The San Francisco call., 1896-01-16

I construction of the Panama and Nicaragua
canals. But the time when California will
derive benefit from those great works is
unfortunately very far. The Panama canal.
which was supposed to be constructed in
ten years time and at an expense of $120.
600, 600, has been i'll course of construction
over the allotted time and has cost more
than twice the estimated amount, though
only one-third of the work is done. That
it will be finished the perseverance and
enterprise of the French people guarantee.
but the time it will take will be exceed
ingly long. The enormous cost of the
canal will cause the charges to be very
high.
The Nicaragua canal could, in all prob
ability, be built for a great deal less than
that of Panama, but judging from the
apathy of our people in the matter it is to
be feared that the time when it will be
constructed is also very remote.
But our needs are imperative and can
not wait. One by one articles of foreign
trade are taken away from us; tea, silk
and rice from the East have been diverted
from our shores, the coffee from Guate-
mala goes 10 places in our vicinity, via
Atlantic ports. The expectation of wheat
has greatly diminished and in this wav
all the other products. AS a distributing
point San Francisco reaches a greatly
diminishing area and the circle OF cities
WIleTe we Senu our wares grows narrower
every year The commercial importance
of California depends on San Francisco
and that OF this city IN its great bay. 1t IS
now nearly useless to US, and will so re-
main until the sea freights and port
charges be considerably reduced
The only remedy at present lies in the
control of the Tehuantepec Railroad by
the citizens Of this City, and they ought to
strive to obtain it at any cost.
l.
Francisco to New Orleans by sea only
1916 miles, a saving over Panama of 1886
miles, or 1872 miles for the round trip.
Once at New Orleans the vessels could
ascend the great Mississippi and distribu
our products TO the largest Territories in
our Republic.
Another advantage of the Tehuantepec
route over that of Panama is that rhe lat
ter is in the region of the 'doldrums." or
Gains, and not available for sailing YES
sells, whereas the route by way of Tehuan-
tepec could be used by all kinds of craft.
Considering the short time that wheat
would have to be stored in vessels If the
IehuantepeC route was taken, by means of
grain elevators, 1t could be shipped in hulk
instead of sacks and the distance from
San Francisco to Liverpool, via Tehuan-
tepec, would be only 1867 miles, a saving
for round trip of over $4,000 miles over
the Cape Horn voyage. There is abundant
Water-poWer at all points across the
1sthmus of Tehuantepec, and grain eleva-
tors could be operated at a minimum cost.
But this is not all.
The Tehuantepec Railroad is the only
interoceanic road in Mexico, and the COM
pletion OF the gap from Oaxaca to Tehuan-
tepec Will connect it with all the system
OF Mexican railways. 1t will then be the
great distributor for that country, and
considering that the adjacent country to
Tehuantepec is very rich in coffee. sugar,
rubber and many other equally valuable
products it will be the means of exporting
them. San Francisco controlling that road
could regain great deal of her departed
importance.
Some years ago the Mayor of our CITY. the
Board of Trade and the Chamber of Com
merce memorialized President Diaz of
Mexico not to allow the Tehauntepec Rail
road to fall into the hands of corporations
considered inimical to the interests of this
coast. The best way to prevent that is to
secure it by our own citizens. That Gen
eral Diaz was in favor of such an arrange-
ment the writer of this article knows from
the President of Mexico himself
E. ]. MoLERA, Civil Engineer.
The French law allows prisoners whose
parents are dying to pay one visit to them
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