The Wilmingtonian., 1885-01-03
THE INTEROCEANIC SHIP
RAILWAY.

ship railway which appears to have been
passed over.
Along with les detailed account of Cap
tain Ead's project the Scientific American of
Dec. 81 gives graphic picture of large
ocean steamer elevated into position and en-
route across the Tehuantepec isthmus. 1t
is magnificent spectacle inspiring i'm
mediately with the greatness of nineteenth
century genius and engineering skill. The
flags ON the maintops of the stately leviathan
flutter gaily many feet above tine plain AS
she quietly glides along. The immense hull
of the vessel appears increasingly large and
ponderous as the eye glauces upon the re-
atively diminutive size of the freight en-
gines, half a dozen in number, which are
seen industriously putting away along the
track with their monster load in tow.
Everything looks complete, finished and
as commercial enterprise or problem en-
tirely successful.
While the gaze is still riveted upon this
wonderful picture of a large ocean steamer
perched high, as in mid-air, above the plain
the thought suddenly intrudes itself, per-
haps by association of ideas, what would be
the result supposing that one of those ter
rifle cyclones, which we are taught to be-
lieve are indigenous to this locality should
appearl
Tho immense amount of square feet of
supel fetal area of resistance afforded by
such large and ponderous object and the
slight hold that the cradle and supports
could afford together with the exposed and
isolated nature of the object would be moth
ing else but contributory to terrific wreck and
havoc, should the storm be encountered.
Referring to Berghaus storm map and
also that of Arnold Guyot, two authorities
upon the subject of storms, is found that
the sthmus of Tehuantepec is bounded on
the East by the West India hurricane track,
on the North by the devastating 'Northers"
and on the West by the region of the Mexi-
blow successfully in the summer months
from the Southwest and in the winter months
from the Northeast.
The region Of calms, or the Doldrums, by
reference to the above authority, notwith-
standing the statements of the Scientific
american and Captain Eads, are not felt iu
their influences as rule within 150 miles
of the Mexican shore line, the shore winds
covering that belt of expanse and blowing
| northeast and southwest parallel to the
| coast line according to the seasons as stated.
The Isthmus of TehuanLepec according
| to these authorities is a centre of prevalent
| storms, for that reason the peculiar demands
of Captain Eads undertaking in that locali-
ty would leave the enterprise open to loca |
| physical troubl more inimical and insur-
mountable than those that call for the ac-
complishment of gigantic engineering feats
in either the Panama or Nicaraguan pro
jects!
1t is a question whether the probably
highly colored exparte pictures drawn by
Captain Eads and the Scientific american OF
thirteen miles of Chagres water with a
canal volume equal to that of the original
Panama Canal hung up on The sides Of ht
mountains, by the engineering skill of the
sanguine DeLesseps partakes of more
Quixotic exaggeration than the picture of {
devastating cyclone approaching, at a ter
rife speed, the hapless steamship, which
helpless in its fixed position, exposed ant
isolated, and as the picture furnishes th,
and massive hull the one point of attraction
in the landscape for the ravaging storm
: The wreck of an ocean steamship, half
dozen locomotives, cradle, gear and roa
bed, the result of few minutes calamity.
, 1t is claimed that the principle of elast
: city impaired in the construction of th
: cradle cushion Of tho ship carriage can b
S so successfully introduced that steame
0 will experience less rough treatment OH Ian
r than on the ocean!
: We have been asked by our consefvativ
+ contemporary EUery Egening not to be to
u hasty in condemining etc-But, as the Fac
, proposition looks, here is an engineer wi
, has the scientific audacity to claim havir
II invented more elastic bed for an ocea
IN steamship, should it be assaled by stor
"a while on land, than the ocean itself Is n
this apparently improbable?
The central path of the West India hurr
canes is about 100 miles or so East of TIE
- uantepec. Suppose the Tallapoosa, o
no most redoubtable man-of-war, were su
" denly struck by hurricane while in Il
i locality, by careful and experienced sc
''' manship coupled with plenty of sea roo
80 fatal danger might be avoided. But We
Nv she standing rigidly propped up on sol
." ground, Gas a legitimate parallelsm of ca
III tain Eads proposition will call for), the
o' fated Tallapoosa would never again have
'"' opportunity to run down more Americ
"0 merchantmen, her timbers would be scatter
ks or.b oo,,,b oost ord uo.t T. sbo,,,a