The Osceola times., 1884-04-12

vast valley Of the Mississippi agateway
equivalent TO the discharge of its mighty
river directly into the Pacific.
A work designed to effect such enor-
nous benefits to the commerce OF the
world should commend itself with es-
pecial force TO this country, which to-day
Is carving more than 60 per cent OF
that commerce. We learn, therefore,
with great pleasure, that Mr. Eads in
ltends within brief period to present
this subject to the attention of British
capitalists and ship owners, with view
to soliciting their aid in carrying out
this great work OF fcourse, the diffiicul-
ty which stands in his way lies in the
fact that arge ships have never been
carried any considerable distance over
land, although ancient history refers TO
the fact, We believe, that the Athenian
fleet was carried over the Isthmus OF
| Corinth more than 1000 years ago,
whilst numerous instances of similar
achievements are automatically recorded
since then, and to-day canal boats and
small steamers weighing between 100 and
200 tons, are being transported by rail
in America and Russia.
The voluntary Endorsement of the en-
tire practicabilty of Mr.. Eads' plan of
ship railway transportation, by the most
eminent engineers and ship-builders in
England and America during the last
two wears, the exhaustive examination
OF the subject by the United States SEN
ate committee, and its unanimous report
| in favor of it, have commended the en-
terprise 10 the confidence of a number of
capitalists who have formed syndicate
or provisional company, and supplied
the necessary funds to make thorough
examination of the route from ocean to
ocean, and to execute such portions Of
the road as are required by the terms of
the concession which they hold from
Mexico. This is one of the most liberal
ever granted by any goyernmsnt, and
gives practically the entire control Of
| the isthmus for ninety-nine years to the
company which Mr.. Eads is authorized
to form.
| Under the directions of Mr.. Eads,
I president Of the provisional company, a
number of distinguished engineer, have
been engaged on surveys of the route,
and they are now preparing estimates OF
| the entire costs of the work, so as to be
presented intelligently and reliably to
capitalists and TIE public. Mr. 4. 5.
| Carthell is the chief engineer of the
provisional company, and Mr. M. Van
brocklin it, resident engiueer. Mr.. Cor
| thell was Mr.. Eads' chief assistant at the
| Mississippi ietties; he has examined the,
entire route across the isthmus, and has
given especial attention to the harbors,
making at the time a careful hypro-
graphic survey of the Ceatzacoalcos riv-
er. The first surveys made for Mr.. Eads
we're conducted by Mr.. Garay, dis
| tinguished Mexican engineer, educated
| in France, and who was sent by the
Mexican government to present the
merits efthe Tehuantepec route in 1869
to the international canal convention at
Paris. Mr.. J. J. Williams was engaged
by.Mr. Eads on another part of the line
with Mr.. Garay. Mr.. Williams surveyed
/
way company, more than twenty years
ago and discovered the lowest summit
on that isrhmus, over which the railway
| is now located. Thirty years age he as
| sisted Gen, Barnard of the United States
army in surveying the isthmus of Te-
huantepec for canal, and has since de-
voted several years in making surveys
| of that isthmus. The resident engineer,
1 txrn avxu
on the isthmus as chief engineer of the
railroad commenced in 1880 under the
concession to MIR. Learned. Guided by
the results of the surveys OF other en-
gineers and the knowledge he had then
acquired, Mr. Van Brocklin undertook
the survey last March Of a new route
across the Tehuantepec, which he COM
pleted recently, from harbor to harbor,
with greatly improved results.
This engineer was also for four years
engaged on the celebrated railroad in
Peru, which crosses the Andes at an ele-
vation of $500 feet, the highest rail-
way in the world. He was assisted in
the iecent survey of the isthmus by Mr..
Deming j. Thayer, a young American
engineer, who built railway in Column
bia from the Pacific coast to the Cauca
valley. We mention these facts to show
that Mr.. Eads has had the good fortune
to secure the aid ofvery experienced en-
gineers in his great work. All of these
gentlemen speak in glowing terms Of
the healthfilness of the Isthmus of Te.
huantepec. Mr.. Van Brocklin had four
surveying parties in the field from March
last until November, not one of whom
was sick at any time, and none of his as
sistants or men were invalided during
his PREVIOUS surveys. Mr.. Williams, Mr..
Garay and Mr.. Corthell all gave similar
testimony.
The heaviest gradient on the Atlantic
side does not exceed ~ feet per mile,
while that on the Pacific is only 81 feet
for about eight miles; the remainder of
the route will have no grades exceeding
26 feet per mile. No exceptionally heavy
work will be encountered either in cuts
or embankments and the entire road
fir )m the Coatzecoalcos river to the Pa
cific harbor will be only l34 miles long.
Approaching the difficulty which en-
gineers encounter when explaining by
mere drawings any novel devices requir-
ed to meet the ever increasing demands
of commerce, Mr.. Eads has wisely de-
termined to construct working model
of the ship railway, whichshall illustrate
in miniature every detail of the work.
By it will be clearly seen the great SIM
plicity of the devices needed for raising
and lowering the ships at the harbors,
distributing their weight equally upen
all the wheels of the cradle on which
they will be borne, the precautions for
supporting every part ofthem to avoid