The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-01
WILL NOT STANDY
No Artificial Harbors for the 18th
milan Canal.
From the Boston Journal.

From the Boston Journal.
1note in the issue of your paper. I'M
der the head of Wave Leaped from
the Ocean," late reports from Salina
Cruz, the Pacific terminus of the Te-
huantepec Railway.
I would respectfully call your atten-
ton to an article that appeared in
your paper May s, wherein the writer
states as follows: "In these modern
timess nothing appears impossible to
the hand and brain of man, backed by
the almighty dollar. Yet l doubt if the
man is yet born, even If backed by the
wealth of the United States govern
ment, who can build an artificial har-
Dor of safety that will stand a Pacific
sea with a Nicaraguan volcano rumb-
ling at its entrance"
The report you have from Salina
Cruz are proof positive that that state
ment was correct. If one wave can lift
blocks of stone weighing from thirty
to fifty tons in a partially sheltered
harbor as Salina Cruz is. what would
it do, we ask, in an open to the broad
Pacific one. as Brito is?
Salina Cruz is situated at the head of
the Gulf of Tehuantepec. From it's cone
shaped formation it is sheltered from
the north, east and west Brito has no
SueIleT DuI lTOIH Inc east. For the past
year or more the firm of Pearson e,
Son (British), with unlimited capital.
with all that modern science up to date
can produce, have been building an ar
tlftcial haI"bor, or trying to finish what
nature left undone, in order to fur
nish shelter, or port, for ships to load
and discharge their cargoes at the
western terminus of the Tehuantepec
National Railway-one wave, one
storm, has wiped out months of labor.
with loss Of half million dollars.
To the writer's personal knowledge
the Mexican government a few years
ago contracted with an American frm
to build pier, at cost of $3.50 900,
the pier to extend 300 feet from the
shore, at this same port of Salina Cruz,
in order that cargoes could be loaded
onto launches, then transferred to
ships, or vice versa. Hydraulic power
was used to sink the piles, they being
of steel, guaranteed to stand not only
Pacific storms and sea, but any reac-
ton that might occur from a second
deluge. The government waited three
months before accepting 1t, in order to
satisfy itself 1t would stand. Twenty
four hours after ii was accepted a
storm swept the Gulf with the usual
sea. When daylight broke naught re-
NAMED Of the costly pier but a few
DAphch SbCCi pipes lldl SHOWcu NHSlE
broken ends above the water as the
undertow receded from the shore.
Eighty miles south of Salina Cruz is
the port of Louala. The broken pile
heads and shore ends is all there is
left Of another pier built under the
same circumstances and for like pur-
pose. The port of San Benito, Ill
miles south of Louala, has the ribs and
trucks Of what was once a costly pier
wiped out under the same circum-
stances.
These are silent but living witnesses
of how far up TO date, mans power
can control wind and water over a VOL
canic bottom and broad Pacific top
The adherents of the Nicaragua
route have but to take the experiences
Of others in building artificial harbors
on the Pacific side as a guide before
they try their haAd at Brlle.