Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-19
.|STHMUS FREIGHT
TOTALS MILLIONS
Government Reports on Merchan-
disc Moved Across Panama
and Tehuantepec in Year
AMAZING GROWTH OF TRADE
Sugar Sent from Hawaii for
Eastern Cities Figures in
Enormous Quantity
AMAZING GROWTH OF TRADE
Especial to The Herald)

Especial to The Herald
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18.-Eighty-two
million dollars worth of merchandise
originating in the United States crossed
the Isthmuses of Panama and Tehuan-
tepec last year. Most of this merchan-
disc was moved across the isthmuses
for the mere purpose of transferring it
from one great section of the United
States to another section from the
eastern to the western coast, or from
the western coast and the Pacific
islands to the eastern coast. Fifty mil
lion dollars worth OF this grand total
originated on the eastern coast and
moved westward across the isthmuses,
four-fifths of 1t passing thence north
ward to the Pacific coast of the United
States, the other one-fifth being dis
tributed along the Pacific coasts of
Mexico Central and South America.
The other $32,000,000 worth of this
grand total moved eastWardly across
the isthmuses, tWo-thirds of it origi-
Mating in Hawaii and the remainder
along the western coast of the United
States. The Hawaiian sugar destined
for the eastern coast of the United
States, which formerly made the trip
by sailing vessels around Cape Horn,
now passes by steamer to the 1sthmuS
of Tehuantepec, is there transferred to
the railway, carried across the isthmus
and again placed on steamers passing
thence to the refinerieS at Philadelphia
and New York. The steamers carrying
this sugar return from New York load
ed with general merchandise, which is
transferred to the Tehuantepec rail-
way, crossing the isthmus, and re-
transferred to steamers which pass up
the western coast of the United States
to San Diego, San Francisco and Puget
sound, and then, returning to Hawaii,
reload with sugar for the eastward
trip.
RAILWAY FACILITATES TRADE
This transisthmian traffic between
the eastern and western coasts of the
United States and between the eastern
coast of the United States and the
western coast of Central and South
America has greatly increased in re-
cent years. In the fiscal year 1906 it
aggregated but $S.0O0.000; in 1910 it was
over $50, 100000, or ten times as much.
This increase is the result in part of
the opening, on January l, 1907, of the
railway across the Isthmus of Tehuan-
tepec, Mexico, 100 miles in length, OPP
Grated in conjunction with lines OF
ocean steamers at either end and sup
piled with facilities for transferring
freight from steamer to railway and
from railway to steamer. The value OF
its traffic in merchandise originating
in and destined for ports of the United
States has grown from about $25, 900, 900
in the calendar year 1907, the first year
of it's operation, to $70,000,000 in the
fiscal year 1910. In the meantime the
value of American merchandise cross
ing by way OF the Panama railway,
largely occupied at the present time
with the service incident to the con-
struction of the Panama canal. has
grown from $9,500,000 in the fiscal year
1907 to $12, $50, 900 in the fiscal year 1910.
Practically all the American traffic
carried across the Isthmus of Tehuan-
tepec passes between the eastern and
western coast ports of the United
States, including the Hawaiian islands,
while about three-fourths of that car
ried over the Panama line passes be-
tween ports OF the United States, and
about two-fifths between domestic
ports and ports of foreign countries.
OF the SAL 000,0 worth of American
passing westward over
the Tehuantepec line last year, $23, ,OO0,-
900 worth went to San Francisco;
So, 900, 900 to San Diego; si,5O000O worth
to Puget sound; $3,500,000 worth to
Hawaii; and s750,00O worth to foreign
countries, Central America, Mexico and
British Columbia. OF the $2S0OO,O 900
worth passing eastward over the Te-
nuanIepeC line, 4zU,VuU,uuU WOItll, CilSiiy
sugar. was from Hawaii, $6000,O 900 from
San Francisco. and $1,S3S,000 worth
from Puget sound. OF the $9,250,000
worth passing westward over the Pan
anna line, $5, ,000,O worth was destined
for foreign countries on the west coast
of America and $4250,000 worth to the
Pacific coast of the United States,
chiefly San Francisco; while of the
SO, 500. 900 worth passing eastward over
that line, the entire amount was from
the port of San Francisco.
This large and rapidly growing traffic
between the eastern coast of the United
States and western ports of America
consists as relates to the westward
of miscellaneous merchan-
disc, while about one-third of the
eastern movement is miscellaneous
and about two-thirds
sugar from Hawaii. All of the west
bound merchandise for western ports
of the United States or ports of foreign
countries fronting upon the Pacific was
shipped from the port of New York,
while of that passing eastward across
the transisthmian lines $20,000,000 was
from Hawaii, so, 900 from San Fran
cisco and $1,3OO.000 worth from Puget