Intercontinental Railway Commission: pt. I. A condensed report of the transactions of the commission and of the surveys and explorations of its engineers in Central and South America. 1891-1898. 1898

CHAPTER X.

MAPS AND PROFILES. SUMMARY OF DISTANCES AND ESTIMATES.

OFFICE-WORK. PUBLICATIONS OF THE COMMISSION.

EXPENSES.

MAPS AND PROFILES.

The maps and profiles accompanying this report are not tracings of others already in existence, but are original productions, the maps having been duly constructed according to scale upon the polyconic projection, points whose geodetic coördinates were known, whether determined by the hydrographic bureaus of different countries or by their astronomic observatories, have been accordingly platted. The reports made by the engineers sent out by this Commission furnished the data for the belt adjacent to the line of survey, but for other portions, all known accessible maps and reliable authorities have been consulted. It is to be observed that the position of Quito will be found further east than is generally the case on maps of Ecuador, but it is believed that the longitude assumed will agree very nearly with that to be accepted as final after accurate astronomic observations have been made for its determination. Knowing from the surveys of Corps No. 3, as well as from the triangulation made by the French savants in the last century, the azimuth of Alausi with reference to Quito and also the former's distance from Chimbo and Guayaquil (the last astronomically determined) from recent railroad explorations, the difference in longitude between Alausi and Guayaquil can be pretty closely obtained. With this point once settled and the azimuth known, the longitude of Quito readily results. It has been assumed as 78° 26' 40" west of Greenwich. It is also believed that Bogotá should be further east than generally placed, but this not becoming so apparent until after the completion of Map III, no change in the position of the Colombian Capital was then practicable without a reconstruction of the map, and such was not warranted by circumstances. These maps and profiles were drawn under the direct supervision of Captain Steever, who collated and prepared the data to be incorporated therein; the clearness and neatness displayed in their manual execution are due to the skill of Mr. Anton Karl,

Among the many authorities consulted in the course of the compilation of this report and the drafting of the accompanying charts, the following may be mentioned:-Reports of the International American Conference; Minutes of the Intercontinental Railway Commission; Publications of the Bureau of American Republics; Statesman's Year Book for 1898; Reports of Corps No. 1, 2 and 3, Intercontinental Railway Commission; Memoria de la Secretaría de Fomento de la República de Guatemala; Apuntamientos sobre la topografía física de la República del Salvador por David J. Guzmán; Descripción geográfica y estadística de la República del Salvador por el Doctor Santiago I. Barberena; Geografía Elemental de la República del Salvador por Guillermo J. Dawson; Apuntamientos geográficos, estadísticos é históricos de la República de Costa Rica por Joaquín Bernardo Calvo; Geografía de Costa Rica por Francisco Montero Barrantes; Compendio de Geografía de la República de Colombia por A. M. Díaz Lemos; Nueva Geografía de Colombia por F. J. Vergara Velasco; Diccionario Jeográfico de los Estados Unidos de Colombia por Joaquín Esguerra O.; Atlas Geográfico é Histórico de la República de Colombia, Agustín Codazzi; Geografía y Geología del Ecuador, Teodoro Wolf; Catecismo de Geografía de la República del Ecuador, Juan León Mera; Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator, Whymper; Histoire Générale des Voyages, ou nouvelle collection de toutes les Relations de Voyage, &c., chez E. Van Harrevelt et D. J. Changuin; Relation abrégée d'un voyage fait dans l'intérieur de l' Amérique méridionale, depuis la Côte de la Mer du Sud, jusqu'aux Côtes du Brésil et de la Guiane, en descendant la Rivière des Amazones, etc., par M. de la Condamine, de la même Académie; Geografía del Perú, por Raimundi; Perú, Beobachtungen und Studien über das Land und seine Bewohner, E. W. Middendorf; Géographie de la République Argentine, par F. Latzina; Ferrocarriles en construcción, estudio y concedidos por el honorable congreso, República Argentina; Geografía Física de la República de Chile, por A. Pissis; Travellers' Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, Canada and Mexico; Consular Reports of the State Department; Memoria para la Carta General Geográfica de la República Mexicana-1889; Carta General de la República Mexicana-1890; Exploration and surveys of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec by Capt. Robt. W. Shufeldt, U. S. Navy-1872; Survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec by Maj. J. C. Barnard, U. S. Engineers-1851; Map of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec showing Routes of the National Railroad of Tehuantepec, Corthell; Reseña y Estadística de Ferrocarriles, México-1895; through the courtesy of President Díaz, of Mexico, tracings were obtained by Lieutenant Commander Brown, of Ferrocarril de México y Centro América, División del Sur, Croquis del Terreno

Estudiado para el Trazo del Ferrocarril Meridional Mexicano en la parte comprendida entre la Ciudad de Oaxaca y la Costa del Pacífico-1881, and Trazo General de los Ferrocarriles de Tonalá á Frontera y del Nacional de Tehuantepec á la Frontera de Guatemala y sus Conexiones; and letters from Mr. A. J. Scherzer, of Salvador; Señor M. Bustamante y Barreda, of Perú; Hon. Thomas Moonlight, late United States Minister to Bolivia; Mr. Charles C. Green, of Antofagasta, Chile; Mr. Charles Thompson, Guatemala City; Mr. Miles Rock, Guatemala, and others.

The following is a list of the maps and profiles accompanying this report:Map I. America.