The Morning News

BLAINE'S GREAT SCHEME.

STEPS TOWARD AN INTER-CONTINENTAL RAILROAD.

The Commissioners Appointed by the South and Central American Governments and the United States to Meet in Washington.

From the Commercial Advertiser.

The first steps toward the realization of Secretary Blaine's plan of a grand trunk railroad connecting the north with the southern continent of America, and linking together the Central American states between, will be taken in a few days at the meeting of the inter-continental railway commission in Washington. Delegates from the South and Central American governments are now on their way to the capital to meet the commissioners appointed by the United States government.

The representatives of the United States are Alfred J. Cassatt of Pennsylvania, George M. Pullman of Illinois and Henry G. Davis of West Virginia. The project has been welcomed with enthusiasm by the Central and South American states, and there at present seems no reason to doubt its practicability. The execution of the plan was, at first, declared in some quarters, to be beyond the possibilities of engineering skill. Now, however, the difficulties in the way of such a work are stated to be all surmountable.

The project as outlined in the report of the committee on railway communication of the international American conference, does not propose the construction of a new railroad from one end of the proposed system to the other, but the general plan being to connect the principal cities of the several states which it is proposed to traverse, it is proposed to make use of the railroads already constructed, which are so situated as to be available as links in the great inter-continental chain. Much of the work required for the execution of the plan, its promoters claim, has already been done for them. The report of the committee of the international conference referred to contains a description of the possible routes, showing the extent of roads already built of which advantage may be taken.

A glance, it says, at the map of the western hemisphere will show that in the north the railways of the United States extend east and west, north and south. They join those of Mexico at several points, and extend in several lines southward to the City of Mexico, whence lines have been projected to the boundary of Central America. One is under construction. Again, in South America, railways cover the southern part in all directions, converge northward and proceed onward in a single line. The railway systems of the United States reach the frontier at four points, Nogales, El Paso, Eagle Pass and Laredo. At Nogales, the Sonora road extends to Guaymas, from which point another line is projected southward along the Pacific coast as far as Mazatlan, and indeed to Guerrero, which would eventually connect it with the City of Mexico. From El Paso, which is 2,456 miles from New York, and 1,286 from San Francisco, the Mexican Central railroad goes 1,224 miles to the City of Mexico. From Eagle Pass 2,053 miles from New York, and 1,819 miles from San Francisco, the Mexican International to Torreon on the Mexican Central, 348 miles, and thence to the City of Mexico, in all 1,001 miles, and from Laredo, 1,187 miles from New York, the Mexican National, 831 miles to the City of Mexico. The City of Mexico may then be taken as another starting point. The Mexican Southern has been projected from the City of Mexico through Puebla, Tehuacan, Oaxaca, etc., to Tehuantepec, and thence along the coast to the frontier of Guatemala, 768 miles. A line is already in operation 183 miles south of the City of Mexico, and the line above mentioned is under construction. A great portion is already surveyed, the remainder will soon be located, and it is believed that the construction will be completed at no distant day. A branch was projected from Tehuantepec to San Christobal.

From the City of Mexico there is another route. The Mexican railway may be taken to Vera Cruz, 263 miles, and then the Alvarado road to Alvarado, thirty-four miles, or 297 miles in all. This latter road has a concession for an extension to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Continental railway, projected from Matamoros along the gulf coast, will also follow this route south of Vera Cruz. None of this latter line has been surveyed, but for a portion of the distance there is a level strip of land between the coast and mountains which would permit of a railway. Yet the mountains at places approach the coast very closely. From Alvarado to Minatitlan, on the isthmus would be about 110 miles. At this point the Tehuantepec railway might be used to Tehuantepec in a southeasterly direction, following the cart roads into the interior to the city of San Christobal, 200 miles further, or 607 miles in all from the City of Mexico, and from that point the same general direction to the frontier of Guatemala. The heights on the isthmus are moderate, but the country to the eastward has not been surveyed. As an alternative line this would not be any more difficult of construction than the Mexican Southern; that its length is less makes it worthy of consideration, and being in the interior, it would have a healthier situation.

After considering further particulars of the available routes, the report adds: Thus to carry communication through Central America from the City of Mexico requires about 1,700 miles of railway, of which 293 miles are already constructed and in operation, 780 miles are under construction and survey and 625 remain still to be located. Calculations based on the known difficulties to be encountered in construction and the cost of lines similarly situated, already built give an estimated cost per mile of about $37,000.

In South America, the report continues, the railways of Chili, Argentine, Uruguay and Paraguay and Brazil are already so united, or soon to be united, as to form great systems. Lines have also been projected in Peru and Bolivia, which will eventually unite with those south of them, carrying real communication as far north as Cuzco, in Peru, about 2,189 miles from Buenos Ayres. North of this little has been done that will be of use in the inter-continental line.

To bridge the gap between the point to which the northern connections have been traced in Central America and the southern in South America, the northern route must be projected from Costa Rica across the Isthmus of Panama, of whose topography very little is known aside from the surveys made along the routes of the projected interoceanic canals. The point in South America to be reached first is Quibdo, in Columbia, from which point several routes to the south are open, the most feasible of which seems to be that across the central plateau to Quito. A railroad has been projected to Quito from Sibambe, 150 miles south, to which point the line from Guayaquil is now being constructed. From Sibambe connections can be made with the Argentine line from Jujuy. From Cuzco, in Peru, to the railways of Costa Rica, about 2,300 miles, is the one long link which the intercontinental line will be called upon to construct, for from Cuzco south to Buenos Ayres or Valparaiso railways are already built or projected. To sum up: From the southern terminus of the railways in operation in Mexico to the northern terminus of the Argentine system is about 4,900 miles. In this distance there are already constructed about 230 miles which can be used in the through line, 1,500 miles are under construction and survey, and there remain 2,870 miles to be located in order to complete the line that will eventually unite the republics of the western hemisphere.