Brazil and the River Plate in 1868. Hadfield William
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hour, which are supplied by five Cornish boilers, three of which suffice for the duty.
“A steel wire rope, tested to a strength far exceeding the requirements which will ever be made upon it, passes over a friction-wheel on each side of the fly-wheel drum upon which it is wrapped round, and, one end being attached to an ascending and the other to a descending train, it is intended to make the “lift” partially self-acting, as it now wholly is at one of the inclines which is not supplied with its stationary engine, the weight of the descending train drawing up the ascending one. Powerful brakes that will stop a train instantly are supplied to guard against a breaking down of any part of the machinery, or a rupture of the rope. From this short description our readers can form an idea of the mechanical contrivances for effecting the ascent.
“Throughout these wonderful inclines the most majestic and wild scenery is observed along the slightly winding way. On the third lift occurs a ravine still more gloomy than the rest, which is called the Boca do Inferno (Mouth of Hell); that, having a width of 900 feet, is crossed by an iron viaduct, which lies on rows of iron columns resting on stone piers 200 feet below in the centre of the line.”
I have great pleasure in endorsing all Mr. Scully says as to the excellent qualities of the railway officials, and can also affirm that to Mr. Aubertin and Mr. Hutchings is due the extraordinary development that has been effected in the production of cotton.
THE SAN PAULO RAILWAY.
I will now proceed to describe the railway in my own terms, without reference to the statistics or the reports that have been published about it. My impression on leaving the station was that of setting off on an adventurous journey—not merely ensconcing oneself in the corner of a railway carriage and taking a comfortable nap. Curiosity was excited to the utmost, after the accounts I had heard, and the temporary stoppage of the line by recent heavy rains washing down some of the slopes of the cuttings rather added to the interest of a first visit. There was a tolerable amount of bustle at starting, but away we went about eleven o'clock, over low, swampy ground. For seven miles the rails run parallel with the old road to Santos, and the bridge at Cubitao (an arm of the sea) is passed, beyond which for a further distance of six and a half miles (making 13½ miles to the foot of the Serra) it becomes a dense mass of forest and jungle, which it must be difficult to convert to any useful purpose; indeed, the curse of the country is this mass of useless forest, only fit for the haunts of wild animals and reptiles. How they have hitherto been able to carry on the traffic between Santos and San Paulo is a mystery when we look at the country and miles of wood passed through. However, we are now in sight of the first rise of the mountain, which looks grim enough, and the train comes to a stop at the station, after passing an open space of ground, on which stands a house, built and formerly inhabited by the contractors, with almost a little village about it, occupied by their staff, &c., where, I understand, cricket was often played to while away the leisure hours after the labours of the day. Now everything is going to wreck, and if the land is not kept clear it will soon be a jungle again: such is the quick growth of vegetation in this country and so rank does it become. The station at the foot of the Serra is a good substantial sort of house, the station master being a young German, with a wife and family, very comfortable adjuncts in so lonely a spot; and the house was surrounded by fowls and other live stock needful to family wants. We stood contemplating the height we had to be dragged with a certain kind of awe, and presently we saw the train descending, which it did steadily enough, bringing Mr. Aubertin, the general manager, Captain Burton, her Majesty's consul, and some other notabilities of San Paulo. The former gentlemen returned with us, adding materially to the interest and pleasure of the trip by their intelligent knowledge of all we had to see and pass through.
Bridge Viaduct on the San Paulo Railway.
Well, the signal is given, and we are off, mounting an incline of about 1 in 10 for a distance of some 800 yards, where there is a curve, and we are shut out from the lower level of the line, steadily ascending the mountain, until we reach the first lift, about 1¼ miles. After a short delay, we were hooked on the second lift, and as we mount the scenery becomes grander, the shadows of the mountains deeper, and the work becomes heavier. I was surprised to find so many curves, which are an additional strain on the wire rope, as well as an additional risk, requiring close attention to the break, where we rode in order to have a good view of everything. Mr. Fox, engineer-in-chief, and Mr. Welby, locomotive superintendent, were with us, and we got down to look over Fairburn's splendid stationary engines, which are of 200 horse-power, embedded in a granite foundation, about 40 feet deep, with live boilers to each, three being generally used. The curves continue on the third lift, close to which, entering the fourth lift, is the wonderful viaduct across a chasm in the mountain, which makes your head giddy to look down. The bridge is certainly a great engineering achievement, resting on iron pillars with a stone foundation, the centre being nearly 200 feet deep. We are accustomed to great altitude of railway bridges at home and elsewhere, but there is a peculiar aerial look about this one which makes one glad to be over it. At one point in this fourth section is a fine view of a deep valley behind us, the opposite mountain one dense mass of forest, and the scene is inexpressibly grand. To have made the lifts straight would have necessitated frequent tunnelling and added another half million to the cost of construction. On reaching the top of the Serra, a distance of about five miles from its base, the break is detached, a locomotive takes hold of the six carriages which have come up in two lifts, and away we whisk for some time through a thickly wooded country, for a distance of about 48 miles, stopping at several stations. Some miles before reaching San Paulo are the Campos, or level plains, covered with a short grass, and rather swampy, but no cattle are to be seen, owing, I believe, to the number of insects which fasten on them, causing sores, and being otherwise injurious. It is, however, a great relief to the eye, after the dense forests passed through, to come upon plains.
From San Paulo the line passes on to Jundiahy, a distance of 44 miles, or a total length from Santos of 88 miles, the chief interest of course being centred in the gigantic works of the Serra. The San Paulo Railway is undoubtedly one of the grandest works yet made with English capital in Brazil, and it is destined to play a very important part in the future development of this fine province. Engineering mistakes have, undoubtedly, been made, and the want of a personal superintendence of the engineer-in-chief, at all events during the construction of the important works of the Serra, is amongst the complaints made by the Brazilian Government, as also the manner in which the contract was executed. It is also questionable whether another and less costly route could not have been selected to be worked by locomotives, instead of the old fashioned but dangerous lifts. However, for the present, this is mere matter of controversy or opinion. The railway is made, though far from being complete or perfect, and it is evident that a considerable expenditure has to be faced before sufficient traffic can be carried on to realise the expectations of directors and shareholders, few of whom know anything about the undertaking or are able to comprehend the difficulties it has still to pass through.
It is curious that the real traffic is only tapped at the extreme end of the line (Jundiahy), where only commences cotton growing, and the great coffee plantations are some 30 miles further on, to which district a private company is now trying to get the line extended. One advantage possessed by the existing company will be in having their mileage rate for the bulk of their traffic over the whole of the line, and of course it will be an additional advantage to present shareholders if the line should be continued to Campinas, which is, I believe, a large and thriving place, the abode of many wealthy proprietors. Passenger traffic can only be limited for some time to come, from the absence of a resident population along the line; at the same time it will naturally increase between Santos, San Paulo, and the upper part of the Province, particularly when the line is extended in that direction. The stoppage of the line is between San Paulo and Jundiahy, where the cuttings have given way to some extent, a contingency, I fear, they will always be exposed to, from the heavy rains which prevail, and I believe I am justified in adding, the imperfect manner in which some of them have been constructed. Whilst expressing my admiration at the courage and enterprise of the