Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-08-15
Yankee Revenge.

more the interests of the United
States in the matter, is likely to re-
ceivo a just rebuke, if not to be IA
tally checkmated by some of our own
engineers and princely capitalists.
Capt. Eds, the Mississippi jetty-
builder now comes to the front and
says he can build a ship railroad
across the Isthmus more speedily
and cheaply than the wealth Of the
world can build the canal. This
gentleman fully describes his plan
in a letter to the New York Trib'Hr.
He proposes to build y road broad
enough to accommodate Il system OF
trucks capable of bearing a loaded
ship as she comes into port. \ move
able Gridiron is to be run out into
the water at a sufficient depth to re-
ceive the Ship upon its framework,
and after being securely fastened i'll
an upright position, the Griliron,
ship and all, is drawn out OF the
water, up an incline ot proper grade
upon the railroai :n.k and thus
transported &. ur.nfAtc speed
across the i>..."H,. Having arrived
at the terminus, the ship is ron
down another incline into the sea,
uron the same gridiron that trans.
ported 1t and there set Tree to pur.
sue he: voyage i'll another ocean.
The preponde,ance of opinion was
unfavorablc to this method of trans
porting Il vessel across the Isthmus.
At last accounts, however, Captain
Fac! remains iirm in the belief that
he has struck the correct principle.
Another plan has been suggested
by Col. Henry F.odd, President of
the Board of Public Works of St.
Louis. This method involves the
building of railroad, but instead of
beng transported upon a gridron,
the vessel is to he tl)atod into a
huge caisson or tank and then the
whole establishment drawn across
the Isthmus upon wide guagc rail
road track similar to that of the EaGs
plan. Col. Flodl proposes to build
the caisson in sections, and for n
ship, say, of one hundred feet III
length, put together sections only
enough to accommodate her, while
: for n larger vessel more sections
could De used. He thinks caisson
r four hundred feet long ana forty feet
wide would receive the largest YES
sells which would seek q transporta-
, ton.
A member of our Academy Of sci
ences has given the subject much at
tention, and we append his plan,
not by any means, to ridicu'e the
project, but to show that great ileas
do not always owe their origin
:, to men of nationa! ominence and
worldwide renown. He would con,
struct a monster balloon, capable OF
:, supporting twenty thousand tons at
the lowest estimate. This would suf-
fee for bearing in mid heavens the
largest man-of-war with all her arma.
ment, including the admiral and his
= middies. After initiating the bal
loon, he proposes to moor her by 6
- peculiar system of guys, so as te
-, bring her directly over the waiting
ship just in from China laden witt
her precious cargo of silks, teas, ant
coolies. Then we would undergrad
the ship by mammoth netting OF
hammock, to which, having attached
his balloon hawsers, fore-and-aft ant
amidships, he would give the gas
cock another turn and lift the huge
craft from the water as gently as ,
loving mother ever lifted her sleep
ing babe from it's CRIB. To prope
the balloon and its suspended loat
J., through the air from ocean to ocean
he has provided an effective motive
power. He proposes to harness ,
score of breech- clothed native.
and hitch each by cord to the hui
= of the pendant ship. By taking I
dog-trot over good turnpike, the.
! could easily make the transit from
- Panama to Aspinwall in ten hours
- hauling after them the balloon ant
its accompaniment. Once arrived
:. there, by simply opening the escape
valve of the balloon, the ship coul(
4 l. 4,