The Portland daily press., 1880-11-08
A Ship Railway at Tehuantepec.

captain Eads, whose nan is familiar
from his connection with the Mississiopi
river jetties, has started for Mexico to en-
deaVor to secure the sanction and co-opera-
ton OF the Mexican authorities to his pro-
posed ship railway across the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec. His purpose is 10 make A
careful survey of the whole route. examine
the harbors on both sides, ascertain the best
location and discover what grades will be
encountered. Basing his opinion upon a
number OF surveys that have already been
made across the Isthmus for canal. Can
tain Eads feels confident that no grades ex-
ceedlng 53 feet per mile will be found. He
prefers this to the Panama or Nicaragua
routes because the distance between New
York and San Francisco is shorter by 1900
miles than by the former and 100 miles than
by the latter, and this fact, he urges is more
than sufficient to counterbalance the claims
OF the proprietors of the canals in the mat
ter OF shortness of distance between the two
oceans. The width of the Tehuantepec 18th
mus is l45 miles; of the Isthmus of Nicara-
qua, 13o miles, and of the Isthmus of Pana-
ma, 40 miles, While the grades of all are
aoout the same, there are other reasons be-
sides saving of dista ce which the projec-
tor Of the ship rail 4 ay considers as weighing
in favor of his route. He claims that the
railway can be built much quicker and
chea er and oeerated much cheaper. and
can transport ship much quicker than any
Il.
canal; that even if the Panama or Nicaragua
routes were selected for a railway it would
have the advantage of one-third to one-half
less cost OF original construction over canals
as designed by Count de Lesseps; that the
outlay required to maintain canal would
exceed the whole cost of operating rail
way. Captain Eads further declares that
the most eminent ship-buiders and engi-
neers in America and Europe have pro-
nouneed ship railway practicable; and,
as the Mexican government has already
made several grants for canals, he thinks
he will find no difficulty in convincing the
authorities OF the great advantages of rail-
sions he is to ask.
Az regards the question of the probable
amount OF tonnage thai would patronize a
short transit across the Isthmus, we find a
pretty fair illustration just at this moment
in the condition of the San Francisco freight
market. The wheat crop on the Pacific
slope this year is very large one, and
there is an urgent demand for vessels to
take the surplus TO Europe, and the amount
OF available tonnage in port or that can
reach California within short time is very
small. Most of the reserve tonnage of the
world is four or five months sail from San
Francisco, and the consequence is that
freights are very high there and the owners
OF available ships will be likely to make a
good thing of it. If quick transit across the
Isthmus was accomplished, the required
number of ships and steamers could readily
reach the Pacific from the Atlantic and thus
relieve the pressure. But Capt. Eads has
looked forward to prospective employment
for his railway, as well as to its establish
mert, and is sanguine that vast amount
OF commerce may eventually find its way
across the Isthmus. He has recently re-
turned from careful examination of the
immense wheat region of the Sacramento
valley. He says
"Few persons in this country would
have any idea of the enormous pro-
duction of that valley. l have seen
sixty horses attached to ten machines
all at work cutting grain on farm of 5000
acres. passed twenty two miles tf fenc-
ing, which enclosed DR.. Glenn's wheat
farm of $1,000 acres, and yet the produc-
ton OF California in wheat alone has not
attained one-quarter of what it will be.
Capitalists will not be likely to doubt the
fact that the Isthmus route for ships will
have an abundant patronage"
The wheat crop of California and Oregon
the present year is estimated at 10000
tons. Here is a promise of liberal contri-
button from the Pacific States to the busi-
ness of the quick transit project; and when
we aid fair proportion of the trade with
Australia and Japan, which will seek the
shortest routes to its destination, the assur-
ance of the friends of the ship canals that
their enterprise Will yield large profits are
not diminished if a railway should be found
cheaper than canal. Capt Eads' railway,
if built, will be equal to six first class tracks
side by side, one hundred miles long. The
odd forty-five miles it is expected will be
obviated by the improvement of the Coatza-
coalcos river, provided that is found prac-
tcable. If the railway is built he thinks
the traffic it will bring will be so great as to
require in a short time double track
equal for its entire length to twelve ordinary
tracks together