Ships of many lines call in passing, passenger steamers for Buenos Aires and many which do not go up the river, either because of too heavy draft, or to save time when on the way to the West Coast or to other ports. For some this is the ultimate destination. Nightly trips between the two great cities are made by steamers of the Mihanovich Line, which rival all but the finest plying between New York and Boston. Smaller steamers sail from here or pause on their way up the Uruguay, or the Paraná and the Paraguay, the latter perhaps going through to Corumbá, 1800 miles, those for the Uruguay at most 300 miles to Salto or Concordia. =River Ports.= Montevideo would strictly come under this head. Others of importance are Colonia on the Plata and Paysandú on the Uruguay, to which ocean steamers of 14-foot draft may ascend; to Salto beyond, steamers of 8-foot draft. Above the rapids at Salto on the Uruguay and on a few of its branches smaller steamboats and other craft are used. The Rio Negro is navigable 50 miles to the town of Mercedes. The entire fluvial navigation is 700 miles. The Uruguay Navigation Company with a capital of $10,000,000 has recently been organized for traffic on the Plata, Paraná, Uruguay, and Paraguay Rivers. CHAPTER XLIV URUGUAY: TRANSPORTATION, RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES RAILWAYS Even more than in Argentina the railways have been developed by British capital. The first concession in 1865 was for a road from Montevideo to the Rio Negro. Construction has been more expensive than on the plains of the neighboring Republic, on account of rolling country and the many bridges required, over 300. There is a single tunnel, in the Department Rocha. Happily all of the railways are of the same gauge, the standard, 4 feet 8¹⁄₂ inches. The length of those in operation is 1680 miles, the greatest in proportion to area of any country in South America. =The Central Uruguay=, with its extensions, is the main line from which most of the others branch. The original ran from Montevideo to the Rio Negro in the centre of the Republic, from which it was prolonged to the northern border at Rivera. In May, 1917, closer connection was established with Sant’ Anna, across the Brazilian border, and sleeping car service to São Paulo in 4¹⁄₂ days, which should shortly be 3¹⁄₂. The prolongation is called the Northern Extension. The Eastern Extension starts at Toledo, 16 miles from Montevideo, diverging to San Ramón, Nico Peréz, and Melo, with a branch from Nico Peréz, to Treinta y Tres, 311 miles in all. The Western Extension runs from San José on a branch of the Central, to Mal Abrigo and Mercedes. From Abrigo a line goes to Rosario and Puerto del Sauce, and from Rosario on to Colonia, altogether 211 miles.