The isthmus of Tehuatepec: being the results of a survey for a railroad to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, made by the Scientific Commission under the direction of Major J. G. Barnard, with a résumé of the geology, climate, local geography, productive industry, fauna and Flora of that...

Front matter

I. hi, .,./ ,727.,. v .(■ Major Miv&o.-k TEHUANTEPEC FROM CERRO DEL TIGRE From Jfatw. by J Miillai;, THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC: BEING THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY FOR A RAILROAD TO CONNECT THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS, MADE BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMISSION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MAJOR J. G. BARNARD, IT. S. ENGINEERS. WITH A RESUMlS OF THE GEOLOGY, CLIMATE, LOCAL GEOGRAPHY, PRODUCTIVE INDUSTRY, FAUNA AND FLORA, OF THAT REGION. §llfflfaartril mitjf ntutimras Baps nnfr tf ngrnnings. ARRANGED AND PREPARED FOR THE TEHUANTEPEC RAILROAD COMPANY OF NEW ORLEANS, BT J. J. WILLIAMS, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT ENGINEER. NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 200 BROADWAY. M DCCC Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by B. Fallon, Secretary of the Tehuantept-c Railroad Company of New Orleans, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. — — -^^

Preface

. In presenting to the public the results of the recent survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, I cannot restrain the expression of regret that these results, foreshadowing as they do an enter prise calculated to effect a great commercial revolution, and fraught with so many mutual benefits to the United States and to Mexico, are not set forth by abler hands than my own. It is nevertheless satisfactory to me, that the work has received the endorsement of the Engineer-in-Chief, under whose instructions and personal supervision all the operations of the different par ties were conducted, from the commencement to the close of the survey. Under these circumstances I trust to be exculpated from the charge of personal vanity in appending herewith the letter of Major Barnard, whose prolonged stay on the Isthmus precluded the issue of these pages over his own signature.

New York, Feb. 1st, 1852. Dear Sir : — Returning home after a much more protracted absence than I had at first reason to anticipate, it is a source of gratification to me to find my self relieved by you from the task of collating from the official reports of the Engineering and Hydrographic Parties, such portions of them as are desirable for the public, whose attention has already been attracted to the undertaking by the course of events connected with it, and in whose mind a deep and steadfast interest has been awakened by the great national hopes, of which I cannot but think our humble labors are the precursors. Within three years a new era has dawned upon us, and with the ac quisition of California and the settlement of Oregon, the energies of men's minds have been diverted from the old and circuitous channels of trade to other and shorter ones, which, while they are destined to bind us

PREFACE.

. 4 more closely together as a nation, promise likewise to give us in return for their opening all the varied treasures of the Eastern World. A few years only will elapse ere we shall witness every part of the Pacific whitened by the sails of our ships, and every wave in its broad expanse bearing to distant lands, hitherto unknown to us, except by name, the people and the commodities of our country. That this publication, setting forth as it does the advantages of one of those great inter-oceanic routes, must contribute in no small degree to such results, I cannot doubt ; and in returning the work to you after a careful examination, it affords me pleasure to lighten, if I can, the burden of your responsi bility, by giving it my unqualified approval as a faithful record of operations, to which all of us, I am sure, must look back with feelings of pride and mutual congratulation.

Under other circumstances than these, such expressions might well be considered out of place ; but when I reflect on the difficulties that assailed us in the offset of our work, and find in the end that it is one of those rare cases wherein the most sanguine hopes have been changed to realities, my privilege to congratulate can hardly be questioned. If I may be permitted to judge by the amount of labor executed dur ing the limited time of the survey, it would not be difficult to imagine how much more it might have been extended, but for the termination put to it by the Mexican authorities. Nevertheless, with the existence of good harbors at each terminus, and the survey of an entire length of line, favorable in its character, and of facile grades (although we have reason to believe that further explorations would give other lines much more advantageous and preferable for permanent location, which might supersede the one already run), sufficient is established to de monstrate beyond all doubt the practicability of the project in a com plete and satisfactory manner — a result to which the liberality and active co-operation of the Managing Committee of New Orleans has contributed greatly.

And while it is to be regretted that Mexico, through an unwise course of policy, has thwarted the designs of those who, in the pursuit of their interests (based upon her plighted faith and invited by her passports), would have aided her tottering gov ernment, and extended the influence of her people ; yet it is a satisfac tion that so much has been accomplished by the surveying party in so short a time. I am, dear sir, very truly yours, J. G. Barnard, Chief Engineer. J. J. "Williams, Esq., Prin. Ass't Engineer.

PREFACE.

. 5 In the preparation of this work for the press (called forth now by the exigencies of the New Orleans Company), I have en deavored to avoid all gratuitous expressions of opinion, both with regard to the project itself and its relation to other routes. Throughout, my desire has been to give a plain history of the survey, and a correct account of the results obtained by it; knowing full well how much more trustworthy are the conclu sions of the mass than of the individual, whose mind is natu rally biased by a personal identity with the events and circumstances upon which he passes judgment. With reference to the subject-matter of Part II., no apology is requisite. We have many interesting details of the history of Mexico from the earliest periods to the present day ; but there is much with regard to her local Geography, Climate, and Natural Resources, which yet remains to be written.

