The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-02
THE INTERNATIONAL RAILROAD.

A preliminary report has been made to the
State Department by the InteTcontinental
Railway Commission. That body was
charged by Congress with the duty of aScer-
tanning whether the railroad system Of
South America could be connected with the
railroad system of North America at 4 rea-
Sonable cost and within moderate period
Of time. In these days there are no such
things as engineering impossibilities. I'm
broken lines of rail connect Naples with
Paris and Madrid with Berlin. 1t IS diff
cult to find harder country than these
roads traverse. But when the Italian and
Spanish lines were built cost was a second
airy consideration, and there was plenty Of
time to spare. In the present case, If the
engineers should report that the ENTERPRISE
will consume an unexpected number Of
millions. Congress would probably be SLOW
to appropriate the money.
The present southern terminus OF the
northern system Of railroad is point at or
near Tehuacan, in the State OF Puebia, IN
Mexico, close TO the parallel OF Is 10 north
latitude. 1t IL ay be said broadly that south
If this point, until Lima IS struck, in ~
south, there is little or no railway track
laid " ich would form part Of an intercon-
tinental line. There is a short piece of road
running north and south in Costa Rica, from
Carriage to San Jose, aud there are few
short roads running from seaport to sea-
port in Colombia and Peru. But as gen.
eral rule the railroads of Central and South
America, such as they are, run east and
west and do not compete with the water
lines Of transportation along the coast Such
are the Guatemala road, from San Jose de
Guatemala to Guatemala City, and the Pan
ANA road, from Panama to Colon. The
projected International line would thus have
to find its own way through new country.
To get out Of Mexico it would have TO
cross Southern PUebla, 0aXaca and CHA
pas, three States with a broken mountain
Gus country and streams running east and
west The only valley which offers a suit
able territory for raiirOading in the direc-
ton required is the valley Of the 1ehuante-
pee. in which a railroad was projected thirty
years age, and a few miles actually graded
in 1885. Still the engineering difficulties Of
this part of the route are not insuperable
In Guatemala. besides the San Jose line, an
another short line, running from the sea-
coast into the coffee plantations, was opened
few years ago. Both roads run east and
west. But along the Pacific shore IN Guate-
mala. as in Salvador there is a strip Of ailu-
vial territory along the beach which is prac-
ticable for railroad. In Costa RIGA the
existing line on the San Jose platean
might be extended to the Pacific. 1t
is now running to Port LlmOn,
on the Atlantic. But the construction
Of north and south railroad along the
isthmus from David to the valley Darien
# the Atrato would encounter obstacles
that at first sight seem almost insurmount-
able. Everybody knows what the forty
nine miles Of the Panama road cost. There
is no reason to believe that a cross line
through that portion of the Continent where
lateral pressure forced up the mountain
range into broken masses Of cliff and preci-
pice would be less expensive. As to the
twenty degrees Of latitude which the road
would have to traverse from the Atrato to
the meridian of Lima no one can form q
conjecture as to what II would cost, as the
region is unexplored. But it is known that
il is mountainous, cut up by steep ranges
and the beds OF tropical tOrrents-peThapS
tie most difficult country in tie world tC
build railway through. All this will be
better known when the commission make;
its second report.
If the railroad is feasible and Congress;
should be willing to appropriate part of the
money required, the next question will bt
| what VIII be the good OF it when it is built
There is no traffic or intercourse between
| North and South America which could sup.
port a railroad. The owners Of the line now
| ruDni 2 from Ei Paso to the City Of Mexico
! find it exceedingly difficult TO meet working
! expenses. There is no local traffic vhatso
ever and no prospect Of any. Yet it run;
! through a better country than the inter
! national line would traverse. As a military
! enterprise the latter would possess little
merit. 1t would enable the United States Il
! throw troops into Peru or Chile if they were
attacked by a European power. But the
! theater of such a war; if il broke out, which
| is most unlikely, would not be on the cOas
! of South America, but at much more vita
! points. The only ground upon which the
| proposed railroad can be justified is the sup.
! posed political advantage that would flow
! from it; and that few persons of ordinary
! Int olo 70