Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-08-19
THE TWO OCEANS JOINED.
COMPLETION OF THE renuANrE-
rec RAILROAD ACROSS PANAMA.
Huntington Wanted to buy II. hut
HIS oner Was Refuscd--The Advan-
'nses OF the Read TO Pacific Coast
observation-disclosures History,

Tehuantepec Railroad. connecting
the Pacific with the Atlantic ocean, be-
gun fifteen years ago. is Just now com-
pleted and ready for inspection by the
government officials Of New Mexico.
says the san Francisco Can.
The work has been so long under way
that even business men whose interests
1t deeply affects have lost track Of it,
and the news of It's completion comes
with something of the effect Of reve-
lation.
For it is considered by wldeawake
merchants that scarcely too much i'm
portance can be attached to Il In these
days Of the throttlng of commerce by
railroad monopoly and of the deferred
hope of the Nicaragua canal,
The Tehuantepec Railroad touches
the Pacific at salina Cruz, passes
through region fertile with tropical
products ana reaches the Gulf of Next
CO at Coatzacoalcos. From water TO
water it Is 2O5 miles and It's highest
grade reaches but 200 feet above the
sea.
IL cuts on about one-third Of the dis
lance 10 New Orleans and one-htth Of
the distance to New York
How much this means to the NOR
chants and shippers VI San Francisco
can hardly be said.
What IT means to the man whose
hand is ON the throat of their trade
can be understood when IL Is known
that he. L. Auntington-has recent
ly renewed former attempt to pur-
chase it outright.
But the Tehuantepec road was built
by the government, to be used and
operated by the government, and presi-
dent Dlnz has refused the offer ana eN-
ptesses a determination TO keep 1t Out
OF corporate and private hands,
II he does SO san Francisco, Calf
! fornia and the Pacific coast will have
competing road-uibelt it is Somewhat
south OF us. With shortened time and
distance on the water route, as this viii
afford IN effect, shippers will no longer
be wholly at the mercy Of the southern
Pacific.
This was the opinion Of business men
generally as given yesterday Wherever
the subject was discussed.
The inspection viii take place In due
form In n few days, when II viii be
turned over to the government by the
contractors, and AIeNieans IN the city
familiar with the matter say II viii be
thrown open for traffic within few
weeks.
An iron quay is being constructed at
] Sallna Cruz, and the depth OF water
which is now only twelve feet at Coat
2acoalcos-will have to be increased so
as TO admit Of the approach OF the
| heaviest merchant vessels This Will
| extend the period OF its great utility to
| this coast. but only for q short time.
! There can be no doubt that the exc
/ pectations that this road will be one OF
| the most profitable IN the world Will
| be fully realized, as It will be IN CONF
| petition for a very large part of the
! traffic OF the transcontinental railways.
The completion OF the last division
OF the road was undertaken last Mo-
vember by j. Hampson of Kansas City
and Chandos Stanhope OF England, the
Mexican congress having appropriated
Si5,000O 900 for the purpose. The entire
road was very costly, as much of It
passes through swamps. These Diff
oulties, with political changes, have
caused the long. delay
Besides this road there are three
other roads which Il is expected will
soon be completed, connecting the At
| lantic with the Pacific These are the
| Mexico, Cuernaraca and Pacific; the
! South Mexican and the Mexican In
! tcrnationul