The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-02-23
The Ship Railway Scheme.

presses great doubt of the feast
bility Of Captain Eads' ship railway
enterprise. The Rear-Admiral
does not seem to rely so much on
his own knowledge of ships as
upon the opinions of gentlemen in
a position TO form correct conclus-
ions ON the subject. He trans
cribes various adverse opinions,
one from John Roach, a builder,
one from William J. McAlpine, AN
engineer, and one from Commo-
dore Gorringe, who brought the
obeiisk across the Atlantic. The
latter thinks a ship might be car
ried across the Isthmus on a raul
way, but doubts if it would float
when returned 10 its native ele-
ment. But Rear-Admiral Ammen
affords Mr.. Eads an opportunity tc
demonstrate how much Rear Ad-
miral Ammen does not know about
handling ships, by stating that
"when a vessel is put ON the dry
dock, a necessary preliminary is to
discharge her cargo" Captain
Eads replies that much value can
not be placed upon the opinion Of
any man who would make such
statement, and proceeds to give
instances where the largest class
of vessels have been placed on a
dry dock for repairs without the
removal of any portion of their
cargo. As one fact is worth whole
volumes of theory, the Admiral
may be said TO have been placed
hors de combat at the first blow.
1t cannot be said that the Rear
Admiral has made a good showing
in other respects. He has simply
placed on record the opinions Of
engineers, ship builders and nav
igators who are not prepared to
accept Captain Eads' scheme as
feasible. 1t would be verv re-
markable if such opinions
could not be found. Captain
Eads proposes TO do some
thing that has never been done,
and the usual crop of censerva-
tives spring up, and assert that he
cannot do 1t. No one knows
whether he can or not. No
amount Of theorizing would de-
termine the point. If the opinions
of practical engineers were any
thing like unanimous against it,
there would be reason to proceed
with caution. Bat Captain Eads
produces more names, and equally
as good names, in favor OF his
scheme as Admiral Ammen pro-
duces against it. As a matter OF
argument, a plausible showing,
Captain Eads has much the best
of the encounter. The fact that
he is willing to make the test at
his own expense, is conclusive that
he is confident of success. In
summing up his reply to Admiral
Ammen, Captain Eads says:
If the removal of the isthmus
barrier is to benefit the whole
world generally, and does not hold
out the promise of any especial
benefit TO the commerce OF the
United States, the Nicaragua route
is good one for the purpose; but
if the interests of American
commerce are first to he regarded
if this enterprise is TO be essentially
American in its character-no
other route IS comparable to
Tehuantepec. To prove this it Is
only necessary 70 state that a yes
sci leaving the Mississippi river
for San Francisco, and going by
the Tehuantepec route, would be
required 10 steam or sail 1850
miles less IN distance than if she
went by the Nicaragua route. a
vessel leaving New York would
save zoo miles in going to San
Francisco by Tehuantepec, instead
OF by Nicaragua. An equal dis
tance would be saved were the
vessel bound for China or japan.
So, too, by the TehGantepec route,
the vessels OF the United States
bound for California or the Orient
would have a great advantage in
distance over those of Fn0lapd