The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-09
MR.. EADs' SHIP RAILWAY.

Tehuantepec is to most Callfornlans
land particularly to such as have come
here since the termination of the great
civil war; an unknown land of fabulous
richness and very little we'll authenti-
Gated history. In 1860, or theresbouts,
a line of steamers was put on between
the little port of Minstitlsn and New
Orleans by two Mexican merchants,
named Hargons, after getting pledge
from the Pacific Mail company to land
at Ventosa, on this side, for the New
Orleans mails and passengers. The
transit facilities were better than those
OF the Nicaragua line, which was the
older established of the two. They had
good line of Concord wagons from
Ventosa to Suchil, at which point they
had large sidewheel river boat-built
at New Albany, Ind, and shipped out
there in q brig knocked down"-to
carry the passengers from that point to
Minatitlan. There they were met by a
steamer called the Coatzacoslcos, to
carry them to New Orleans. This boat.
had a curious history. She was built in
1916 to run on Lake ChampIain and
called the America, but was too large
for the trade, so she was brought down
the st. Lawrence. After the collapse of
the Tehusntepec scheme she WAS
brought around Cape Horn and ran
between San Francisco and San Juan
del Sur, under command OF Capt. W. l..
Merry, now a resident OF the former
city and high priest of the Nicaragua
canal scheme. The America was de-
stroyed by fire in the harbor of Realejo
/ in 1868.
During the war and for long time
afterwards the Tehuantepec scheme
took a Rip Van Wrinkle nap, until a
Mississippi stesmb ostman named James
B. Eads, being sent out there to inspect
the steamer Suchil and zee if she was
fit to risk an open sea voyage to New
Orleans. conceived the idea of ship
railway across there, as the country WAS
very level and such road could be
built with very moderate gradients.
Many of our ablest railway men pooh
poohed the idea of lifting loaded iron
steamships out of the water with their
vast cargoes unbroken, but for all that
an English company was found to go on
with the building of the road, ana q
contract was let to an Englishm an
named Chandos Stanhope, who was to
have had it done by the LIST of January
past, but has been delayed at one time
and another by scarcity of labor and g
desrth of supplies. Nevertheless, that
gentleman has announced his belief
that the road will be open for traffic by
September 1st. This is better than was
anticipated when that enterprise wac
begun.
OF course, the Nicaragua canal is what
our people want and, really, there seems
to be greater clamor for it's completion
from the states of Oregon and Washing
ton than from our own. Those states
produce articles of less value than our
own, and therefore cannot afford to pay
railway freight overland on their
products as we are doing. But until
the Nicaragua canal is built the road
across Tehuantepec will be q great aid
to Pacific coast commerce 1t will take
AZ hours to carry loaded steamship
across there by rail; and that will save
ocean stesming of nearly 1400 miles to
the lsthmus OF Panama and up on the
Atlantic eide through the dangerous
Roncsdor shoals. This means cargo
of wheat in 2S days from San Francisco
to Liverpool, or 80 days from Astoria
and 81 from Tacoma or Seattle. At
present the interest ON a cargo OF
wheat from this coast to the United
Kind:m. by sail vessel, amounts to a
very large sum of money; and the de.
crease in irteress would enable the
shipper to msst the augmented rates
OF freight by steam over rail.
The San Francisco Call in speaking on
this very subject day or two ago said
1.-THE line has an important bearing OF
traffic between the Pacific and the At
laDtic, and, provided it is kept out Of
the manipulations Of the traffic man.
ayers who preside over transportation
across the United States, much benefit
may be anticipated"
1.-THE manipula.ions OF the traffic man.
ayers" are not SO much to be dreaded a.
they were year OF eighteen montht
ago. Three OF the most important roads
across the continent are already in the
hands OF receivers, and bankrupt be-
yond all hope Of recuperation; while g
fourth was in such shape last June that
its directorate had TO mortgage valuable
real estate to meet their interest and
keep their road out of the bands of re-
ceivers. Just now it does not look as il
! any of the transcontinentsl lines Gun