Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-04-21

way of the Isthmus railways and
steamship lines amounted to practically
50 million dollars in value in l9os
a marked increase over any earlier
year.
Two railway lines now carry freight
across the narrow neck of land con-
Meeting North and South America;
one at the Isthmus OF Panama, the
other at the Isthmus Of Tehuantepec.
One of these railways, that OF Pa
mama, is 40 miles in length; the
other, at Tehuantepec. 100 miles. The
one at Panama owned by the govern
ment is of course, largely deVoteu
to work and traffic growing out OIL
the construction Of the Panama Ca
nal: the one at Tehuantepec. 1870 miles
in length. constructed chiefly with
British capital and controlled in part
at least by the Mexican Government.
is built especially for the purpose OF
handling freights between the Allan
tic and Pacific. and, although opened
only at the beginning of 1907, carried
during 1907 and 1908 between 60 and
20 million dollars worth OF mer-
chandise passing between the Atlant-
&c and Pacific ports of the United
States
These figures, relating to this com
paratively new traffic route between
the eastern and western ports Of the
Uniter States. are compiled from re-
ports received by the Bureau of Sta
tistics OF the Department Of Com
EMERGE and Labor. They show that
The Tehuantepec Railway. which cross
cs the Isthmus at Tchuantepec in the
southern part of Mexico carrying the
freights received from the steamship
lines plying between the great ports OF
the United States and it's eastern and
western termini, carried in the first
year of it's Observation-Disclosures
% and 80 million dollars worth
of merchandise; and in the second
year-l90S-nearly So million dol
lars worth. The Panama Rail-
road. engaged chiefly as above
suggested in work on behalf OF the
Panama canal. carried in 1907 about
- million dollars worth of merchan-
disc originating in the United States
and bound either for other ports OF
this country or for foreign countries
and in 1908 about 9 II million dol
lars worth.
OF the merchandise crossing by
way of the Panama Railway, IL
million dollars worth moved from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, and only 1T
tie over million dollars worth from
the Pacific to the Atlantic. OF the IL
millions crossing from the Atlantic
side to the Pacific coast by the Pana-
ma line, 2 81 millions was destined
ito the western port of the United
States, and "a millions to foreign
countries located upon the Pacinc
coast tf North and South America,
little ever 1 million dollars worth 60
ing to Ecuador; nearly a million to
Peru: nearly a million to Salvador;
three-fourths million to Panama. near
" one million each to Honduras
and Nicaragua: one-third mill
lion each to Colombia and the ives
tern coast of Mexico. OF the "a mil
lions from the eastern to the western
coast by way OF Panama practi-
cally all originated at New York
and nearly all was sent to San Fran
cisco. The eastbound merchandise
passing through Panama amounted
to a little more than million dollars
and was shipped exclusively from San
Francisco all Of 1t to New York CITY.
The business Of the Tehuantepec
line. although much larger in its value
than that OF the Panama route was
confined almost exclusively to lusi-
ness between the eastern and western
norts of the United States, including
Islands. which are now a customs DIS
however, in this term the Hawaiian
trict Of the United States. or the
nearly 80 million dollars worth OF
merchandise passing over the Teh'ran-
tcpcc line in 1903. little over 81
million dollars worth moved from the
Pacific end. destined for ports on the
eastern coast Of tne United States;
ana 10 1-Z "hhou ~
moved from tie States: and is IL
million dollars worth moved from the
eastern end. destined to Pacific ports.
or the q million dollars worth OF
merchandise received at the Pacific
terminus Of the Tehuantepee road
and moved eastwardly. II - million
dollars. worth was from Hawaii. be-
ing almost exclusively sugar; while
between 3 and 4 million dollars worth
originated on the Pacific coast. chiefly
a. San Francisco. being composed Of
miscellaneous merchandise or the
Is IL million dollars worth passing
xcstwardly over the Tehuantepec line,
IL IL millions Vas sent to ports on
the Pacific coast-San Francisco, san