Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-04-09

that an estimate of S50,OOOOOO is ample
to mplete and fully equip the Ship
Railway.
The estimated time required to cress
the lsthmus is 16 hours, or at the rate
of 9 miles per hour. In this it will ex-
ceed in dispatch the passage of the Suez
Canal. which requires 4S hours, l am
told, and which is but 100 miles in length.
TIE entire work of the railway will rel
quire about four years to complete, as
estimated by Major Corthell, the engi-
neer.
Mr.. James B. Eads was born in Indi.
ana, spent most of his time in St. Louis,
aud now his home is N.York. He built
the famous st. Louis railroad bridge and
he it was who subsequently invented and
constructed the more famous jetties at
the mouth of the Mississippi. which by
the improvement of the channel opened
to the worlds commerce the valley of
the Mississippi, by removing the barrier
at the mOutli of the river. While en-
gagged in this work of removing the more
serious obstacle TO commerce, the one
directly across the Gulf from the jetties
at the mouth of the south pass, which
obstacle rises up between the nations
Capt. Eads, take it, is a level-headed
man. as the far seeing plan and work of
the jetties and the model of his Ship
Railway, exhibited here. fully Demon
strate. Any one who will carefully ex-
anime them will soon become convinced
of their perfect practicability he
knows what he is doing. and will have
full faith that whatever he undertakes
will surely be a success.
WHAT THE SHIP RAILWAY WILL AC.
COMPLISH.
The Mississippi river and its 40 navi-
gable tributaries, border or intersect 2l
States and Territories, of which IA con-
stitute what are known as Mississippi
Valley States. These rivers have a
present total navigation of 1910 miles.
Of the total corn product, according to
statistics. III the United States, during
the year 1879 (1,263 ,34S,7O0 bnshels) OK
81 per cent, was raised in these IA vail
ley States of the total wheat product
during the same year, they supplied
2S9, ,70S, $50 bushels, or "a per cent. Ac-
coIding TO the census of 1880, the CEN
ter of population of the United States is
near the center of this great valley. But
at present there is no direct steampship
communication;b between the mouth o! the
Mississippi and the Pacific ocean. YES
sells from New Orleans to San Francis
co, must now sail around the extremity
! of South America, tCape Horn,) dis
taDce of 16,018 miles. When the Ship
| Railway is completed, the distance will
be but 1915 miles, saving of 12,442
miles each way. From New York the
saving of distance TO San Francisco will
be almost as great as is that from New
0rleans-and well nigh an equal saving
of distance from either place to japan,
to China, and to Australia. 1t will,
practically, be
| A SUPPLEMENT TO THE MISSISSIPPI.
AS may be seen by reference to map,
the shortest possible way of reaching
the Pacific from New Orleans, is the
water route via Tehuantepec, (pronounc>
ed Tewantepec,) the distance being 1880
miles, while the land route to Pacific at
San Francisco is z, 2,495 miles. In other
words, the Tehuantepec Ship Railway
| will practically prOlong the Mississippi
river to the Pacific ocean, and bring the
Mississippi valley into direct water COM
munication with the Orient, Australia,
and the west coast of Central and South
America. The Republic of Mexico has
offered Mr.. Eads very favorable terms in
the construction of this important work
on her territory, viz: The right to con-
struct ship railway; to occupy right
of way about One-quarter of mile in
width; free right of way on all public
lands; guarantee of protection by the
use, if necessary, of naval and military
forces, without expense to the company,
and a grant of 100000 acres of public
iund5.
The proposition of building a ship
canal across the lsthmus, on what is
called the Nicaragua route, by the U. s.
Government, has been discussed for some
time, but as the estimated cost of that
work is $200,000,000. it puts it beyond
the bounds Of practlcability, so far as
cost is concerned, and besiees the canal,
if built, would not, in all probability.
prove as convenient or as rapid a mode
of transit, for vessels across the 18th
mus as the ship railway would, it would !
seem that it would not be judicious for
the Government to undertake the work |
when the same ends can be accomplish
ed by the building of the ship railway
OH the Tehuantepec route. 1t being the
intention of the company to build the |
ship railway by means of private capi>
tai without the aid of the Government.
The object of the Eads Concession Com
pany, as it is called, is to bring the mat
ter prominently before the public with a
view of inducing capitalists to form in |
to a company and furnish the means 10
carry out the work. The model is own.
ed by the EaGs Concession Company,
which has a capital of $500,000 of which
100000 has been expended in making
the surveys necessary to establish the
best route, the model and other prelimi- |
nary matters. The remainder of the
money is in the hands of the company.
to be used for the purpose above stated,
For many years have the leading
statesmen both of this country and
Mexico. appreciated the advantages of
the Tehuantepec route for an inter-
oceanic crossing. Daniel, Webster, while |
Secretary of State, in 1851, spoke of its
Importance; Lewis Cass, while holding
the same Office, in 1857, spoke of it as |
preferable to any ether route, because of |
"solubrity of the climate and the adapt |
edness of the ground for the construction |
zion of the railroad, and the proximity |
of the ISthmuS to our shores"
President Garfield said, a few weeks
before his assassination, in an address to
the graduating class at Annapolis: THE |
Pacific is yet to be opened, and you, gem
tlenen, will be the ones to scout it for
US. Before long you will sail through
the Isthmus TO open up the Pacific"
The poet Wordsworth. in the High
land Broach.' says:
''Lo! ships, from seas by nature barred,
Mount along ways by man prepared"
May we not safely utter the prophecy,
not poetical, that the tall masts of ocean
steamers will soon, as in a panorama,
pass among the palms of the plains of
Carifa, in their journey from ocean to