The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-25
THE SHIP RAILWAY.
Captain Eads Says 1t Will BE Built if He
Lives Five Years Longer

captain Eads says 1t Will Be Built If He
Lives Five Years Longer
Intervie at Long Branch.
You can say that the Tehuantepec ship
railway will certainly be built" quietly OBJ
served Captain Eads to your correspondent
at the West End Hotel at Long Branch to-
day. That is, it will be built if l live five
years longer. British capital will build the
road and L think the time will come when
Americans will regret that Congress did not
accept my proposition. 1t is strange how
ignorant the majority of our people are of
the geography of North America. I
suppose nine-tenths of the people who
have read about the projects for inter-oceapie
transit, imagine that DeLessepss canal
and the ship railway enterprises are on prac-
tically parallel lines while, as a matter of
fact the proposed ship railway route is !, 200
miles, in an airline north of Panama, where
De Lesseps proposes to build The two
routes are as far apart as from here to the
capes of Florida A vessel going from New
York or Liverpool to San Francisco would
be obliged 10 sail 9, 400 miles further by the
DE Lesseps route than by mine"
captain, 1T has been reported that your
advice has been requested in relation to the
proposed second canal across the IsthmuS of
Suez. What are these reports based uponP'
4 have received a number of letters from
influential persons in England on the sub
ject" was the reply, as though he did not
care to talk on the subject land the fact is
| that the whole subject is just now in a very
complicated condition. England, controlling
Egypt owns the land, and De Lesseps has
the exclusive right to build a canal De
Lesseps is supported by Mr.. Gladstone, while
France, whose only thread of connection
with Egypt now rests in De Lesseps, is an
anxious spectator Thus while England can
not build canal, she can build ship rail-
way without violating any obligations"
What would be the cost of building a
ship canal across the Isthmus of Suez?'
II should think between twenty-five and
thirty million dollars. The Tehuantepec
railway will cost, 1 think in the neighbour
hood of $50 0000 900. This road will be 100
miles long while the distance across the
Isthmus Of Suez is only ninety miles. 1
will be able very soon to give an accurate
estimate of the cost of this road. Four
surveying parties have been in the field since
the LIST OF April and every foot of the route
has been examined. / expect to learn the
result of the surveys in few days, and as
soon as it is received | will sail for Europe.
Sufficient work has already been done upon
the road-bed OF the railway to comply with
the conditions of the Mexican grant Ac-
cording to the terms of the concession we
were required to begin work on the road
prior to May l. 1888. We have ten years
from that date in which to complete the road,
and itcan be easily built and equipped with
IN four years. The heaviest grade on the
line is fifty feet to the mile an eleva-
ton that would hardly be perceptible to the
eye"
Said I: captain, there is general impress
sion that your railway scheme is mprac-
ticable, and that road of sufficient strength
to bear the enormous weight of a five thou
sand-ton ship cannot be built and if it could,
such a ship could not bear the strain of
transportation"
That idea is entirely erroneous" was the
reply THAT vessels of the largest tonnage
can be taken from the water, cargo and all,
and carried upon railways, is proven beyond
doubt or caviI 1t has frequently been done
at Liverpool, Malta, Bombay, and other
ports. If ship can be carried three hun
dred feet GU a railway, it can be carried three
hundred miles"