Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-11-19
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP


TEE NICARAGUA TRANSIT IxBRcaLIo Draw
ING TO CLosE.@"Ion," the Washington cor
respondentof the Baltimore Sun, who, through
that Journal, the New York Journal OF Co1s-
meree, and the Charleston Courier, land New
Orleans Picayune, We belisye,) hes apparently
psrsistsntly misreprssentsi the aAairs of thu
Nicaragua transit route company, in lats
letter ito the SAM Infatuated nat the CON
pany to which We refer despatched the Wash
ington not long since from New York with
some four hundred and City passengers who
had paid for through tickets to San Francisco,
with foreknowledge that the steamer on the
other side, the Hermann, could not meet them.
4 moro grstsitous and apparently wanton effort
to injure the business of an Industrial enterprise
was never penned than is involved in this in
situation. Were it true, it would prove that the
company, after having invested million and
half Of dollars in their undertaking, had de-
liberatsly determined to destroy II. "Ion's
pretenee is q surmise that the Washington
was sent around "ths Horn" without any pro-
vision for coaling her on the Pacific side-a
false one. It will be impossible In the nature of
things to hear Of the Hermann on the Pacific
side until news Of her arrival at San Juan del
Sur comes, via the Nicaragua transit route
and the Washington, on the latter's return
trip The Hermann is faster vessel than any
other on the Pacific plying south of Panama,
and - she proceeds on her voyage without
delay, unless some unforeseen accident should
occur, which there 10 no reason whatever to
anticipate, no other ship could bring news of
her progress on her voyage. Thus, the first
information that can reach New York concern.
ing her will be that she has duly taken her
passengers on board at San Juan del Sur, and
sailed thence for San Francisco.
Its hardly worth while again to explode tho
equally sinister story of the writer referred to
above, that the passengers of the Washington
were fllibusters; desperate fabrication Of the
Fanderbilt-interestm mint, to serve V. 9 desperate
game. Below We print letter from Now York
which shows that Vandsrbilt's game of oppo-
sition to the reopening Of the Nicaragua route,
played under the pretence of desiring himself
to obtain charter for running it, is fairly
played out, and that he has at length adopted
the policy of selling his steamships on the Pa.
cifc side to the Panama Company-a step
ever his efforts to keep the Nicaragua route
closed should prove abortive. The S56, 600 per
month subsidy, paid to him, has been paid on
condition that he refrained from employing
those ships on the Nicaragua route, and also
kept that route closed. As the success of the
frst voyage Of the Washington and Herman
puts stop to his continued receipt of the SUBJ
sidy, the Panama Company buy his ships on
the Pacific side to enable them to undertake
the task of running the Nicaragua route com.
pany out OF the business, and at tho same time
preventing him-Vanderbilt-from running an
opposition line Ito them r,a the Panama 18TH
mus. This is the key to the statements of the
letter We publish below, which is from the pen
of q Nicaraguan long familiar with the ms and
outs OF the contest over the Nicaragua transit
route, and the combination between the Pan.
anna Company and Vanderbilt to keep it closed
by the extraordinary means to which those
parties have resorted
NEW YORK, Nov.16, 1883.
Editor Of ths Washington Star:
STA IL Is now notorious that Mr. Cornelius
Vanderbilt has sold to the Pacific Mail Company
the steamers Cortez, Orizaba, Uncle Sam, and
Sierra Nevada, now laying at San F rancisco, and
has agreed to place two additional steamers on
the line between New York and AspinwalI.
so long as II was thought possible by him 10
obtain a charter fom Nicaragua, he exerted eyery
influence at his command to procure IL No
means were left untried to unsettle the minds OF
Official persons in Nicaragua to the prejudice of
the American Atlantic and Pacific Shin Canal
Company, which has 4 just and valid charter:
and he certainly succeeded In raising an i'm
ofogiio and confusing the public mind, both
here and In Nicaragua.
IL was not the charter that he wanted. for anv
good purpose Of working under IL bosa fde as
competing line to the Panama route-if be had
operated at all, he would SO have managed mat
tefs that the competition would have been a sham
IL Is quite an easy matter to work over the Mica.
ragua route, and yet keep prices high that
Panama should not be damaged. Bot there are
more tnan ordinary reasons for asserting that
CommccoIe vanderbilt wanted the charter TO
keep IL IN his pocket; also, TO retain the $50 600
monthly stipend in his pocket, likewise, d o.
yided he kept down the Nicaragua opposition
Every month OF delly was worth $50 90 TO him:
and II be had obtained the charter how ea,y II
would be to drag ii along for a year. by amend.
menis, &c. to be sought from Nicaragua and OBJ
tanned by secret means. Delay was everything 10
him. and little money properly applied in Mic
ara2ua would have procured It, Ifthe Govern
ment OF Nicarag VA had had ordinary penetration
this course Of MIR. Vanderbilt must have been
manifest to them for the past twelve moatbs But
thai Government is not sagacious Government;
II is shortsig hted-at times il Is timd to prostra
tior, at Others, rash and reckless.
Tine actual opening Of the Nicaragua line nv
the American Atlantic and Pacific Ship Canal
Company, under its charter, by the sailing Of the
Washington with a full load Of passeng. rs for
san Juan del Norte, en- route for California, has
brought the concerns oil the Commodore and the
Pacific Mail Company to crisis, and compelled
them to show their hands; and the public an
nouncement OF the sale Of the four ners to the
Mail Company Is a consequence which surprises
no one. IL Is 10 be hoped the Federal Govern
nsent will now open It. eyes, and admit the neces
sary conclusion that monopoly is sought to be
strengthened oV this arrangement, as the Gov
a rpn a w hepn uAxyfs
We shall hear very little, IL anything, after
this, on the question Of the validity OF the char
ter OF the Canal Company-it results beyond
contradiction, that Mr.. Vanderbilt has not, nor
ever had, charter. Matters will resolve them
selves into speedy opposition between rivl
lines, Nicaragua will be glad TO form bonds of
friendship with the chartered company, which II
Is her interest and political security to draw
closer to her, instead Of placing obstacles in its
course and be made the cSts-pa to enable the
rich Commodore to pocket the tribute Of $50 600
q month, paid by the Pacific Mail Company to
destroy the best interests Of that republic
remain, sir, yours, respectfully, ***