The Washington herald., 1914-05-26
HISTORY BUILDERS.
Why Commodore vanderbiIt SoId His
lsthmian Route.
written Expressly for The HeraId.)
By DIR. e. J. EDwARDs,

written Expressly for The Herald)
By DIR. Il. ,. EDwARDs.
| The late Gen. Charles serrelI was, when
fhe was well past eighty years of age, occu.
pied with enthusiasm and Industry upon
proposition involving the cutting Of a
canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific
across the narrowest part Of the Isthmus
OF Panama and within the boundaries of
the Republic of Colombia
Gen. Serrell was persuaded that a tide
water canal was the best method of canal
construction by which the Atlantic and
the Pacific could be united. The route in
which he was interested would have mads
| that possible, but would have involved
| the cutting Of a tunnel through a noun
tain which stood halfway between ths
Pacific and the Atlantic
i frequently spent an hour or two with
Gen. Serrell at his Offices in New York
City. He was a short thickset man,
| whose eyes flashed with all the brilli-
ancy of youth and whose mass of gray
hair was about the only indication that
he was a man of years / asked him ons
day IL he were familiar with the Mica
raguan route, which Commodore Wander
bilt established In 1851. whereby passen-
gers and commodities to and from Cali
fornia were transported.
II certainly was familiar with that
route" Gen. Serrell replied "I had abun-
dsnt opportunities to learn all about IL.
was one of the engineers who surveyed
! the route for the Panama Canal Railroad.
My work there made it necessary to be-
come familiar with geographical condi-
tions in Central America and in Panama.
There was always q great deal OF as
constituent expressed that Commodore
Vanderbilt, who established the Nicara-
qua route to California. should have
been disposed to give it up after operat-
ing ii for only two or three years. For
a white, 1t was very profitable did
an enormous business ] recall my own
establishment when ! heard that Com
mcdore Vanderbilt had sold out and that
he was beginning to give his attention
to railroad matters.
Il presume that am the only man
now living who knows why Commodore
Vanderbilt abandoned the Nicaraguan
transportation business He did get
some of his steamers UP the rapids of
the river which flows from Nicaragua TO
the sea coast and he did succeed in hav
ing kind OF crude transit line built
| from the western end of the lake to the
Pacific coast. Yet he suddenly sold out
his interest IN this undertaking and /
| can give you the reasons.
Commodore Vanderbilt realized. after
a year or two If experience with the
NlcdrdSud route, tnat IL was NlldI lOi
permanent success that there be either a
railroad line across the Isthmus or
complete canal Other parties had built
the Panama Railroad There remained.
| therefore, only 4 true ship canal IL there
were to be competition. The commodore
| realized that il would cost an enormous
| sum II money To construct a true ship
canal across Nicaragua, even though for
| half the distance the great lake furnish
ed very adequate transportation facilities.
He was not disposed to venture upon
the construction Of the canal across Mic
aragua and. besides. his experience was
eginning to show him that the great
opportunities of the future lay in the di-
rection of railroad development That 1
have the best reason for believing is the
real reason why Commodore Vanderbilt
! sold out his interest in the Nicaragua
route between the Atlantic and the Pa
cific in the early days Of the California
gold excitement.
Copyright, lSI4 BY D.. Z. J. Edwards. All rishts
resened.J
Tomorrow DIR. Edwards will tell of a
Clear-headed Southern Railroad Pro-