The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-09
TEHUANTEPEC
AND HAWAII
Interesting Statistics Concern
ing lsthmian Route for
Island Freight.

worth of merchandise originating il
United States territory crossed TIL
isthmuses of Panama and Tehuantepe,
in 1907, most of it being interchanget
between the Eastern and Western portt
of the United States, including the Ha
waiian Islands in this term. This tota
of more than forty millions of trans
| isthmian traffic in merchandise orig
mating under the American flag is
more than three times as much as that
of any earlier year.
This sudden and large increase in
the interchanges between Atlantic and
| Pacific ports via the narrow strip of
| land which separates those oceans is
| chiefly due to the opening, early in
| 1907. if the Tehuantepec Railway,
| which connects the waters of those two
| oceans by land haul of but 100 miles,
its termini being COatzacoalcos on the
Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico side and
Salina Cruz on the Pacific side. This
enterprise of connecting the two
oceans was planned before the con-
structiOn on the earliest transconti-
mental railway in the United States,
the first concession for the road hav.
ing been granted bv the Mexican Gov
eminent in 1857. This and subsequent
concessions having failed to produce
results, the Mexican Government in
1882 itself took up the work, making
a series of contracts under which
road was completed from ocean to
ocean in 1894, but owing to defective
conditions its partial reconstruction
hnaapno no chic ca
ton was accomplished through part
nership arrangement entered into by
the Mexican Government with Brit
ish firm, the road having been actual
ly opened for business in January,
1907 Modern steel docks at the
Eastern and Western termini permit
the transfer by steam and electric
power of merchandise from the hold
of the vessel direct to the car standing
on the dock alongside the vessel and
the retransfer from car to vessel by
the same manner The time occupied
in shipment across the isthmus is less
than twenty-four hours, and the entire
time occupied in the transfer from the
hold of one vessel to that of the other
vessel less than forty-eight hours. Reg
ularly established steamship lines now
run between Coatzacoalcos at the Gulf
end and Philadelphia and New York,
and between Salina Cruz at the Pacific
end to the Western ports of the United
States and the Hawaiian islands, while |
various lines connecting with foreign
countries also touch at the Eastern and |
Western termini.
Meantime the Panama route mate |
rally increased its business over that |
Of the preceding year, despite the fact |
that large demands are made upon it |
in the transportation of material for
use in the construction of the isthmian |
canal. The value of merchandise orig |
mating in United States ports and |
shipped over that line to other parts /
of the United States or foreign coun-
tries amounted during the year to be- |
tween twelve and fifteen million dot |
ars. Of this, about four million dol
lars worth was merchandise sent
from New York to Central and South
American countries fronting on the
Pacific, while between two and three
million dollars worth was merchan
lise sent from San Francisco to the
Eastern ports of the United States.
The shipments via Panama from New
York to the west coast ports of the
United States were distributed to San
Diego. Santa Barbara, Los Angeles
Oakland. San Francisco, Portland, Sc
title and Spokane, and those to for
ign countries by this route include
lille. Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colon
iia. Panama. Costa Rica. Honduras,
Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and the
British Columbia ports of Canada.
these include practically. all classes Of
but more especially
heats, -four, cotton goods, mineral oil,
mining machinery. manufactures of
ron and steel, and miscellaneous man.
features. The movements from San
francisco via Panama to the Eastern
orts were sent to Tampa. Philadel
hia. New York, New Haven and Bos
IN. and include wines, pig lead, quick
liver, hides and skins, and miscel
lneous merchandise.
The distance between New York and
an Francisco is, direct by land, 3191
lies; via Tehuantepec, AIS miles;
ia Panama. 5305 miles. and via Ma I
elan Strait, 1909 miles From New !
ork to Port Townsend direct the dis
lnce is 3199 miles; via Tehuantepec,
100 miles; via Panama, $3.50 miles,
nd via Magellen Strait. 13,S4S miles.
rom New York to Honolulu direct
ia San Francisco the distance is 52S8
lies; via Port Townsend, 1869 miles;
"a Tehuantepec. 5S06 miles; via Pa
,ra 66S6 miIaS on6 via NTaUalIau | 6