Part 11

During my stay at Buenos Ayres the Provincial Chambers met, as well as the National Chambers, and I attended a sitting of the latter, where an unusual excitement prevailed owing to a motion put on the books as to the retirement of President Mitre from office, and whether or not this would put an end to the alliance entered into for carrying on the war with Paraguay. The building is small, exactly like a theatre minus the stage, and was crowded to excess by strangers, the pit, or lower part only, being used for the business of the Senate. There was so much demonstration from the galleries as to promise a stormy meeting, but when the speeches began the speakers were patiently listened to, with occasional cheers by their respective supporters, at which the President rang his bell. Dr. Quintana and others maintained that their views were correct, and that the retirement of President Mitre would put an end to the alliance. The Government, represented by Senor Elizalde, Minister for Foreign Affairs, maintained the contrary, and defended his colleagues with considerable acumen and ability, the result being that nothing was got by the motion and things remained in _statu quo_. The custom is for members to speak sitting upon their benches, which greatly detracts from their oratory, and must be very inconvenient, as you can only hear a voice, and are puzzled sometimes to know where it comes from. On another occasion, when the Senate was in committee with explanations going on, half-a-dozen members would be addressing or interrogating the Minister at the same time, which appeared very absurd, as well as unfair, it being impossible to reply to more than one at a time, or at all events to collect the observations of half-a-dozen members speaking in the same breath. Senor Elizalde, however, defended his position with much coolness and ability, and was assisted by his colleague, Dr. Costa, Minister for Education, &c. The audience became so troublesome on another occasion that the Senators decided to meet with closed doors, having only reporters present, rather a trial to democratic forbearance, but it did not seem to produce any sensation out of doors. As in our own Parliament, a great loss of time is caused by the professional speech makers, and the business of legislation retarded accordingly, as they only sit in the day in these countries. Whether or not such an arrangement would suit in St. Stephen's is another matter. Outside, and apart from public sittings, no doubt a deal of intrigue and jobbery takes place in South American assemblies, as in other countries, but I think on the whole their legislation is fair and conducted with moderation. There is not the same value in “loaves and fishes” to operate with, nor the same amount of honour and reward to look forward to as in England; besides, the members of Government out here are very poorly paid, so they are obliged to look to their professions, mostly as lawyers, unless they happen to possess private fortunes. Republicanism is not endowed with more gratitude than Royalty, and deserving men who have faithfully and zealously served their country are too often left in the “cold shade,” and forgotten in both cases. The Provincial Assembly meet in another part of the city, where all the provincial business is carried on. It was formerly the town residence and head-quarters of Rozas, from which many a bloody mandate has been issued. The municipality occupy large premises in the Plaza, attached to the old Spanish cabildo, or prison, on which the date of 1722 is still to be seen.

PROGRESS OF STEAM NAVIGATION ON LA PLATA.

If there is one subject more than another on which I am entitled to express an opinion it is that of steam navigation on the great South American rivers, and especially as regards the fluvial waters of the La Plata. In my book, published in 1854, pages 314 to 316, occur the following remarks:—

These are sentiments, however, which the reader may naturally think are not very pertinent to a purpose like the present, and not exactly in keeping with an occasion expressly connected with the commercial opening-up of those streams by the instrumentality of English enterprise, in a form so indicative of progress as steam. So, too, thought the writer after a moment's rumination of the “cud of sweet and bitter fancy;” for he reflected that these magnificent regions, first discovered by Cabot—English, born and bred, though of Venetian parentage—had stagnated, not under the rule of that “good olde and famuse man,” but under the rule of those in whose service he had found out a river which might, indeed, have proved worthy of the name the avaricious Spaniards had bestowed upon it—La Plata, the River of Silver—had they been imbued with a particle of the spirit which has converted “icy Labrador,” the first territory discovered by the same glorious adventurer, into a comparatively industrial paradise. I augured, I hope with no unjustifiable audacity, that now the descendants of Cabot and of his companions had been brought into direct relationship with the people of the Parana, something would be done to render that “Mississippi of the South” not altogether unworthy of some slight social and political comparison with the Northern “Father of Waters” before many generations should roll by; and I deemed it a not altogether impossible contingency that the younger members of our crew might live to cast anchor in certain riverine ports hereabouts, amid a forest of masts and funnels belonging to all the maritime states in the world, not one of which countries but may find produce of some kind or other profitably suitable to its markets on these fertile shores.

