ente de Chimbo, a distance of 43 miles. This line was recently
extended to Siambe, and has now a total length of 94 miles. In 1886 a
charter was granted to a North American company, authorizing the
construction of a road from San Lorenzo to Esmeraldas and guaranteeing
certain dividends on the investment. At the close of the year 1889
Ecuador had 167 miles of road.

The first railroad in Peru was built in 1851, connecting the seaport
Callao with the capital, Lima. After this but little was done for more
than twenty years. At the beginning of the seventies an extensive
railroad system was projected at the instigation of President Don Manuel
Pardo, and the construction of the principal road of the system from
Mollendo on the Pacific Ocean to Santa Rosa was at once entered upon.
This road ascends the Western Cordillera, crosses a number of prodigious
mountain passes, reaches Lake Titicaca, and then proceeds in a
northwesterly direction to Santa Rosa. It is over 300 miles long, and
reaches near Puna an altitude of 14,700 feet. An extension of this line
from Santa Rosa to the old Inca city Cuzco was opened in 1875, but was
subsequently destroyed in the war with Chile, and has not been reopened.
Another road, extending from Callao to San Mateo, was opened in 1876. It
is eighty-seven miles long, and reaches with its enormous grades a
height of over 13,000 feet. It belongs, with the Santa Rosa road, to the
boldest creations of railroad engineering. Since the war with Chile
railroad enterprise has been checked. The number of miles of road in
operation rose from 962 in 1875 to 1,615 in 1880, but was, owing to the
abandonment of certain lines, diminished to 813 in 1884. Since that time
about 400 miles of new road have been opened.

In the Republic of Bolivia the first railroad was built about twenty
years ago from Antofogasta to Solar. After the cession of the province
of Antofogasta to Chile there remained but thirty-five miles of road in
Bolivia. More than 200 miles have since been added by the construction
of several short roads, chiefly the property of mining companies.

The Republic of Chile was the first of the South American states to
initiate the construction of railways. The building of a line from the
seaport Caldera to Copiapo was commenced in May, 1850, and was completed
on January 2, 1852. This line was constructed and operated by a private
company. The first state road, extending from Valparaiso to Santiago,
was ope