The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-10
BINDING THE CONTINENTS.

The first step has been taken toward
binding North and South America together
by an iron chain of railroad; the survey
ing parties appointed under the act OF 1890
have completed their task, and are now
engaged in drawing the maps from their
field notes. The usual red tape forbids the
revelation of the route which they have
chosen as the most available. but it is
vaguely stated that it starts from point
on the Tehuantepec road in Mexico which
is now approaching completion, and runs
down into Colombia, probably TO some
point in the valley Of the Atrato. A dis
patch from Washington alleges that its
southern terminal is in Bolivia, but there
is no reason to suppose that the surveyors
pushed their way through Colombia.
Ecuador and Peru. The length of the
route surveyed is given as 1000 miles; as
the crow flies, it is less than eighteen de-
grees of latitude.
The difficulty of the survey was to find
line through the exceedingly broken coun-
try in Central America 1t was compare
lively easy to trace a practicable line
through the nearly level pateauX which
border the Pacific in Guatemala and San
it became necessary to strike eaStwardly
so as to leave the coast range on the west
Of the line. In this part of the country
the road must necessarily adhere to the
great depression in which Lake Nicaragua is
situated, and difficult country must have
been encountered when the line crossed
the east and west range TO get into Costa
Rica. In that State, again, an easy line
could be followed to the State of Panama
in Colombia, But when the Colombian
border was crossed, the region from the
point of crossing to the Atrato Valley in
South America must have presented ex-
traOrdinary obstacles. 1t is surprising to
hear that they were easily surmounted.
AT the time the route for the Panama
Railroad was selected the narrow portion
of the iSt mus was thoroughly surveyed.
1t was painted by the surveyors in such
harsh colors that in forty years no rival
road across the narrow neck Of land has
been seriously contemplated. The whole
of that portion of the isthmus was uplifted
by lateral pressure operating on region
already distorted by volcanic disturbance.
1t is a region of chaotic upheaval. The
engineers have been lucky if. as is stated,
of it to the other.
If the survey presents the enterprise
in a practicable share it will then be in
order to consider how the money can be
provided for the construction of the road.
1t will be waste time to think of appealing
to private capital. If we except the par
ailei lines in this State and the illinois
Central, there is hardly a single North
and South railroad on this con tinent which
paws expsn ses. All the paying roads run
east and west. That is the case in the
South as well as in the North. The Mexi-
can National and the Mexican Interna-
tional are both enterprises for the future.
1t would be money In the pockets of their
present owners to take off the trains. A
Central and South American lire running
from Tehauntepec to the vicinity of
Bogeta del Fe would command even less
business. There is no traffic between the
two points and no local traffic conld arise
in this or the next generation between
points on the route.
If the road is built in our time it will be
built like the Can adam Pacifc-as a po-
litical enterprise and a military road. II
would have to be considered as practical
a line of road from Ell Paso TO Valparais O..
running through the centers of population
in Mexico. Central and South America.
this country would be in position to pre-
vent European encroachments on the
western side Of this continent. 1t would
enable us to protect effectively Mexico. the
Central American States, Colombia, Ecua-
dor, Peru. Bolivia and Chile. The ques-
ton which Congress will have to consider
when the reports of the surveyors are laid
before it Is whether this gain would
be worth the expense. 1t is posi-
Bile that in the evolution of the diff
fcult problems which are growing
out of large immigration and declin-
ing tendency of wages factor which will
cut some figure in the discussion will be
the demand the enterprise would create Tor