On The Ill Fated Collins Expedition
The Second Attempt To Build A Railroad in the jungle of Brazil
"A live given for every cross tie."
"A live given for every cross tie."
"Of the 941 Americans who were sent down, it is positively known that 221 died. A mortality of 23.6%. Of the laborers [natives] no accurate account can be obtained, but the mortality was probably higher owing to their ignorance and manner of living." 1.
"Although precise statistics are absent, the numbers of workers’ lives claimed during construction range from 3,500 to 7,000." Brown Library
Alphabetically. Those in Orange died on the expedition. Those with an * have a history below, histories are also in alphabetical order. Underlined names are from the Central Susquehanna Valley Area.
Of the 700 men who went to Brazil to work on the Collins Expedition, I so far have found just over 100 names, from newspaper accounts, diaries, letters home, and books. There may be errors, and of course there are many, many, missing. I stared the list as I was researching locals who made the trip, and then I could not bring myself to simply delete the research. If you know of others, please post them in the comments - and I'd love to read their stories if you have letters or papers or biographies.
- Aunkst, Horace, Watsontown Pa
- Belcherm Edward (Cook)
- Bird, Charles M. (Chief Engineer)
- Bly, Alem (Axeman)
- Brisbin, Charles B.
- Brown, James (Paymaster) Philadelphia Pa, - Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Brown, Milton
- Bruce, Robert H., Blairsville PA
- Buchholz, Charles W.
- Bucholtz, E.H., (Asst. Engineer) Philadelphia Pa - Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Burns, Lewisburg PA
- Byers, Joseph
- Carpenter, Ohio - Left on the banks of the amazon, drunk and insubordinate
- Chamber, William, Camden NJ Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Church, Col George Earl, Massachussetts (lead engineer)
- Clark, J.W.
- Coates, Dr. Isaac T., Coatesville PA (Doctor)
- Cogan, Thomas
- Collins, Tom (and wife - Chief Contractor)
- Collins, Peter
- Cox, John S.
- Craig, Neville B. (Chief Of Party)
- Creighton, George W., Williamsport PA
- D'Invilliers, C.S. (Chief Of Corps)
- De Coursey (Clerk)
- Delario, John
- Delleker
- Doughty, J
- Elder, Captain
- Ellis, William, Indiana PA
- Esler, Fred
- Eustis, William (in charge of instrument repairs)
- Evans, Robert B, Blairsville PA (Chainman) Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Ferguson, John D., Indiana PA (Axeman)
- Fetterman, Thomas (Druggist)
- Gill, Harry B., Allegheny City Pa - Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Gorman, Patrick Died
- Grandchamp, F. de (Interpreter)
- Gray, George
- Gray, Rulon, Chester County Pa - Died Of Typhoid On Trip Home
- Green, Edward
- Harrison, Jerome
- Hartranft, Samuel Cloyd, Watsontown PA
- Hayden, Charles, Hollidaysburg Pa - Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Hasinger, Martin F., Indiana PA (Died in San Antonio)
- Heath, Dr. E.R
- Hepburn, Hopewell, R., Williamsport PA (In charge of Tug Boats)
- Heitner, Jacob, Indiana PA
- Herbert, Arthur P
- Heistand, J. Howard Philadelphia Pa - Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Hildebrand, J.P., Indiana, PA
- Hirsh, McClellan (Mechanical engineer and machinist)
- Hitner, Jacob, Indiana PA
- Hoff
- Huff, Ben Died Of Fever
- Jacoby, Henry, Indiana PA
- Josephs, Howard, Philadelphia Pa - Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Johnson, James, Indiana PA
- Johnson, R. E. (levelman)
- Karr, Streeper, Montgomery County Pa
- Keasby
- Kehoe (Subcontractor)
- Kelly, Clinton, Shelocta PA
- Kerr, John, Indiana County, PA (Died in Para)
- Kesley - "The sons of J.W. Kesley Esq", Milton (Likely Sidney)
- Kesley - "The sons of J.W. Kesley Esq", Milton (Likely Samuel)
- Kimports, Harry B., Cherry Tree PA , Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- King, Charles F. (and wife. Child Born in Brazil. Leading Subcontractor)
- King, John (Cook. Killed by savages)
- La Mott, Charles
- Lafferty, "Doc"
- Lautz, Jeremiah, Tamaqua, PA(Engineer) *
- Lawford
- Leech, Harvey D., Indiana PA
- Lemon, S.H, Harrisburg Pa
- Lockwood
- Lorenz, Frederick W. V., Philadelphia PA
- Lyons, Water T.
