Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-04-09
THE LAND OF THE sun
NEW ORLEANS, April /. 1885.


There was opened up, about week
ago, in the Mexican display in the main
building, an exhibit that will prove in
terestiDg and instructive to all who have
any mechanical element in their compo-
sition. l. is lie famous working model
of the Eads Ship Railway, to be built
over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, to con-
meet the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The model itself is beautiful piece of
work. one of the best of tue kind, 1 pre-.
sumo, ever executed, costing, l am told
$4,000, and is a perfect representation,
Oh small scale, of course, of the ship
railway as it will appear when finally
constructed. Every piece of machinery,
every feature of the railway is shown,
so that one can readily understand the
principles upon which it is operated.
The chief engineer. Major E. L. Corthell.
of Mass, who is very intelligent and
courteous gentleman.st stands by 10 explain
to any who desires infOrnJati On on the
subject, the manner in which the road is
operated, and the loaded vessels carried
safely over the Isthmus without break
ing bulk. / had the pleasure of half
ell and its workings, the construction of
the proposed road, Of which the model
is representative, the topography of
he Isthmus across which the road is to
pass, &c. He very cheerfully gave me
all the information desired, and in addi-
ton volunteered to speak of many points
beside. The model is about 80 feet in
its entire length, with a perfect model
ed steamer about IL feet long-pontoon,
carriage and floating turntable, three
sets of parallel railway tracks on which
the carriage runs, which carries the
steamer, the trough or lock with water
in it, on which the steamer is flOated
preparatory to being loaded on the car
riage; and, in short, it has every part
necessary TO show perfect working
model, showing completely the opera
tion of the Ship Railway as it will be
when constructed. 1t is impossible to
see the model without understanding at
once the priniples upon which Captain
Eads plan is based; aud like, as it is
after the examination of the jetties at
the mouth of the Mississippi, equally
impossible not to perceive its entire
practicability. The Maritime Ship Rail-
way has been exhibited in London, New
York, Washington and Philadelphia, and
it has everywhere attracted attention.
The model will be on exhibition here
only few weeks. / believe it will
prove TO be one of the granuest and most
remarkable engineering invention of the
age. As some of the readers of The
CHRONICLE may not be familiar with
this proposed great enterprise, and some.
perhaps, have not even heard of it,it may
not prove Improbable or entirely unin
teresting, were L TO write d few words,
more fully-giving location,
of railway, and what is in
tended to be accomplished by this great
work. By reference to the map, the
isthmus of Tehuantepec will be found
lying immediately northwest of the pro-
of Yucatan. 1t is the narrow-
est part ofithe IsthmuS of Mexico, and in
the southeastern part of the country
midway between North and South
America. The terminus on the north
is on the banks of the Coatzacoalcos rir er,
at the town Of Minatitlan, situated about
25 miles from the mouth of the river.
At the mouth of this river there is
bar formed " the rivers deposit, the
only point that needs improvement, it
being broad deep river, the channel at
this bar can easily be deepened by jet
ties similar to those at the mouth of the
river. When this is done
ships of the largest tonnage can pass up
to Minatitlan, the northern terminus of
the ship railway. The line of the rail-
way from this point follows the gently
ascending Atlantic plains over firm unr
yielding ground. At about 35 miles
from Minatitlan che railway will be
through undulating table
and, and then will follow a series of
broad valleys reaching the Tarifa plains,
which is the summit level, 72O feet
above the level of the sea. The descent
from that point to the Pacific plains re-
luires three DETECTING turn tables, to
avoid heavy excavations, and to give the
necessary distance required to preserve
an uniformly descending grade of one
per cent, Zone foot to the hundred.) |
From the base of the mountains to the |
Pacific terminus, the road extends over |
! nearly level country. The whole length |
)f the line is 137 miles, and the general |
course is north and south. The railway |
will be built on practically straight lines, |
/ curve of less than 20 miles radius not |
)eing admissible, with rugged carriage,
E50 feet in length.
There are, however, on the entire |
inc, five points, as located by the sur
reys, where there is not sufficient open |
country to use curves of the radius |
named. At these five points, the change
IS in directions are made by floating |
spoken of moment ago, |
which are no more nor less than floating |
)ontoons, large enough to take the car
'iage with the ship and float it about |
central pivot. In this way the carriage |
S turned in the desired direction to suit |
he direction of the detected track. The |
anne turntables are used to enable ves- |
els to pass each other by running one |
,ff on side track.
The size of the pontoon is about 450 |
'eet long, IS feet wide, and Is feet deep. |
lrranged with a system of hydraulic |
ans or presses, placed on an intermedi- |
tie deck about six feet below the upper |
leck of the pontoon. These rams are
lot intended to lift the vessel, but SIM
'ly to resist its weight when it comes up
'ut of the water. The carriage for sup
PORTING and moving the vessel is arrang-
ID to move on six rails-three standard |
gauge tracks, each of feet 81 inches. |
The wheels are double Hanged, placed as
lear together as is necessary to distrib-
lte the weight, and are each hung inde+ |
to Its own journals, with an
axle for each wheel. The
operation of placing the. vessel on the
carriage for shipment is as follows:
The carriage having been run on the
,ontOon, when it is floating, and the
urface of its rails exactly corresponding
With the rails of the permanent way oil
hore, the water is let into the compart-
nents of the pontOoD, and it, with the
arriage, is sunk to the bottom and
grounded on the cross bearers of the
lock. The ship is then brought from
he exterior basin into the dock over the
arriage, and so adjusted that her keel is
10 OUar tho onDfinnOue l,aol |