The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-03-10
THE EADs SHIP RAILWAY.

Congress seems to have at last reached
the conclusion that Captain Eads' plan
for carrying vessels by rail from the At
lantic to the Pacific (the Tehuantepec
route) is not as i1npracticaole as alleged
by its opponents. Senator Vests bill,
for government endorsement of the
bonds of the ship railway, has been ia
vorably reported by the senate commit
tee having charge of sdch matters, and
will be called up for discussion on the
10TH instant. In return for this
government endorsement American
merchant and passea ger vessels will be
carried from ocean to ocean at half the
rates charged ships of other nations,
while war vessels, ships carrying
troops and munitions of war
viii be handled without any
/ charge. These are very valuable
! concessions, and cannot fail to have due
weight with the congressional mind.
Eads has applied to this government to
aid him because he is an American and
! desires the scheme should be built and
operated under American auspices. It
/ is reasonably certain that were he to fail
( here, foreign capital could be enlisted
readily enough to build the railway.
While the committee were considering
the matter, they requested the views of
Sir Edward J. Reed, late chief con-
structor of the British navy, who hap
pened to be visiting Washington. He
told them, among other things; at
would be very improper for me to press
the adoption Of this system upon gentle
men like you, because, to tell the truth,
[ am not anxious that it should be
adopted in the form in which Captain
Eads puts it. Looking to the enormous
shipping interests which we have 1--WE
have so per cent. now in England of the
carrying power of the world, am quite
satisfied that this enterprise can be dealt
with by British shipowners and capital
lists; and I am sure, also, that when dealt
with in the present day and with inter
ests of the kind we now have at home,
they would obtain the protection of the
government for their enterprise. The |
premium of having half rates for the /
whole British shipping passing over that |
isthmus would be so great a temptation
that I would like myself to get Captain
Eads to come over and ask us to take /
this thing up; but, however, as an
American enterprise, think it has great /
merit and cannot fail, if construct d
under the auspices Of the United |
States government, to greatly
benefit your commerce" Many
of the finest engineers in this
county and Europe have expressed en-
phatic endorsement of the practicability
of Captain Eads' theory. He is met
with opposition, of course, for there are
other schemes, backed by immense
capital, to build canals across the
isthmus and men, of ability are enlisted
in behalf of these enterprises. 1t is per-
fectly natural and legitimate that Eads
should be antagonized. He has, how
-ver,iu addition tothe weight that Justly
attaches to his own views, fortified his
position with the endorsement of "a
highly respectable array Of engineering
talent European and American De
Lesseps is digging away at his canal,
.ng slowly and almost painfully.
French capital is doing the work and
French influence dominates the enter
prise. Eads is ready to go to work as
soon as he Is assured of government CO.
operation, and it viii be a pity Z he has
to enlist British money toput through
scheme that should be distinctively
American. Finally, it may Well be asked
If American shipping interests, already
at disadvantage with those of Great
Britain, can afford to see British YES els
and merchandise using this worlds
highway at rate only half of that
charged the ships and goods OF Amer;
'an citizens. Eads is an American, au1
he bridge at St. Louis and the jetties
It the mouth Of the Mississippi are
'nduring monuments of his and conse- I
.uently American genius. The ship
allway viii be the crowning engineer
ng work Of the present century and ,
enterprise should build, con-
rOl 1t and reap its benefits.