Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-07

section produces cotton, sugar-cane, to-
bacco, corn, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, sarsapa-
rilla, ginger, indigo and India-rubber.
Salina Cruz, the Pacific terminus, is said to
have an exceptionally five harbor. North
erners are warned against visiting the
lsthmus except in the winter season, for
the heat is beyond conception, poisonous
reptiles and insect abound, and not less
deadly calenturas.
The English contractors for this ignis
fatnus of railroad Colonel Ed
ward MacMurdo, represented in
London by Lord Archibald Gosford)-
are to receive 100000 in five per cent.
bonds, secured by a first mortgage on the
entire property. This includes the COM
plete equipment of the road, with tele-
graph, water-tanks, rolling-stock, tools,
machinery for workshops, two terminal
stations and five intermediate ones. with
their respective warehouses, and a pier at
Santa Cruz; and ON the los kilometers al
ready built, the provisional bridges are to
be replaced by iron ones.
In his political Essay on New SPAIN"
Baron Won Humboldt referred to the posi-
billty of making the Isthmus of Tehuan-
tepec the great avenue of travel for inter
oceanic communication. The advantages
to commerce which this route would afford
can hardly be over-estimated. Not only
would it become formidable competitor
with the Panama railroad as regards pas
senger traffic, but would undoubtedly
divert large portion of the trade between
Europe and the Pacific as we'll as that be-
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts
of the United States in competition with
the Pacific railroads. 1t will afford a
coasts of America north of Mexico than
by either the Nicaraguan or the Panama
projects and a shorter route for trade to
the Pacific coast of South America, and
might easily be completed long before
either of those above mentioned. The
distance from New York to San Francisco
via Tehuantepec is LAT miles shorter
than via Panama, and from New Orle; rs
to San Francisco is 1884 miles less
The much-talked-of Mexican, Oriental.
1nteroceanic and International Railway"
popularity known as jay Goulds road"
has again popped up like Banquo's ghost.
1t will be remembered that its former
charter was granted IN 1881, and two years
later was consolidated with the Mexican
Southern Railroad, OF which General u. S.
Grant was President. Toward the end of
last month an offshoot of this enterprise,
called the Interoceanic Railway Company,
was registered in London with capital of
100000 sterling The corporation
purpose building line from the historic
of Mexico to Vera Cruz, on the Gulf of
Mexico. In fact, it will require not less
than S60,000,000 in gold to carry out the
plans in Mexico which English companies
have organized and projected within the
last two months. If this sort of thing
keeps up Americans will soon be nowhere
south of the Rio Grande.
BY the way, speaking of Hon. George A.
Hearst's recent attempt to buy 'up Mex
ico," | have heard doubts expressed
among the Mexicans as to the validity of
the California Senator's claim. While here
on visit, a few weeks ago, the financial
transactions which he consummated were
on the scale of his usual muniiicence. He
not only obtained concession, with sew
eral other capitalists from the Golden
State, for building new railroad from the
City of Mexico down to some point on the
Pacific (of which the first fifty miles are
promised to be constructed at once); but
on his own account he purchased over two
million acres Of fine coffee and sugar land,
just north of Tehuantepec. But how about
that clause in the Mexican Constitution
which denies to foreigners any right or
title to lands within certain number of
miles from either coast or border? Posi-
bly, President Diaz may set is aside for his
favorites-but where is the surety that the
next Executive may not enforce it, and
that such concessions, sooner or later, will
60 the way of the old Spanish grants, now
null and void? FANNIE b. WARD.