Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-09

strength is required in the travelling
cradle. But the weight has to be dis
trlbuted over the six rails which con-
stltute the track. the two outer ones
OF which are twenty>nine feet apart.
To do this it is necessary that the
travelling cradle shall be composed Of
strong transverse girders spaced six
feet nine inches apart from center to
center.
There is q somewhat general notion
that to take ship loaded with cargo
out of the water and place her on in>
termediate supports is 10 subject her
to injurious strains. No greater fall
lacy was ever conceived, for there is
no form of structure which is so sub
Ject TO unequal, irregular, and ever
varying strains as a ship at sea, and
consequently none in which such care
has to be exercised in providing
against them. A properly constructed
ship resembles girder. and is SO built
that no mstter Vow she may be tossed
about on the waves. the strains, con
tinued AS they are, are distributed
equally throughout her framing.
Hence the risk of damage To vessels
by strainlng during transport over
land may At once be sci aside as puerile,
especially in the face of the ingenious
arrangements made for eQuallxing
their support Then, with regard 10
the practicability of the scheme as
who.e, thre is the undoubted evidence
of some of the Oldest engineers, and
ship constructors ir this country and
England in its favor.
The route Of the railway is across
the republic of Mexico, west of the
promontory Of Sucatan. One ter
minus is on the Gulf Of Mexico, the
other on the Pacific. The railway be-
gins twenty-five miles up the Coatza-
coalcos river st Minatitian. Just in
side the bar At the mouth of thsriyer
there is a deep and spacious anchor
age. On the gulf on each side of The
river mouth rise steep sand dunes
which, if well fortified, would ROT
only be impregnable against naval
attack, but would also completely
comnaLd the channel entrance The
river debouches into the gulf over a
bar sixteen feet deep, which can be
easily Increased 10 thirty feet BY the
Jetty system.
The terminus of tie railway on the
Pacific is on Lake Superior, whose
outlet To the ocean can also be deep>
ened by the letty system, and can
be easily defended. Ii Mexico aud
the United States should unite for the
defense of the railway, the facilities
for massug quickly at the Isthmus an
army OF 100, 900 are ready at hand hv
,Nf tla H. f,g,Y,, j.
try through Mexico. These facts make
it evident that the Tehuanlepec route
is much more defenslble than any
other. Mexico and our own country
are more vitality interested in control
ling ana holding the isthmus transit
way than any and all other nations.
Our 10000 miles of Atlantic coast line
and 10000 miles on the Pacific are
separated by sailing distance equal
To twice the diameter of the globe.
The ship railway will furnish practi~
cally an all water route scarcely 900
miles longer than the transcontinental
RAILROADS between New York aud San
Francisco.
il The Mexican gov,rnment has given
very substantial evidence OF lis will
ingness TO assist the ship railway Ii
has recently granted very advantage
Gus amendments to the original con
cession. The more important of these
notifications are as follows: First
a guaranty that one third Of the net
revenue shall be 81 $50, 600 per annum,
any deficiency that may occur III any
year TO be paid IN cash or government
bond> This guaranty is To continue
fifteen years. Second . 7oo, 900 acres
of Aublic lands are granted
The guaranty is not to be in force
until the ship railway is completed
and large ship fully laden, shall
have been safely transported from
ocean TO ocean.