colonise the territory along this line, introducing white colonists, principally Italians. Germans, Austrians, and Russians. A plantation of 62i acres may be bought for 500 milreis (1 milreis, equal to 16d) under favourable conditions of- payment. ! The new track follows the watershed of ( the Upper and Lower Uruguay River for some 90 miles, then descends on the right bank of tho Teizeira Soares River until it reaches the main stream of the Uru-

guay. The central administration of this line is at Capo Ere at a level of 800 metres above the sea,- and on an up grade of track which uses further on to a height of 820 metres. After this it 'rapidly and continually descends to 440 metres above eea-kvel in Alto-Uruguay, the terminal station of the line. This 'is a,descent of 416 metres in an extent of only 40 kilometres (25 miles) j but the maximum grade of 1.8 per cent, and the minimum curve of' 100 metres radius are always observed.

This brief picture of railway building is only a glimpse of the progress which is going on in Brazil under "Mareschal Hermes da Fonesca. and Dr Seabra, the Railway Minister, who has recently given his approval to no fewer than six new railway concessions solely in the Southern State of Rio Grande do Sul, including some very important lines to be built by foreign companies. Of these concessions North American and German-Brazilian companies have obtained the lion's share.