I will leave it to my readers, acquainted with what is going on at the present time, to say whether my views were too sanguine. It may be said that the war in Paraguay has hastened the development of steam navigation up the rivers, which is true enough, but at the same time I am satisfied that without this war there would have been steady progress, particularly had the policy of the despotic ruler of Paraguay been in a pacific direction, encouraging, instead of throwing every difficulty in the way of free transit to the country lying beyond Paraguay, and into the interior of Matto Grosso. The exigences of a war of the nature carried on for the last three years, where the troops, ammunition, and supplies of all kinds had to be sent forward by steam, would naturally create active employment for steamers, and it has tended to familiarise navigators with every nook and corner, sand bank, or other impediment that may have existed unknown to any of them. The war at an end, steamers will be organised to run to the different towns and stations, in response to the requirements of traffic, as well as to facilitate postal communications, so much needed in those countries; and Rosario, being the terminus of the great Central Railway, must of necessity become the rendezvous of all river steamers ascending the Parana, the Uruguay having already a pretty good organisation in this respect. In a country so widespread, and so dependent on internal communication by rivers, steam is now a primary necessity, and therefore it may fairly be assumed that this will be one of the first objects of the Government, as well as of the Central Argentine Railway Company; the latter to facilitate traffic to and from their line, and to regulate the departure of their trains, a matter of much moment to travellers. It may in truth be said that steam navigation on the waters of La Plata and its affluents is only in its infancy, dating from the commencement of the Paraguayan war. One of the great requirements of civilised life is rapid intercourse, not only for persons, but for correspondence, and the task of arranging the latter is one that must be strongly pressed on the Government by commercial bodies, who are so much interested in the question. Brazil sets an example in this respect that other Governments ought to follow. In process of time telegraphic wires will doubtless be added to steam facilities, and probably be carried across the Andes to join the West Coast line to Panama, in connection with the great Atlantic cable to England.

When I remember the sensation created by the little “Argentina,” and her trip to Rosario in 1853, I must say the progress of events has indeed been rapid. To this day the “Argentina” is remembered at Buenos Ayres and Monte Video, and her subsequent loss was regarded as a serious calamity.

I subjoin in the Appendix some particulars showing the increase of steam tonnage in these waters, which will be interesting to those who contemplate visiting the regions of the La Plata.

In connection with the up-river steam traffic, the Northern Railway to the Tigre is a great facility, as passengers can walk on board the steamers without encountering the often disagreeable boating at Buenos Ayres, and the passage through what is called the Capitan is very pleasant, but if the railway was extended a few hundred yards further, to the bank of the River Lujan, it would be far more convenient as large sized steamers would then resort there, as also vessels with cargo for Buenos Ayres to be sent on by rail. The Tigre is so small and so shallow that a few steamers block it up, but the Lujan is wide and deep, and it might be made a valuable adjunct to the port of Buenos Ayres, at present suffering so much for want of accommodation. In my general report on the railways this subject will be again alluded to.

RAILWAYS IN THE RIVER PLATE.

There are two classes of railways in the Argentine Confederation, inaugurated by Provincial and the National Governments respectively. I will begin with the Province of Buenos Ayres, as the railroad system has there acquired the greatest development. The first line established was the Western, which has now reached the town of Chivilcoy, a distance of 100 miles from the city, and it is proposed to effect a further extension to the frontier fort of Melincue. I need not repeat here the details already given in reference to this enterprise.

Next in importance comes the Great Southern Railway, seventy-one miles in length, which was made by an English Company, under a Government guarantee of 7 per cent. on £700,000, but the capital actually raised was £750,000, the contractors taking £50,000 in unguaranteed stock on certain conditions as to their participation in dividend. The expenditure has been further increased to nearly £800,000, owing to additional disbursements for goods stations and for increased rolling stock. The line was opened throughout in Dec. 1865, and the traffic has gone on steadily augmenting with improved receipts, the result of the first year showing a net profit of nearly three per cent.; the second year a fraction over five per cent.; and the present year promises fair to reach the seven per cent. guaranteed by the Government, when it will be self-sustaining and free of all the drawbacks necessarily incidental to a condition of dependence on State aid. This enterprise has a prosperous future before it. The great question which remains to be decided has relation to an extension of the line further south, or in a south-westerly direction, so as to intercept the large amount of traffic which still comes forward by the ordinary bullock carts. One disadvantage of the Southern Railway consists in its chief station at the Plaza Constitucion being so far from the central points of the city, which are only partially reached by a tramway, but this ought to be extended, and even then it will be difficult to meet the requirements of passenger traffic. The following particulars are taken from a private letter sent home after a very pleasant trip over the line, accompanied by the Local Committee and Manager:—

