THE TEHUANTEPEC SHIP PAILWAY 
(55 
Mexican republic in 1824 invited proposals to open the isthmian 
route, but internal dissensions delayed action. In 1842 Santa 
Anna granted a charter to Jose de Garay, but the only tangible 
result was the complete survey of the isthmus by Gaetano iNIoro, 
an able Italian engineer. In 1850 efforts to negotiate treaty 
rights for the United States in this respect failed ; but by the 
Tehuantepec Railroad Company, chartered l)y Mexico, exhaust- 
ive surveys of the route were made, under the direction of Gen. 
J. G. Barnard, U. S. A., hy Mr J. J. Williams, whose report of 1852 
is the most complete ever published. In 1868 the Loui.siana 
Tehuantei)ec Company conducted a large trans])ortation Imsi- 
ness of freight and passengers over a partly built Avagon road, 
but its charter of 1857 AA^as soon forfeited. The life of tlie La 
Sere grant of 1867, nullified in 1879, AA^as marked l)y the active 
interest of the United States in the proldem of interoceanic com- 
munication. In 1870 Commodore Shufeldt, sailing Avith an able 
corj)s of army and navy assistants, exhaustively surveyed Te- 
lAuantepec and Nicaragua, and in his report strongly advocated 
the Tehuantepec route for its many adA'antages. Mexico coop- 
erated in an independent survey under Sehor M. F. Leal, noAV 
her secretary of })ublic Avorks. 
It Avas President Diaz Avho initiated railroad construction and 
has so earnestly persisted in efforts to open an international route 
aenjss this isthmus. Under the charter of 1878 Mr EdAvard 
Learned, an American, constructed 22 miles, receiving a sul)sidy 
of 812,000 })er mile, but in 1882 he surrendered his charter to 
tlie Mexican go A'ernment, receiving, l)y arbitration under charter 
pnn'isions, 8125,000 in Mexican sih'er and 81,500,000 in gold. 
These futile i)riA'ate effijrts led Mexico to undertake the AAork 
herself; Imt she soon rcA'erted to the contract .system, and undei- 
Mr 1). Sanchez, a Mexican, some miles of track Avere laid on the 
Atlantic and Pacific sides at an expense of 81,484,185 in Mexican 
silver. In 1882 a loan of £2,700,000 AA'as negotiate<l, and Mr E. 
Me.Murdo, of London, contracted to repair the track built and 
complete the road pro|)cr. Much Avork Avas done, but Mr Mc- 
Murdo di(;d and the contract AA'as abrogated, tlu' company hav- 
ing failed to comply Avith its terms. Some 82,000,000 of Mexican 
silvia* remained, and Avith this sum and an additional ai)pro|)ri- 
ation of 81,111,985 in silver Messrs ( .'4. Stanho])e, J. IL llanip- 
son, and F. L. Corthell completed tin* railroad in 1804. Mc'xico 
now operates it and is spending 81,990.000 in gold, under a con- 
tract with Mr S. Ilermanos, to perfect the e<|uipment and (iidsh 
6 
