Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-11-13
EADS' SHIP RAILWAY.
of His Model ut Pitts
burgh, Fa.-Description of the
hooks, the Monster Cars, the Route.
the Road, and the Cost.
Pittsburg Dispatch.


Pittsburg Dispatch
Mr.. James B. Eads, the De Lesseps
OF America, reached this city Monday
from London and today has ready
for exhibition a $40, 900 model of his
marine railway. 1t is no less than
perfect working model of the proposed
ship railway over the Mexican 18TH
mus.
1t is four years since Mr.. Eads pro
posed his present plan. Since that
time ne has been engaged in having
surveys made, perfecting the details
of his scheme, and ia bringing the
matter before the congress of the
United States, in order that his own
government might have the oppor-
tunity of aiding it in the interests of
American commerce. The committee
en- commerce of the United States sen
ate, after having taken considerable
amount of evidence and after having
carefully considered the whole ques-
ton in all its bearings, made, by a
unanimous vote, a favorable report to
the senate recommending that the bill
should be passed in the interests Of the
country.
A concession was obtained from
the Mexican governor by Mr.. EadS
in 1881, which extends over a period
of 80 years from its date. This con-
cession authorizes the construction
across the Isthmas of Tehuantepee
of a ship railway, an ordinary rail
way, and line of telegraph. There
are other important provisions. such
as exempting ships and merchandise
in transit from government duty,
granting the concesionaireo one millisp
acres of public land and guaranteeing
protection during the construction
and subsequent operation OF the
works,
The proposed rail way will be about
134 miles In length. Commencing
from the Atlantic side, the route viii
start from the Gulf of Mexico, and
the Coatzacoalcos river will be utilized
to Minititiln, about rs miles distant
from the gulf, in which the tide has
a rise and fall of Is riches Only.
From Mnititian the route extends
over an alluvial plain, on quitting
which the line enters an undulatlng
tableland, presently following sue
cesSion of broad valleys between
which there arc widespread ing table
lands, the whole forming an extensive
interior basin, bordered on its eastern
and western sides by irregular noun
tain ranges, spurs of the main Cor
dilleras. The line decends thence by
easy grades to the Pacific coast. The
maximum grade.out is only one per
cent. Bocca viii likely be the ter
minus as there is only tide of five
feet there.
The details for the ship railway are
perfectly illustrated by the model. A
perfect ship, seveA feet long, is raised
out of the water, put on its car, run
across an imaginary lsthmus and put
safely down in the Pacific ocean.
Practically, the ship is elevated from
the sea level TO that of the railway by
means Of a largo floating dock or pom
toon, which ma be described as q
huge iron box. In practice, this pom
toon would be about 400 feet long, 10
feet deep, and rs feet wide. 1t is ar
ranged to float or sink in a basin, in
which it's vertical movement is guided.
On each side of the basin there will
be twenty or thirty iron rods, arrang
ed vertically, and secured to the bot
tom of the basin. These rods will be
capable of holding the pontoon so as
TO prevent it rising above the level of
railway when the ship and cradle
have been taken from off it. The
deck of the pontooa is laid with rails
which will correspond exactly with
those on the permanent land line
when the pontoon is floated. When
in this position q cradle on wheels and
capable of carrying the ship is run on
to the poatoon. which is then sub
merged by admitting water into it
through sluice gates, which are regu
lated from the top of two quadrangular
watertight towers attached to the
deck of the pontoon, and between
which there is sufficient width for the
cradle and ship to pass. When the
pentoon has been submerged to a
sufficient depth for the bottom of the
ship to clear the supports upon which
it is intended she shall rest, the vessel
is hoated in from an adjacent basin
and secured over the top of the car
rage or travelling cradle. The pom
toon IS then pumped out by means Of
powerful pump, and its deck rises
up to a given height above the water,
its further progress being stopped by
the heads of the vertical rods before
alluded to. The rails on the deck of
the pontoon now range precisely with
those on the land and while the poa-
toon, is in this position locomotives
are backed up and attached to the
travelling cradle, and it is started on
its journey across the isthmus. On
reaching the end Of the liue the tray
cling cradle is run on to another pom
toon, which is submerged, and the
ship hoated off iuto another basin on
its way TO its destination.
The travelling cradle has bottom