of communication for the infusion of new life into enterprises now dormant by reason of this very lack of adequate transportation facilities. One of the first subjects to engage the attention of the Commission was the propriety of the appointment of a Chief Engineer for the surveying parties; and after some preliminary investigation and discussion, the matter was referred to the Committee on Surveys, the report of which was adopted, to the effect that in view of the extensive nature of the contemplated enterprise, the difficulty and length of time necessary for an engineer to communicate personally with each expedition, and the limited means at the disposal of the Commission, no appointment of Chief Engineer be made. Accordingly, the organization of the fieldparties remained under the direct supervision of the Commission, and their direction after reaching their respective spheres of labor, upon adjournment of the full Commission, was controlled by the central office at Washington. In determining the question of the number of surveying parties to be sent into the field, the Commission was necessarily limited by the amount of funds at its disposition. Up to this time, the United States had made two appropriations of $65,000 each towards the common fund of the Intercontinental Railway Commission, and Chile had contributed somewhat over $3,000, the total amount available, therefore, being a little over $133,000. Argentina, through its delegates, declined to contribute money towards the general enterprise, but proposed to complete the railways in its own territory, thus linking itself to the Intercontinental Railway. Uruguay and Mexico took similar positions towards the payment of their quotas of money, assigning like reasons therefor. After deducting the amount required for expenses at the headquarters in Washington, and estimating the probable amount forthcoming from the other republics that had accepted the recommendations of the International American Conference in reference to intercommunication by rail, it was decided that the state of the finances would warrant the sending of only three corps of engineers into the field, although, as will appear later, the Committee on Surveys had laid out work for six parties. Corps No. 1, composed almost entirely of officers of the U. S. Army, under the command of Capt. E. Z. Steever, U. S. Army, was to proceed to Central America and survey a line from the western boundary of Mexico through Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, then through the Isthmus of Panamá into Colombia until it should meet Corps No. 2 coming northward. Corps No. 2, under the direction of Mr. William F. Shunk, was to proceed to Quito, Ecuador, and thence survey northward to Colombia and through that Republic and the Isthmus of Panamá until it should meet Party No. 1 coming from the north. Corps No. 3, under Mr. J. Imbrie Miller, in conjunction with Corps No. 2, was likewise to proceed to Quito and thence survey southward through Ecuador and Perú to Lake Titicaca on the confines of Bolivia. As already stated, the above three parties were the only ones actually despatched to the field, but the scheme of the Committee on Surveys included three other parties, which, if funds permitted, were to be sent out at a later date. Party No. 4 was to enter the field by way of the port of Antofagasta, Chile, and proceeding northeasterly was to begin its surveys near the city of Oruro, Bolivia, working towards La Paz, Bolivia, Puno and Cuzco, Perú, until it should meet Party No. 3 coming southward. Party No. 5 was expected to commence its surveys at Huanchaca, Bolivia, and work to the neighborhood of Potosí, crossing the river Pilcomayo, entering Brazil by way of Corumbá, and extending its surveys via Coxim until a connection 'should be made with the railroads having communication with the Capital, Río de Janeiro. Party No. 6, commencing its work at Potosí, Bolivia, was to follow the course of the Pilcomayo River and proceed towards Asunción, Paraguay, thus making connection with the railroads of that Republic and of Uruguay. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE SURVEYING PARTIES. Identical instructions were issued to the three surveying parties and were as follows:-"In making these surveys the division engineers shall, as far as it may be practicable and advisable, follow the route indicated by the Committee on Surveys. The chiefs are, however, left with full discretionary authority to vary from that line or to adopt a different one whenever their observations, or the information obtained on the ground, give them good reasons for so doing, having reference both to commercial advantages and to economy of construction and operation. "The surveys shall be made sufficiently in detail to obtain the data necessary for the preparation of a topographical map of the route and the location thereon of the lines selected and for making a profile of the same. "Notes should also be taken of: "First. The general topography of the regions traversed. "Second. Their general geological formation. "Third. The nature of the soil, climatic conditions, and of the character of the agricultural and other industries. "Fourth. Of the population. "Fifth. Of the materials available for railway construction. "Sixth. In all measurements the metric system shall be used. Field-maps shall be made on the scale of 1:24,000. The horizontal scale of profiles shall be the same (1:24,000) and the vertical scale 1:2,400. "Seventh. And generally the division engineers shall take note of everything of interest in connection with the proposed railway." LINE OF ROUTE TO BE SURVEYED. After examining all available data and duly considering the questions involved, the Commission determined upon the following route as probably being the best for an intercontinental line. As the existing railways in Mexico connect with the systems of the United States, and afford through traffic as far as the city of Mexico, and as an additional line was projected and had been surveyed as far as Ayutla on the frontier of Guatemala, the latter town was selected as the initial point of the surveys which were to proceed southward. GUATEMALA. In this Republic the line was to run from Ayutla, in a general direction parallel to the Pacific Coast, through the towns of Retalhuleu and Mazatenango to Santa Lucía, where a branch of the Central Railroad of Guatemala to Escuintla, under construction, was to be utilized, and thence proceeding via Cuajiniquilapa the line was to be continued to Santa Ana in the Republic of Salvador. EL SALVADOR. In this country the projected line of the Central Railroad was to be used, running from the city of Santa Ana to Nuevo San Salvador, thence by Cojutepeque, San Vicente, and San Miguel to Guascorán, in Honduras. HONDURAS. From Guascorán the line was to continue along the shore of the Gulf of Fonseca, through the State of Choluteca to the city of the same name, and thence southward to Nicaragua. NICARAGUA. From the northern boundary of this State the line was to run to the city of Chinandega, where connection would be made with the railroad already in existence from Corinto to Lake Managua. Following this line to the neighborhood of Pueblo Viejo, it would pass along the shore of the lake to the city of Managua, where connection would again be made with the line built between that city and |
