The Isthmus Railway

Captain Bada' ahip railway lor tlio American [gthtims is describcd and illustrated n the Scientific American. The proposition to carry loaded ships Iron ocean to occan ovcrland appears to be very Iwld, but thi.i is so mainly bflOMM of the magnitude of tira wort KvcrytlmiK tliai Captain Kada proposM M do fciaa (¦mi iooe berore on a smaller scale, and the pnt uccess hc bm aobieTed in othcr engineering works1 lor liiti onsideration that they would not lc likolv to get it' tiiey catuc Irom a bydmulic apd coostructing engineer of' less reputation. Aooonüag to the pliin -liown in Soientiüc AmrriOtn the ship woulil enter upon a marine railway, wlicrc it would bc seeurcly supported on ¦ cht aml gradoally drawn outol water. TIn.' html railway would 801 pril 12traoksMid thcrforoarr]riog theiawest Bhipa would have alx)Ut 1,200 whccK of thrae (eet in diameter. Powerful lecomotivcs would be euipluyed to move the xhip caracroaathe isüunusaod it would paH into ihr aea OTCT another marino railway. Mr. Kaïls claims that tli -liip railwav would It ln'iper than a canal, tliat it would bc built in inucli time anl as it involves only surfacc work, its cost on be a'vurately oomputed. But thuis aa error, lt would require sometbinf more than Wffiwc work; for the foaodètkna lor ¦ tapentrwKvrt to irli an enoruious weilit in niulion must in piaeesgo lo r eovaraerabie deptb, and thcre are places in lliat country where it haa been very ilittieuli indeed te Ind lirm foundation tor even an ordinary railway and ita Imavy trathe. Tliia isoneof'the troubles of " unknown inantity " that Mr. Leawpl may enenunler to Ïj ï - eos( in canal enterpria.