Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-04
Tehnantepec and
Panama Traffic.

Practically 100 million dollars worth of
domestic merchandise from the United
States was transported across the 18th
muses. of Panama and Tehuantepec IN
the fiscal year 1911 via the two railway
lines connecting. In the one case, Pana-
ma on Pacific with Colon on the Allan
tie and, in the other Salina Cruz. the
Pacific terminal. and Tchuantepec with
Puerto Mexico ON the Atlantic.
Trans-isthmian traffic between the
eastern and western coasts of the United
States and between the eastern ports of
our country and Pacific coast points in
Central and South America has greatly
increased in recent years. In 1905, when
the Panama railway offered the only
rail connection via the isthmus between
the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts, the
total traffic amounted to about six million
dollars. In 1907, on January / of which
year the Tehuantepec railway became
available, the total was q million dol
lars; in 1905 ~ million: in 1909, 81 million;
in 1910. S21& million; and in 1911. 80 mill
lion dollars, exclusive of more than
three quarters Of million dollars worth
of foreign merchandise.
The growth in traffic by the respective |
routes has been, according to figures |
compiled by the Bureau of Statistics |
Department of Commerce and Labor: via |
the Panama railway, from 10 million
dollars in 1907 to &c million in 1911; and
via the Tehuantepee railway, from 111s
million in 1897 to 1894 million in 1911 In
1907 the traffic was almost equally divid-
ed between the two routes, while last
year about three-fourths of the total
was moved across the isthmus of Te-
huantepec.
OF the merchandise passing from the
Atlantic coast ports westward across the
isthmuses. aggregating 62la million dol
lars in value, four million dollars worth
went to Hawaii via Tehuantepec; 4SIa mill
lion went to Pacific coast cities, Al million
dollars worth being shipped by way of
Tehuantepec and SIC million dollars
worth by way of Panama; and little
over Sc million dollars worth went to
foreign countries, of which all but one
million dollars worth was by way of
Panama These West-bound shipments
left the Atlantic seaboard at New York
and Philadelphia. the latter's share be-
ing less than one million dollars value
and that of New York, 6lls million The
westward movement included total Of
321a million dollars value to san Fran
cisco, 10ia million to san Diego, AZ mill
lion to Seattle, nearly one million to Los
Angeles. about half million dollars
each to Tacoma and Portland, and
smaller amounts to Oakland and other
Pacific coast points. About Soc of this
traffic was moved via the Isthmus of Te-
huantepec To foreign countries the ship
ment from the Atlantic coast cities, ag
gregating So million dollars in 1911 as
against 81 million year earlier, were
distributed to Peru, two million dollars;
| to Colombia. IL million: Ecuador and
Chile. each about one million: to Central
America, over two million, and to Can
| ada about 10000
Hawaiian sugar supplies more than half
| of the east bound traffic TO cities on the
| Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United
States. The total eastward movement
| last year represented 3 million dollars,
/ of which Is million was sugar shipped
direct from Hawaii via Tehuantepcc to
| Delaware Breakwater for orders. In adj
| dtion to this 16 million dollars worth of
| miscellaneous merchandise moved from
| san Francisco to the Atlantic and Gulf
| coast cities, chiefly New York, Boston,
| Philadelphia. aud New Orleans. 912 mil
| lion dollars worth being via Panama
and 615 million via Tehuantepee. East
ward shipments from Puget Sound via
| the isthmuses totaled II million dollars,
| destined mostly for New York and
| Charleston. Small shipments We're also
| made from Astoria and San Diego.
| The following table shows the value, IN
millions of dollars, of merchandise
shipped from ports of the United States
| to other domestic ports or to foreign
| countries by way of the Isthmuses of
Panama and Tehuantepec in each year
from 1906 to 1911:
TRAFFIC VIA PANAMA AND TE-
HUANTEPEG, 1906 to 1911