then contractors, but nothing effectively was done until the Brazilian
Government, fully realizing the necessity of opening up that rich
country, especially after the purchase from Bolivia of the Acre
Territory, perhaps one of the richest regions on earth as far as rubber
is concerned, entered into a contract with a Brazilian engineer named
Catambry, to build the railway. The Brazilian engineer transferred the
contract to Mr. Percival Farquhar, who, in his turn, organized the
Madeira-Mamore Company, entrusting the actual construction of the railway
to Messrs. May, Jeckill & Randolph.

They started work in July, 1907, with preliminary engineering, the actual
construction not beginning until January 1908. Work began with one
engine, a Baldwin locomotive rebuilt, which had been there since 1878.
Gradually the number of engines--all Baldwin locomotives--was increased
to twelve. During the construction six tugs and eleven lighters were used
on the Madeira River for handling the material. The contractors took into
Brazil during the four and a half years occupied in the construction
from 43,000 to 45,000 men, although they never had more than 5,000 men
working at any one time. Many, indeed, were the deaths registered, and
the steamers were constantly bringing back men laid up with fever. The
supplies for those men had all to be brought from Europe and America,
except sugar and coffee, as nothing could be obtained in the country
itself. The four chief engineers were all Americans, Mr. Randolph and Mr.
Jeckill, who were at the head of the entire concern, spending all their
time on the line in progress or at their head office in Manaos, which was
mostly in charge of Mr. May. One chief surgeon, Dr. Carl Lovelace,
handled all the hospital work, with the assistance of fifteen physicians;
but innumerable were the lives lost from yellow fever and beri-beri, the
two most prevalent diseases in that fatal country.

[Illustration: Campas Family wading across a Stream.]

[Illustration: A Farmhouse on the Andes.]

Before the railway was built it was necessary to unload the _battellaos_
or trading boats thirty-eight times during the journey at the
thirty-eight different rapids and falls on the way. The journey over the
rapids took not less than forty days. I shall not speak of the constant
danger to boats, their crews and merchandise. Now by the railway the
entire journey occupies from eight to ten hours. The length of the
completed rail