The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-26
THE SHIP RAILWAY
70 Be BUILT WITH BRITISH GOLD.
hr. Eid', HavluS Plueksd ,hls Country. IA Working
" EuEland for = Pot Of Aonty-Ths Proposed
Ship Railway Across the lslhmus-lt
~ Il Certain to bs Constructed. 5.,
From Our Special Correspondent.

From Our Special Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, January 25.-Hon. Alex
ander 7. Cochran, Of St. Louis, the attor
ney for Mr.. Eads, Of jetty and proposed
ship railway fame, has been here several
days. He disclaims any designs upon the
present Congress, and says that Mr.. Eldi
Is done asking anything Of this country 90
far as his proposed ship railway Is con.
cerned. "Mr. Eds was not at all anxious 10
SOC his proposition Of last winter accept,
ed" be said. speaking to your correspon.
dent, "buthe felt 1t duty to offer the I'D.
vantages OF the control Of an important
matter Of this kind to this country, or at
least to people in this country. As It was
not accepted he feels that his duty In the
matter has ended, and he now goes to Eng.
land with It." 'sn q. =
SLOW Is he gettiug on 10 the orgauiz,- y
ton Of hts company there, Mr.. Cochran2''
very well. 1t Is a great work. Fifty
millions is a considerable sum OF money to
embark In On enterprise entirely new and
novel, as this is, and OF course 1t must take
time to get it, but he is succeeding as well
as could be expected. The engineers over
there speak in the highest terms Of the
proposition, and say they, hive no doubt
as to the feasibility Of tho plan. Some Of
the most eminent engineers OF England
have examined 1t, and agree upon the
practicability OF the proposition, and IS
that is the principal question 10 be settled
there seems to be little doubt OF thesuccpss
Of the enterprise. With the average mind
convinced OF the practicabilty OF tho sys-
TEN and made aware at the same time OF
the cheapness Of the proposed railway as
compared with the Panama canal, there Is
no hesitancy in deciding In it's favor. And
there is no doubt OF the need for method
OF getting ships acrcss the Isthmus, or Of
the profit u a method OF doing 1t which
does not cost more than this will" -
TIE RAILWAY AND TIE CANAL.
"How does your proposed sys.em cost as
compared with the Panama canal, on
which work has been already begun ~
$50 much less that the money and time
spent upon the Panama canal already, with
scarcely beginning made, would have
been sufficient to have completed and put
to running our railway. What the Panama
canal will cost II ever completed, nobody
can tell. I do not believe it will ever be
completed. There are cuts to be made
three hundred feet deep through solid rock.
The money that has already been spent
there ls something enormous" w
"And is the work 6 aing on?' "a
"Yes. DeLesseps has plenty Of money.
He has the confidence Of the people iu
France and can yet all the money he may
choose to ssk for. 1t is wonderful" -
Don't you fear that with the plentiful
supply OF money and the start be has as TO
time lie may get his canal finished and the
monopoly OF the business before you can
get your railway on itH feet ?"
mo, indeed; I don't believe the work
will ever be completed, or II it is, it will be
many years. Our road can be completed
in four years. 1t will be completed and
running before the DeLesseps canal is a
fact" q
''And all with British gold7'
AS it now looks, the enterprise is likely
so be carried through entirely by British
capital. It is to be regretted that this country
did not see fit to take hold OF it when the
opportunity was offered, but there are plen-
ty Of people abroad who have sufficient
confidence to back itwi,h their millions,
and Mr.. Eads is not inclined 10 ask. any
thing further here." gsf