The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-05-02
TIE TEHUANTEPEC RAILROAD.
TIE LAST SPIKE WILL BE DRIV-
EN- IN AUGUST.
Jet1sS 10 Be Built At The Pacific
Terminus 10 Permit Ocean
Steamships TO Reach
the WharrsS.
TIE LAST SPIKE WILL BE DRIy

I The New York Times of s recent
/ date contains some information
| concerning the Tehuantepec 18th
mus railway line. A dispatch from
/ the City Of Mexico is printed which
SAYS that the last spike will be
driven in August Of this year. The
principal contractor for the work is
E. L. Cortheu of Chicago. The
Times says
The work of building the Te-
huantepec Railroad is only of min
I or importance 10 Mr.. Corthell, who
holds the far more important con-
tract Of building for the Mexican
Government au elaborate system
Of ietties on the Pacific terminus
Of the road. The harbor at the
Gulf end Of the new line is an ex-
celIent one, and ships drawing
twenty feet VIII have no difficulty
in riding there. At the Pacific
side. however, there Is only thirteen
feet Of water. and Mr.. CorthellS
contract, which involves $4,000
600, provides fo- deepening the har-
Dor by means Of the jetty system
TO eighteen OF twenty feet These
istties viii be built Of igneous lime
stone. Of volcanic origin. from the
interior Of the isthmus. The walls
viii be forty feet wide at the base.
built II with cement. Mr.. Corthell
already has considerable material
On the ground. aud it Is said that
work VIII proceed 81 once
The recent corporate history Of
the enterprise Is also given by the
times. Simon Stevens of New
York was 8 prominent mover. The
Times says
The Tehuantepec Railway Com
pzny, which was the corporate de-
signatiou Of the Stevens Company,
continued IN existence for several
years. in spite Of the withdrawal Of
government favor In 1887 the
original company sold out to syn
dictate. in which were Edward
Learlsd Of Pittsfield. George s. Coe,
Mr.. Stevens and few others. The
syndicate raised about 100000
and began work OF actual construc-
ton Il had built forty miles Of
railway when Mr.. Learned became
involved in difficulties with the
syndicate In consequence Of this
trouble some Of the syndicate op-
posed an application that had been
made 70 the Mexican Government
i0- an extension Of time within
which 10 complete the enterprise.
As the final outcome Of this matter,
Z proposition was made that the
Mexican Government buy out the
syndicate and build Z railroad It.
self The Government agreed 10
this proposition and refunded to
the syndicate the expenditures it
had made for construction and
took upon itself the work Of CON-
pIsiug the road.
The concession under which the
Stevens company was 10 operate,
provided for inter-oceanic commu-
nicatiou across the isthmus By rail-
road, carTisge-road and telegraph
line. The company was to be ex-
empt from al taxation OF imposts
Of any kind, except the payment of
5 per cent Of the net profits Of the
enterprise whenever dividends
might Be declared for the stock
holders, and Y cents for each
through passenger across the 18th
mus The right was conceded to
the company to collect portages
and transit fees, wharfage, storage,
fees for freight and passengers, and
for telegrams- But the tariff was
limited to 30 cents per league for
each passenger, 3 cents per league
foz each srrobz twenty FIVE
Pounds) Of merchandise, l Per
cent. on the the value Of precious
metal and jewels, and 10 cents per
word for kilograms. The Govern
ment agreed not to exact any i'm
post OF contribution other than
stated for { period OF seventy years
Al the concessions are Cancelled
now By the assumption OF the work
b. the Mexican Government