My first step after arrival here was to visit all the Railway Stations, as they are generally a pretty good index of what is behind them, and I found the Great Southern far in advance of all the others as regards provision for the traffic it has to carry on. The money which has been spent in shed accommodation was only an absolute necessity, and is of that practical character which quite meets the case. The single-roofed shed into which the wool is discharged from the railway trucks on one side, and taken out from the other, is most convenient, and to look at the sheds, which are divided into compartments, and all numbered, you might fancy yourself at one of the warehouses of the London Docks, with which you are familiar. The booking offices, refreshment rooms, &c., occupy the centre of the station, with the platform in front for passengers; the warehouses occupying the two wings. There is also a goods receiving shed, with stabling for horses used on the tramway. The only thing I see in the distance is that more station room will be required. Leaving the station by a double line of rails, you soon cross the handsome bridge over the Riachuelo and arrive at Barracas station, situated near the centre of a large population, and connected with the Boca, where a large portion of the business of the port of Buenos Ayres is carried on, the place being studded with saladeros and large warehouses, where the produce of the country is deposited, a great drawback being the abominable stench arising from dead carcasses and offal strewed about, and nests of piggeries which are allowed to locate spite of all municipal regulations to the contrary. After leaving Barracas the line strikes at once into the campo, or open country, the first ten or fifteen miles being studded with quintas or farms, and establishments of one kind or other, when you reach the great plains covered with sheep, cattle, and horses, and at this time the pastures look green and healthy, though at the same time they could do with rain. The line is nearly a dead level with few curves, the stations well built and commodious, and of a very durable nature, easily added to if required; in fact, I do not see how a railway in this country could be better adapted for its work; the rails, permanent way, as well as the rolling stock, all appear to be in good order. Although the line may be said to traverse a sea of land, and does not pass close to any town of importance until it reaches Chascomus, there were many more estancias (farms) in the distance than I expected to find. We saw Mr. Glew and Mr. Donsellear (after whom two stations are called) in _propria persona_. The Somborambon bridge, crossing a river of that name, is a fine work, and at the Chascomus station are evident signs of considerable traffic, with machinery for hoisting the bullock carts on to the railway trucks after their wheels are taken off, and the cart with its contents (wheels included,) brought into Buenos Ayres. Chascomus itself is a large straggling town, situated close to a picturesque lake, on the banks of which Mr. Crawford (agent for Messrs. Peto and Betts during the construction of the line) built himself a large comfortable house, now converted into an hotel, at which we enjoyed a very good dinner. During the career of Rozas Chascomus was a military station, and many people from the neighbouring districts came to spend some months of the year at the town, but its glory in this way has departed, and it does not look like a very go-a-head place at present. On the whole I returned much impressed with the soundness of the undertaking and the favourable prospect before it.

The Northern Railway, originally called the San Fernando, has been very unfortunate from its birth, arising in a great measure from its being made on a strip of land adjoining the river, where it was subject to inundations in consequence of sea storms. Had it been carried over the bank, within a few hundred yards to the left, it would have been entirely out of the reach of such casualties, an instance of which occurred a few days before I left Buenos Ayres, when a portion of the earthworks was again washed away. Soon after my arrival out I made a trip over the line, accompanied by Mr. Crabtree, the new manager, Mr. Ford, locomotive superintendent and engineer, Mr. Santa Maria, consulting local director, and Mr. Horrocks, the traffic manager. The station at the Retiro is a plain, modest building, which answers the purpose well enough, though rather open and exposed. The locomotives and carriages are in limited number, but sufficient apparently for existing wants, as the large American carriages hold many passengers. A tramway from the most central point in the city, passing along the beach, carries the passengers to and from the station in a much more convenient manner than to any of the other railways, and there can be little doubt that if the line could be rendered safe from the encroachments of the river on the occasion of great storms, fortunately “few and far between,” it would be a very prosperous enterprise, as it affords accommodation for the most populous suburb of the city. It also touches a branch of the river where a large portion of the steam traffic is likely to be concentrated. I found the rails in tolerable order, and altogether more life in the concern than I had expected, considering the drawbacks, financial and otherwise, with which it has had to contend. The first station is Palermo, the old paradise of Rozas, but which is now allowed to go to ruin and decay, the beach from the Retiro to Palermo being almost entirely monopolised by what has been termed “an army of washerwomen.” The next station is Belgrano, where Mr. Matti, the great steamboat agent, has a most fantastic quinta, glittering in green and yellow colours, but of what style of architecture it would be difficult to determine; nevertheless it is a pretty place, and evidently no expense is spared to keep it in order. It is, however, too close to the railway. Directly opposite is the hotel of Mr. Watson, where I can testify to a first rate dinner being provided for those who want a little relief from the closeness and monotony of the city. After Belgrano comes San Isidro, near which are also many handsome quintas. There are two or three other stations before arriving at San Fernando, about which there is a large, scattered population. Here a new branch is being made to the Parana, by a small company of which Mr. Hopkins is the head; the intention being to build a new wharf and some warehouses there; but I question whether the enterprise will ever arrive at maturity, as the most natural point for the construction of such works is undoubtedly the mouth of the Rio Tigre, on the Lujan River, as I have previously observed. At the latter place we found some dozen steamers, chiefly of large size, lying moored alongside the banks where there is deep water. At the Tigre station is a good restaurant, kept by a Frenchman, who provided us with a comfortable breakfast, and after two or three hours spent in a boat looking about the river, and rambling over the neighbourhood, we returned to Buenos Ayres much pleased with our trip.

