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INTERNATIONAL AMERICA T CONFERENCE. 115
a.t 66,500 tons, and the traffic of tbe interior at 40,700 tons. About 50,000 tons of the
general traffic are carried by tbe Atlantic Railroad, and jndging from the pa t tbis
will probably increase 40 per cent in the ne:x:t five years. The freight per ton by the
raíl ~ay is $17 American gold.
RAILVVAYS.
The Government projrctell about 1870, an interoceanic 1ine from Punta Limon to·
Punta Arenas, a distance of about 172 miles. Coustruction was begun in 1871, bnt
tl.Jree sections only were completed, as follows: J!"rom Punta Limon to Carrillo, 70
miles; Punta Arena:; east to Esparta, 14 miles; and from Cartago wc t via San José
to Alajneln., 26t ruiJe,¡ ; tlle l:ttter Jivi iou wasopene<l January 19, J 7'2, the otber as
completed. Total hnilt, 110-} miles. The line np the H.cveutazon Valley to Cartago,
4 miles, is n ow being bnilt by English capitalista represen ted by M. C. Keitb, and is
to b e completed by Jaunary, 1t;DO. The ea.rnings on tbe completed road over 10
per cent.. on the invested capit;al. From Limou to Cartago is!)5 miles. Tbe distance
from Carrillo to San J osó is abo ut :28 miles, over a steep mountain cart road . E par ta
h; connected with AJ::tjuela by a monntain cart road, a üistance of 35 miles.
Tbc Goverument has appropriated $25,000 for a final snrvey of the part between
Alajnc,la and Esparta, and prQposals have been received for it cow;truction. It is
al ·o int6IH1ed to build a brancl1 to the Port of Tivive:;. Lately a conce ·sion has been
granted toan Euglish company to bnild from San José to Esparta, abont 36 miles,
aud anotber from a point near Esparta northwestward throngh Gnanacaste to the
Nicaragua boundary.
Anotber raíln-ay Itas been the snbject of stndy of late, to nnite Lake Nicmagua at
tbe ontlet of tbe San Juan River, with Punta Limon, whicb is in tbe hands of the
Costa Rica Railway Company (limi.ted) repre~ented by M. C. Keitb. This new road
will start fl'om Jimenez (10° 10' latitude aud tl3° 45' lougitnde), on tbe Atlantic Rail–
road, takíng a north nol'thwest direction through a very rich conntry for tiruber and
agricnlture, ero ·sing the Sarapiqui at El .Muelle, theuce northwest to tbe Frío River
at its entrance into Nicaraguan territory, a distance of abont 90 miles from Jimenez.
This line, with part of the Atlantic Division, ruight forru a portion of an interconti–
neutal railway, l\fatina being probably tbe starting point southward.
An English syndicate has secnred a concession to build a road paralleling tbe Nica–
ragua Canal.
Tbe cost of constructing railways, juclging from past experience, will be, completo,
from $60,000 to 70,000 a mile in the worst sit.natious.
RAILROADS a COSTA. RICA..
The railroaus already comp1eted in Costa Rica are-
(1) From Port Limon to Carrillo, 70 miles- Carrillo being connected with San José
by a teep mountain cart-road, a di:stance of 2 miles.
(2) Tbe road from Cariago to .Alajuela, pa iug through San José aud Heredia;
totallength, 25 mile .
(3) From P1 nmas to Espm·ta, 12 miles. E parta being conuected with Alajnela
by a. ruountain roa.d, a distance of 35 miles.
complete onnection witb Port Limon tbere is now being con trncted 50
of new road from Cartago toa point near Siquires, on tbe Reve iver.
cw road is ahont one-tbird done. According to tbe terms of the with
~tr. Minor C. Keith (contractor), it bon1d he completed August, 1889, eith
l;.~s bad lllany difficnlties to contt!nd witb, ancl it is not probable tbat it will be corn–
pteted before Augn t, 1890. Tbe road from Port Limo u to Carrillo (So. 1), from Car–
tago to A1ajuela. ~r'"o. 2), and tbe new line from Car to iqnire ·. togetber with
the. wha On, have beeu tr&.nsferred to and owned by tbe Co ta Rica.
Rml:vay (limited), of London. Tbe Gover ntof Costa Rica al o granted
to saul c 0,000 acre of unimproved lands. The Government now o ~ns
boweve.r, ou~ thlrd Qf the _tqcl~ of ¡;;¡Ud compauy. Tbe G-ove.rument ~lso O\V118 a.l!d