National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-09
a. AND p. SNIP RAILWAY.
A Communication from Its chief En-
Eineer in Reply to the "Nation0i RE-
publicnn's" Editorial.

A Communication from It's chief En-
gineer in Reply TO the "Nationai RE-
publicnn's" Editorial.
EDIroR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,: You
will. ! am sure, allow me TO correct through
your columns one or two errors which ap-
pear in your editorial of this morning, Gu
titled "Interocean Transit"
You states "The cost of transferring q
ships cargo by the proposed Tohuantepec
railway, distance of 1874 miles, is estl-
mated Mt SO per ton. This rate would give
o railroad company for o car Of twenty tons
SEQ for that distance Twenty tons Of
wheat, at sixty pounds to the bushel, equals
Geo bushels. At this tariff the cost Of
crossing the isthmus Is 0 cents q bushel.
Such toll upon the farmers of the Pacific
coast, placed there by government aid,
would simply force that great staple TO
seek market by way Of Cape horn.n
This calculation Is correct for tons Of 1000
mounds. The rates Of toll have not, how
ever, as yet been established. They prob
ably will he Uidcr SO per ton, but, assum-
ing that they are So per ton, 0 cents bushel
for transfer Of cargo in vessels at the
isthmus will not prohibit traffic on the rail
way, for the reason that the average cost Of
transportation Of grain from san Francisco
to Liverpool, around Cape Horn, is Sl4.S3
q ton, equal to AL cents q bitshCl, as stated
IN the report on ''internal commerce. for
1854, covering the years from 1871 to 1888
inclusive.
The distance saved by the Tchuantepec
route will be $3.50 miles IN direct steamer
line, or nearly 1900 miles by the log OF
the sailing vessels In tacking back and
forth to take advantage Of the winds. The
time saved will be about two months
There will be large saving on the insur-
ance: there will be a saving Of cents n
bushel by sending grain in bulk instead of
in bags twice through the tropics. The
saving, at SO ner ton toll across the ship
railway, will be about Sl2,0 900 on an average
cargo Of grain now going around Cape
Horn. These facts demonstrate that the
| rate Of toll that you mention will not
"force that great staple wheat aud -four
| TO seek market by way Of Cape Horn.h
Your proposition to build an ordinary
| railway will not accomplish the result de-
| sired, FOR the reason which is before us and
| has been for q great many years, that the
Panama railway, only 30 miles in length,
has never carried any wheat. The cost OF
handling not only wheat, which has the
very lowest cost in handling, but Of othei
cargoes, Is almost prohibitory of traffic
across the Panama railway. The cost by
way of the Panama route, between San
| Francisco and New York, Is nearly rs great
rs by the transcontinental railroads, run
| ming from G25 to S33 per ton.
Why would an ordinary railroad, l3l
miles long, at Tehuantepec be any better
| able TO transport interoceanic freight than
the Panama railroad, 30 miles in length
except that sailing vessels can reach 1t,
! which they cannot do at Panama?
! 1t can be demonstrated to the satisfaction
of any one that ship railway transportation
| will cost much less than the transportation
| on ordinary railroads. / stated some OF
these advantages recently, rs follows "ThC
cost Of hdidljHg goods Is approximately th,
same as the cost Of hdUlWg for distances NJ
to 100 niles hence the immense advantage
of the ship railway over. the ordinary rail
way Is seen at once in this particular. The
| method we have described to you involves
, Eo handling; the hutchways are not even
| opened. Another great advantage over or
! dinary railways Is that more goods are car
Iied Gt one time, thus economizinS powe,
! and labor; instead Of n car moving ittccj
tons, as ordinarily on railroads, we have one
car carrying say 500 tons. All the expenses
per ton will consequently be largely re
| duced. Another fact works to the adj
vantage Of the ship railway, viz. Friction
On journals increases but little with tht
additional weight imposed upon them
The ordinary railway places about three
tons on wheel, but the ship railway six t
| nine tons.n
The history Of railway transportation hai
shown conclusively that "the cost Of rail
road transportation dimiuiShe3 as the mil
Of dispatch is increased.n
The bill now before Congress prevent
eHtortonate charges, as It gives full powe
to the government directors, who constitute
fOur-nnths Of the board of direction, to re
duce the tolls whenever the net revenue
amounts to more than 10 per cent. on thu
invested capital, which IS limited to 800,
0C0,00O.
The stockholders of such compan,
would not approve the action Of @ boar,
Of directors that would establish such ex
tortionate rates rs would divert bushes
from the railway.
Other important considerations in tn
bill will result in great advantage, not onl
to the commerce Of the United States aut
the development Of its merchant marine
hut also TO the various industries of til
country. ! am yours truly.
+. l.. CoRTHELL.
| WNsuINGTON March \