And in the establishment of a great national highway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a portion of the Mexican territory on which the hopes of her conqueror were centered, something is necessary to be known beyond the mere arithmetical results of instru mental observations. I have therefore devoted a part of this report to an exposition of the geology, climate, and productions of the Isthmus, accompanied by some brief notes on the char acter, customs, and habitations of the people who constitute a remnant of the old Mexican race, whose thrilling and dramatic history (through the eloquent writings of Prescott) has become as familiar to us as " household words." ' All parts of the work are illustrated with sketches of the natural scenery of the Isthmus. These are faithful representations, and give a better idea of the country than any written detailed description.

For convenient reference the maps have been bound in a separate book by themselves, and embrace all the results of the recent survey, together with those obtained by the officers of Commodore Perry's Squadron, in 1847-8. In the Appendix will be found the documents of the grant of Senor Don Jose de Garay (upon whose privileges the undertaking was necessarily predicated), with such other papers as it may be desirable for the public to peruse. From these they

PREFACE.

. will be enabled to judge to what extent the faith of Mexico has been plighted, and how far the Tehuantepec Railroad Company of New Orleans have been justified in the outlay they have made. For many valuable suggestions, and for much of the details embraced in the statistical part of the work, I am indebted to Mr. John McLeod Murphy of the Navy, and to Mr. J. C. Avery, 1st Assistant Engineer. My acknowledgments are likewise due to Dr. Antisell, of New York, for the assistance rendered me in preparing the articles on Geology and Climate. J. J. Williams. New York, Feb. 10, 1852. CONTENTS.

Part 1

Page. ENGINEERING REPORTS. Landing of the Expedition at Minatitlan 11 Major Barnard's Instructions 11 General Topographical View of the Isthmus 13 Cortes' Examination of the Coatzacoalcos Bar 23 Disposition of the Railroad parties 23 General Description of Route 25 Reconnaissance to Mt. Encantada . 29 Report on the Line North of the Dividing Ridge 38 Reconnaissance of the Country east of Coatzacoalcos River 51 Table of Grades from Jaltepec River to Pacific Plains 64 Tangents, Curvature, etc., Middle Division 56 Comparative Table of Grades, Curvature, etc 56 Railroad Distances across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec 57 Native Labor 58 Ibid. (Letter of J. C. Trautwine, Esq.) 59 Material for Construction 60 Estimated Cost of Construction... 61 Summary of Cost of Construction 66 Superstructure 67 Equipment 67 Station Buildings 68 Auxiliary Carriage-Road 68 Distance by ditto and Coatzacoalcos River 72 Estimated Cost of Auxiliary Road 73 Income of ditto 74 General Summary of Total Cost... 77 Comparative Cost of Principal Roads in the United States. ... 78 Comparative Cost of Principal Roads in England 78 Proposed Lines 78 Mountain Passes 81 Paqg.

Hydrographio Reports. Survey of the Coatzacoalcos 83 Major Barnard's Instructions 83 Lieut. Leigh's Chart 84 Manner of Conducting Survey 85 Head of Ship Navigation 85 Capacity for Shoal-water Navigation 88 Effect of Rains 8.8 Formation of Coatzacoalcos Bar... 90 Reconnaissance of the Bio del Corte 92 Vegetable Productions 92 Geological Character of Mountains 94 Scenery on Rio del Corte 95 Tributaries 96 Rapid of Alto Mayor 97 Height of Water in Rio del Corte 98 Survey of Uspanapa River 99 Vegetation of River Banks 100 El Rompido 101 Arroyo de los Urgells 102 River Tancochapa 102 Hacienda of San Jos<2 102 Rancho Maria del Carmen 102 Capacity of River for Navigation 104 Pacific Ports.- Survey of Ventosa by Mr. Trasiour 104 Temperature of the Pacific Coast 1 10 Mr. Temple's Report on Ventosa .

Ill General Summary. Practicability of the Road 112 Expenses of Construction 113 Equipment 114 Formation of the Coatzacoalcos Bar 114 Sailing directions for the Coatzacoalcos Bar 115 Capacity of Rivers for Navigation 116 Improvement of the Harbor of Ventosa 116 Letter of Capt. Mott of the Steamer " Gold Hunter" CONTENTS. Pagi. Page. Revenue and Income. The Canadian Railway Project ... 181 Comparison of Distances by Panama, Nicaragua, and Tehuantepec Routes 120 Comparison of Time between England and China, via Panama, Suez, and Tehuantepec 131 Extract of Letter from Hon. Geo. M. Dallas 121 Advantages of Tehuantepec Route to U. S. Government 133 Table of Passengers, Freight, and Gold, between Atlantic States and California, by different Routes 121 Supply of Coal for Pacific Steamers 134 ers Mr. Buchanan's Instructions to Mr. Trist with reference to Purchase of Tehuantepec Route 135 Comparison of Harbors of the Isthmus Routes 123 Statement of American Trade with Asia and Pacific 136 Extent of Whale Fishery in the Pacific 123 Nicaragua Ship Canal 137 Requirements of California 126 Emigration to California 138 Report of Naval Committee on Steamers between San Francisco and China 128 Extent and Value of the Garay Grant 140 Way Trade 140 Effects of Winds and Currents on Sailing Ships 129 Value of Isthmus Productions 142 Australian Emigration 144 Value of Imports into Great Britain from Asia and the Pacific Ocean 130 General Review 145