- Maher, James P., Blairsville, Pa
- Maher, Thomas C. Blairsville, Pa(Chainman)
- Manning, Thomas (axeman)
- Mauris, Maurice
- McCracken
- McIlvaine, Rodman, Philadelphia PA
- McNight, Walder (Flagman)
- Moran, Thomas, Altoona PA
- Moore, Charles L (American Consul to San Antonio)
- Moorehead, A. C. Blairsville
- Morris, Ernest
- Nevins, W.S.
- Newton, Alfrew W
- Nichols, Othniel (wife joined at San Antonio)
- O'Connor, John P.
- O'Hara, John, Blairsville
- Patterson, J.C. (Rodman)
- Pennington, Jack Dr.
- Peterman, Frank, Muncy, PA
- Preston, Cecil A., Williamsport PA
- Price, William, Baltimore MD Returned Sept 1878 on City Of Para to NY
- Rawle, W.A. (clerk)
- Rhule, Sam, Harrisburg Pa
- Robertson, Wyndam (interpreter)
- Rodgers, Mike (cook) Died of Fever
- Runk, John
- Scanlan, John Died of Pneumonia
- Schele, George A
- Schull, A. P.
- Snow, F.A.
- Snyder, Frank (Chainman)
- Slifer, Eli Jr, Lewisburg PA
- Stewart, Edward, Indiana PA
- Stewar, James, Indiana PA
- Stiles, Amos
- Stolbrand, Vasa E.
- Symmes, Capt. W.L (In charge of river transportation)
- Townsend, Dr.
- Ward, Joseph S. (Topographer)
- West
- Wetherill, William C.
- Whittacker, Dr Benjamin Coatesville Pa (Doctor)
- Wilkinson, Freen (Axeman)
- Van Fleet, Walter, Watsontown PA
- Ward, Joseph, Williamsport PA
- Wilkinson, Freeman, Blairsville PA
- Wilkinson, Gilbert, Blairsville PA
- Wilson, Arthur D., Indiana PA (contracted leprosy, died at home) *
- Vierra, J. J. (Draftsman)
- Yohe, George A.
- Young, James, Indiana PA
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Survivors Of The Metropolis
Survivors Of The Metropolis
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Biographies & More Detailed Accounts
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The Collins Brothers
Coates, Issac & Howard his 7 year old son
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Hartranft, Professor S.C.
''His party was composed almost entirely of young fellows from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, . . . under command of a man named Huff. . . . Compelled to work in the noxious vapors of such a climate, to sleep on the wet ground teeming with malarial dampness, to eat, after a day's work, the insufficient and unwholesome food, could have but one end, sickness and death. . . . Despair and desperation began to grow upon the party and many of them stole off to find their way back to their homes. . . . Hartranft and a party of ten others resolved to leave. They had worked their six months, fulfilled their part of the contract and, besides, had obtained permission to go. They
purchased a boat and equipped it with several barrels of hard-tack and some salt meat. They had no money after buying the outfit, as the contractors had not paid their men a cent, but promised payment by their agent in Para. On the night of October 2d they left San Antonio and for nineteen days rowed down the Madeira and the Amazon rivers, a distance of 691 miles, to Serpa, a small town of about 700 inhabitants and a custom house. During that time the provisions had given out and there was discord as to the party's future course. The men's nerves were unstrung by hard exertion and their weak condition at the time of starting. The nights spent in the boat on the river were uncanny, the darkness being filled with the chattering of monkeys, the roaring of tigers and other terrifying sounds. One of the men named Carpenter, from Ohio, because drunk and insubordinate, was left on the bank of the Amazon. That was the last known of him. At Serpa the party hailed a steamer, sold their boat and some trinkets and had just eight dollars apiece, after paying eleven dollars each for passage to Para. They were treated as slaves, fed a slave's fare and slept with the cattle on deck. When they arrived at Para the agent told them sadly that he had received no money for them. They were in desperate straits with no money and far from friends; so they applied to the American consul for aid. That dignitary told them it was not the business of the Government to look after all the tramps roaming about the country, but that, if they could find no means of sustenance he would see what he could do. At last he found them a place to sleep at an Englishman's hotel. ''They were boarded free of charge at an eating place, kept by a man, who had previously deserted from the railroad. At the end of a week they were kicked out by the Englishman, because they could not pay for their lodging. Then they went to a native hotel and there remained until November 15th, when they boarded a two-masted schooner for New York. One of the persons on board was Horace Aunxt, a boy neighbor and friend of Mr. Hartranft, whose home was in Milton, Pennsylvania.
