THE MEXICAN MAIL ROUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13396, 26 January 1907, Page 5

THE MEXICAN MAIL ROUTE.

THE RAILWAY OPEN

By Telegraph.— Association.—Copyright.

London, January 2-1. President Diaz, of Mexico, has inaugurated the Tehuantepec interoceanic waterway and railway, service, which lias been chiefly provided by British enterprise and capita!.

Tin; railway between Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos is opened for traffic.

The above scheme claims to be it rival of the Panama Canal. It is to provide a short route between the Atlantic and the Pacific, at tin.- isthmus of Tehuantepoc. The isthmus here is only 120 miles wide, and for a great part, of the distance the River Tehuantepef rims, and there arc also great lakes on the route. river since (ho days of Cortes, tile Spanish explorer, the constructing of an inter-oceanic canal at the isthmus has been spoken of. A railway across the isthmus was begun in 1894, and improvements have been made in the harbours. By this route the distance between Han Fraticisco and New York would be 1000 mileshorter than by the Panama Canal. Salina Cruz is the Pacific port of the isthmus. Speaking in the House of Representatives cm the San Francisco mail service during- last session. Sir Joseph Ward said that the Teluiantepee route between London and New Zealand would not be quicker than the San Francisco route.