Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-07
MEXICAN LINE IS BOOMING
TehusntspsO Railroad, Says D. & TbOmp-
son, Has Surplus Of Traffic.
COMPLETED ACROSS OLD MEXICO NOW
Ambassador Comes 60 Omaha Go At
tend Annual Meeting Of the Co
Iumbia Fire Insurance
Company.

THE Tehuantepec railroad across Mexico
Is completed, and has more business than
Il can handle" said D. p. Thompson, am
bassador 70 Mexico, who was in Omaha
Wednesday 20 attend the annual meeting
OF the stockholders of the Columbia Fire
Insurance company, OF which he Is presi-
dent
This will not interfere at all with the
business Of the new Panama canal when
II is completed. but both win have all they
can do, and another canal will be needed
in a few generations.
IT attended the opening of that road and
also went with President Roosevelt to
Panama on his recent visit. The Tehuante-
pee railroad is rs miles long and has cost
SIS 100000. II was built by an English con-
tractor, and with wharves at each end
was to cost 100000 OF this SS50OOy0O0
has been expended and the remainder will
be used In building wharves. The business
from the start is so enormous that double
tracking win be necessary as soon as posi-
BILE. and this will make the entire cost
s150,000Oo0
when the road was completed there
were already two boats. one at each end
OF the road. ready to have their cargoes
transported across. Before these were
cared for two more boats appeared un-
announced and had to be cared for. A
boat OF 10000 tons will I'LL 300 cars, and the
road cannot now accommodate the business
which Is dumped at It's two terminals.
Reasons for ITS Success.
"There are three reasons why this road
is going to be a great success. The rail-
roads in the United States cannot now
handle the trafiic which is billed across the
water and the Mexican railroad than across
the United States. and they will handle
time freight in much less time than it can
be hauled across this continent. They
agree TO take freight from New York to
San Francisco in sixteen days. or guaran-
tee thirty days, while the average time by
way Of rail is forty days.
when Pearson, the English contractor,
took hold of this road It was simply two
streaks Of rust and not tie was in proper
shape, although each tie represented the
life Of a man. The health conditions are
now as good as are those of Omaha and
the operation of the road does not mean
the. loss Of human life.
son the Pacific side is a continuous wind
and dust storm most of the year. with little
rain. and this condition prevails to the
divide. about seventy-five miles from the
Pacific ocean. The divide is 763 feet high"
Mr.. Thompson said he was enjoying the
best of health and his looks bore out his
statement.
0hlcers of Company.
At the annual meeting Of the stockholders
OF the Columbia Fire Insurance company
these officers and directors were elected
for the coming year: ID. e. Thompson.
president; c. e. Yost, first vice president;
J. B. Dinsmore. second vice president; G.
ID. Mullen. secretary and treasurer; c. o.
Talmage. assistant secretary; directors, d.
Z. Thompson, Lincoln; H. A. Wiggenhorn,
Ashland; c. E. Yost Omaha; Henry
Ragetz, Columbus; John T. Bressler,
Wayne; ]. II. Miles. Falls City; c. d.
Mullen. Omaha; j. A. Sunderland. Omaha;
+. @. Bohanan, Lincoln.
The seventh annual statement of the COM
pany showed a net surplus of sl00,10696
The reserve required by law for the pro-
lection of outstanding risks is $4S7, 2S0 So,
and cash on hand nearly $4,000