''The boat, delayed by tropical calms and storms off the coast of the United States, did not reach New York until the day before Christmas. The captain, Jesse E. Cavalier, became disgruntled at the men, because he found the orders they had given him were worthless. He went ashore, leaving them aboard ship for two whole days without fire and food. Still dressed in tropical clothing, they nearly froze to death and their Christmas dinner that year consisted of some cold boiled potatoes.
"Finally they succeeded in making a landing and their appearance in New York City was an odd one. They had a letter to a business man in Maiden Lane. He helped them as much as he could, but Mr. Hartranft says to-day they would have frozen or starved to death, had it not been for the saloons. They sold some pieces of tropical wood to pay their fare to Philadelphia, where they arrived December 27th. They met Mr. Philip Collins at his office, but he was bankrupt and could not pay them for their work. The first really good meal the men had, after leaving home in February, they enjoyed with the servants of a Philadelphia hotel. The youngsters ate well into the night and, next day, were furnished by Mr. Collins with transportation to their homes.''
Kerr, John, Indiana County
The Collins brothers, Thomas, Philip and Peter, of Cambria County, PA near Cresson, were instrumental in the railroad projects of the late 1800s. Their Philadelphia based firm was awarded a project in 1876 that would take the first American iron rails to the Amazon Jungle. Financial backers in England invested in the Madeira Mamore River railroad project that would provide transportation around the San Antonio Falls and 18 other falls and rapids of the Madeira River. The railroad would unlock Bolivia to the outside world. The brothers had invested $800,000 of their own funds in the venture. This historical expedition attracted many applicants that would be needed as laborers and tradesmen. John Kerr of Indiana County, PA was one of the successful ones selected from over 80,000 hopefuls. It was said that it was easier to have an audience with the President than an interview with the Collins brothers. The project was mounted in 1878 and the first ship sailed from Philadelphia to Brazil. The Mercedita left America on January 2, 1878 and arrived around January 30, 1878. The Metroplis, the second ship, left January 31, 1878 but shipwrecked off Currituck Beach, NC with loss of lives. John Kerr was aboard the final vessel, the City of Richmond, which left February 14, 1878 (The Indiana Democrat February 21, 1878) and reached the South American destination on March 23 of that year. The adventure was short-lived. By the summer of 1878 the English support was embroiled in litigation and the Collins brothers admitted defeat and abandoned the project August 19, 1879. 320 miles of the rain forest had been surveyed and cleared by that time. The scope of the project was compared to that of the Panama Canal. The expedition had encountered illness and hardships with further loss of lives. After surviving these dangers, it was unfortunate to read of John's death which occurred on September 1, 1879 and was reported in the Indiana Progress dated October 2, 1879. Details weren't printed until January 31, 1900 in the Indiana Weekly Messenger when it recounted the failed expedition and listed his death resulting from a fever. The following month, the newspaper printed a correction from a witness and stated that his death occurred when he jumped from the mast of a ship in the harbor. The boats and survivors of the expedition would have been preparing to return to America. (Indiana Weekly Messenger February 14, 1900.) The project was eventually completed between 1907-1912 and remained in place for over 60 years. Information from the US GenWeb Archives, History of Cambria County by Henry Wilson and the newspapers cited.
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VanFleet, Walter - Watsontown PA
In 1878, The Collins Brothers, who had built most of the railroads in Pennsylvania, were contracted to build a railroad from Brazil to Bolivia. The majority of the workers for the project were hired from Northumberland County, including young Walter. Nearly 20 years old, he seized the opportunity to join the expedition, hoping to study tropical plants and birds.
The Collins expedition was disastrous. The men were not accustomed to the jungle, and found it near impossible to make any progress cutting their way through. Supplies and food were lacking, and the men were sieged by insects day and night. More than 200 of the original 900 workers died. At the end of their six month contract, Van Fleet and ten other workers purchased a boat and made a 700 mile trip down the Amazon and Madeira, rivers.From there they took a steamboat to Para, only to learn that the Collins brothers had no money to pay their wages. The American Consulate found a place for the men to stay, but they had no money and had to beg for food. Eventually the men sold some tropical wood, and raised enough money for their trip home.
At some point during this time, Van Fleet had became ill. A local family had taken pity on him and took him to a specialist. This inspired him to become a doctor himself and when he returned home he enrolled in medical school, opening a medical practice in Watsontown. After completing his post graduate work, he set up practice in Renovo.
A Much longer histry of Walter VanFleet, and his roses, can be found here:
https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-van-fleet-roses.html
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Wilson, Arthur
Contracted Leprosy in Brazil. Came home to live in isolation until his death.
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Sources
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