New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-07-23
TEHuANTEpEc CORRESPONDENCE.

-...= SATUR.
TEHuANrEPEc CORRESPONDENTS.
Confusion tn the Affair. of Tie 7thuantepee Com
pany-Incompetenc Of its Agenfs-Ihs 1rans. |
portation Departm.nt-Vant Of Proper Head
ment-Retorms Required-Ihe Contract System-
Labor to Build the Road-What Ought to be Done.
Special to the New Orleans Crescentl /
MINAr1TLAN, July II, 1859.
Editors Crescent: The arrangement Of the affairs
Of the Louisiana Tehuantepec Company has grown to
be much worse than at first supposed it was possible
the officers would allow them to come to, and do
rot see much hope for change that will benefit them
unless the company undergoes an entire revolution
in its mode of management. I had much rather
praise than at any time, but the interests OF
the people and the welfare of the Tehuantepec Com
pany require that should lay aside the character Of
panegyrist and descend with the caustc Of critic
to announce certain apparent evils which require to
be reneded and that quickly, if this enterprise de-
sires to thrive in its prosecution. And distinctly
desire to be understood not at all dsparagng any
thing which may have written heretofore from the
Isthmus, for sensible men will well understand how
can praise route and yet End fault with its manage
ment. The Tehuantepec Transit superior to all the
i
IL they are not parties to this censure should feel
grateful to any one who may come forward and with
bold hand point out the mistakes in special terms,
that the world may understand on whom to rest the
responsibility of faults which all can detect but
which few will have the nerve or the sagacity to
locate.
In the first place. the affairs of the company on the
Isthmus have heretofore been trusted into the hands
OF men who considered that the route was made for
their profit, and not that they were made for it. In
what is called the transportation department, the
abuses were Of the most fagrant character. am
warranted believe, in charging the present disasters
in which the company finds itself involved, almost
entirely to this SOURCE for that department has been
made means of individual speculation from the time
WAS organized until the operator ceased to haul over
it. about six weeks ago. The hotels and stores on the
transitline were haowned by him, and consequently
whatever delay he could nterpose to prevent passen-
gers from making the connection, were employed,
thus throwing them upon his hands to board. The
stores sold goods to the employees of the company,
and the means which he should have used to trans
port material necessary for the company, were per-
, verted to his own uses As an instance, when on one
/ occasion the camp equipage Of the engineer depart
ment should have been sent forward, he loaded up
his mules with looking glasses and fancy articles fol
9 company was lavishing money on that department
the passengers were badly treated and the service
!. lily performed. So much for the most important
l. branch of the enterprise.
In the next place, the entire management of the
company's affairs on this Isthmns, instead Of being
y trusted to the hands of practced man who would
q have attended to them exclusively and zealously
were put into the keeping of Mr. Sidell, the chic
engineer of the company, who possesses no NOR
qualifications for business than any other really scien
tfc man. whose mind is, 1t should be, wrapped VI
- in his profession cannet as l would not, say
aught against Mr.. Sidell as an engineer, for, apar
=. from my incompetency to discuss his merits in thai
respect believe the scientific world has settled his
status to be that Of frst-class engineer And il
that department am altogether willing to leave him
~ but long the company retains him at the heat
10 of its practical business department. its affairs ar
u certainly bound to mismanagemeIt. An officer wht
will allow half dozen employees to wait for orders
! while he explains the geological character of stone
courts an idle throng and fosters azness about h
1t is certain to be always the case, that when tn
20 chief negects his duty, all his subordnates il
D. fected by the bad example. Mr.. Sidell has min
too much devoted to science to descend to the drud
" cry of business even tQeppy himself sufficient
Ae to understand the relat he holds to the workme
around him. Any other man would have long sine
t. detected the incompetence, not to any harshe
expression, of the transportation department.
a' But apart from Mr. Sidels incapacity to manag
business, he is wholly unfit to superintend the di
- bursements of an extensive system of works owe
:. which he cannot exercise direct supervision B
ing unacquainted with the details Of business he cal
~ ~ not discriminate when and where to make his pa
- ments subserve the most judicious purposes and
-. is on this account that the workmen on the liz
clamor that he has paid out lavishly to those Ell
- ployees who never earned dollar, while be has e
tirely omitted to advance dollar to honest workm
'e who had no time to hang round Chiyea for settl
ment. He has been subjected to the grossest mpo
tions in this respect, and the best evidence of Il
truth of these disparagements is the large expen,
". lures Of money on the Isthmus, and the present
'' debtedness of the company, and the meagre amou
-, of work to show for it. Men have been paid lar
salaries for doing nothing, while those who have be
be faithful have had to go to New Orleans for sett
ment. In fact am told that certain employees ha
as even made it profitable to discount the accounts
their less favored companions, the plan of draw
~ and paying man from his own wages.
Sir The company holding the franchise can go on a
ms build the road, and it charge such passage
he freight money as will make it profitable; but
ca. actual work must be done by contractors who v
take the transportation at 25 or even SO per ce
pe. less than the company charges, thus leaving t
raj company nothing to do but to assume the respon
bility to the public, while it holds private parties
in sponsible to it.
At any rate, insist that the company negects
own interests so long blends all the great
an in progress under one head. The engineering depa
ber ment, of all Others should be left nnembarrass
with accounts and settlements, for contend that il
,c negotiation which claims much and such assidue
attention as the examination and allowance of clai
ba on this Isthmus will not allow the head of the
.t corps moment to devote to the business he
~, derstands. And if he directs his attention to
ont counts why should he be perplexed with engneer
pt or DICE uersa 1t is mistaken notion, and the co
vo pany has lost thousands of dollars by this attempt
,la make the chief engineer the chief bookkeeper.
re. But have found fault sufficiently, let me turn
ich tune and become lecturer on amendment. W
the amount of money the company has expended he
tie. business man at the head Of affairs would hi
the made good road to Tehuantepec, would ~bs
ter maintained confidence amongst the natives, (wh
is now entirely lost,) and would have had the trar
ter in such condition that had the company ever co