1000062609_037_001

113 / 236

108 INTERNA AMERICAN CONFERENCE.
Railn•ay, nl'lcl was to be about 200 milt>s long, with a maximnm elfwation he cen–
ter of:.!,HflO feer.. The present line ltafl a tntffic of about $1,:!50 a. rnonth.
Tbe Handums Central is projected from Truxi!Io to Jutecalpa., 200 miles, and thence
to the Gn]f of Fonseca. Tbe coucession is owned by a New York syndicate.
In July, 1884, the Honduras North Goast Railway arul Improvcment Company received
a conce!!Sion accompanied by a land grant, estima.ted at l,uOO,OOO acres, for a line from
Truxillo to Puerto Cortes, a.bout 1fi0 miles, with power to extend to the Guatemala
boundary Ene. Tbe gange is 3 feet; the coustruction began Jnly 8, 1885.
The Tl·uxillo and Roman River Railway is projected from Truxillo to Roman River,
20 miles, with power to extend up the Arenal Valley.
HONDURAS INTEROCEA.l'l'IC RAILWAY.
One of the great $ of the time is that of effecting interocea.nic communi–
catiou acros AuJericau I tlnnus, aud thus openiug to tLe worJd the mu&t ir4tpor–
tant highway for the trade and commerce of countries. Thisvast problew has not
only occupied the attention of our time, bnt it has also occupied the attention of the
past. King P hi1ip II, of Spain, with all the wealth of the ludies at bis command,
· sought, but failed, to accomplish this great work; and its importance to the world
was known discussed long before tbat early period.
One of the pos. ibly practica! solutions of the great problem is, it seems, about to
be nndertaken by the construction of a railway across the Hepuulic of Honduras,
from P uerto Cortes on the Atlantic to Ama pala oo the Pacifíc. An English syndicate
during last year obtained a concessiou to build thiB intcroceanic railroad, and orgau–
ized in L ondon with the title, capital, conditions, aml oujects, so succinctly set forth
in the following notice publi~:~hed in the Financia! Ncws, of Londou:
"Honduras Railway Cmnptmy, limited.-Registered by Jobuson, Budcl & Johnson,
100 _Winchester House, E C. The _capital of the company i1:1 X:o,OOO,OOO, divided
into 200,000 sbares of 1;12 each, and 72,000 abares of 1;50 each, which are crea.ted to
enable e.tfect to he given to clause 3 of the memorandum of association, and ioto
20,000 of 1;100, with power to issue aoy of the 20,000 abares of 1;100 eacb, and any
new shares upon such terma asto preferenue or otberwise, as the company in general
meeting may direct. The objects for which the company is estahlisbed are to ac–
qnire, complete, construct, maintain, and work a rail way or railways across the ter–
ritory of Honduras, from Puerto Cortes, on the Atlantic, to some.point iu the Gulf of
F onseca on the Pa.cific, and all or any modi.tication or those works, and all snch –
ways or other works l.!L.may b4l antborized by any concession or decree of the RepuL;! ic
of Honduras authorizing the executwn of any milway, or railways, or public work
in tbe aaid Republic, and to develop traffic or operations tbereon or iu connectiou
therewith; to acquire the concession or any interest in the concession for the said ra il–
-wayor railway·, or auyot.her concession orcoucessionsfor rai1wa.ysor publicworks in
the Republic of Honduras which the may decitle to acq uire, and to accept
any liability; to o.tfer to the bolders of uonds of tbe Republic of Homluras or·dinary
shares of the company, fnliy paid np, in ex:change for aml against deli \'ery and t.mns–
fer to the cowpany of snch Londs, and a.lso to purcbase and otherwise acquire auy
railways or other works in Houdtuas which shall at tbe time of such purchase or
acquisition bave been wbolly or partially constructed; to acquire, complete, cou–
struct, maintain, aod work any roads or lines of te1egraphs, docks, wharves, qnu.5·s,
jetties, warehouse , telegraphs, buildings, or operations of navigatiou or miaing, or
other operations authorized or demanded by auy such concession or conces ions as
aforesatd, or which it shall he deemed advantu,geous or conYenient to estahlish or
work. in connection wiih wbat shallbe so authorized or demanded, nnd generally to
do sucb acts and things, the doiug of whicb sball he within the scope or be deemed
calcttlated io develop the advantages of any snch coucessiun or concessions."
This venture had so faltered aud wavered aud e\'Cn f¡<¡,iled, until the stipnlated
time had expired, that it engendered a general helief that the concession, like mauy
otherst woulu prove a fiasco. Bnt extension of lime was obtained, and tbe syncli–
cate sent a corps of engineers to make examinations, which are now coucluüed;
and tho chief of engineers, Yu. Lee Smith, remaineu here at tbe capital until last
month ananging with the Govemment, to bis sa.tisfactiou, sorne minor details, anu
he is now going away, the aBsurance that the road w11l be completed witbiu
throo .
What a pity thi great work will--not owe its completion, as it does its design, to
American genios ant.l. euterprise. lf our people are to lo e by failing to grasp the iru–
portance of the enterprise, it is not the fault of their Government or repre entatives
for all necessary informa.tiou the.reon wa.~ giveu y-:ars by Mr. E. G. quiers,
who wa.s then om chargé d'atfaires in Hondmas, a nd who designed thia road amd