The Boca Railway is a small line, made to connect the city with the important districts of the Boca and Barracas. It was laid on the beach, and is not unfrequently partially washed away by the river storms. The Boca is quite a little port on the banks of the Riachuelo, where lighters discharge and load, and where small craft are also built. Amongst other establishments there is that of the Messrs. Casares, the largest lightermen in the place, which is at all times very busy and generally crowded. A branch of the railway goes on towards Barracas, where an old wooden bridge crosses the stream, rendered exceedingly filthy by the refuse of the saladeros finding its way into the water. The effluvia arising from this cause are of a very offensive nature. Attempts, however, are being made to cleanse and deepen this valuable river, but the slow pace at which improvements are carried on here will probably postpone the event to a future generation. Most of the houses about the Boca are of wood, and are built on piles to avoid danger from floods, but there are also many large stone edifices in which produce is stored. A few days before I left a river storm laid nearly the whole locality under water, destroying a portion of the railway, and of course stopping the traffic. The replacing of the rails is not, I understand, a very formidable undertaking. The whole line, which is only three or four miles in length, including the branch to Barracas, ought to have been built on piles or led through an iron viaduct, so as to be out of the reach of the floods; and under existing circumstances, not to speak of the cost of repairing the permanent way, the traffic is interrupted at the very time it would be of the greatest utility. The original plan, and that for which the concession was obtained, was to connect the Boca and Barracas with the city, running a branch to Ensenada, where it was proposed to form a new port; but this part of the scheme is still in embryo. Where the line is really of utility and would carry a large traffic is from the Custom-house to the Boca, and across the bridge higher up to Barracas, where the Government are making a large swing iron bridge to replace the old dilapidated wooden one now in use. An iron viaduct is about being laid to connect the Boca Railway with the Custom-house. If properly constructed the Boca Railway would command the whole traffic of this district, and direct communication might be established with the Northern and Southern Railways; but a large additional capital is required before this scheme can be realised. The bulk of the Boca traffic is carried on by carts, under great disadvantages and at a heavy expense; and it is a painful sight to see the poor horses struggling through the mud, or toiling under the lash up the steep, miserably paved streets which connect the beach with the warehouses and depôts at the southern end of the city. In fact everything in the way of locomotion is carried on under great difficulties, and the detention of shipping in the outer roads is a serious matter. When the river is low, the beach is covered with carts galloping backwards and forwards, bringing cargo from the lighters or taking produce to them—the horses up to their girths in water and sometimes swimming. Many of the carts have a hollow bottom made water tight to prevent damage to the goods; and at times, when there is not water for boats to the mole, passengers have still to embark or disembark in carts, as was the case when I last visited Buenos Ayres. Both this mole and that to the Custom-house, for which the latter is exclusively used, have been built since that time; but to show the great want of accommodation which still exists to carry on the trade of the port, there are upwards of 300 custom-house depôts in different parts of the city besides the Custom-house itself, and at the north end a large market is being converted into a depôt; in fact the trade of the port has entirely outgrown the facilities for its reception, the whole, as at Monte Video, being in a great state of confusion.