New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-06
THREE NEW ORLEANS RAILROADS
TO THE PACIFIC.
The Termini- MazatIan-G Guaymas- San
Diego.

The Termini = NTazatIan- Guaymas- San
Diego.
This is the age of railroads and each
commercial city will sooner OF later possess
its share of them. In very few years New
Orleans will have a choice of three routes
by rail across the continent to the Pacific,
all in a mild southern latitude. The short
est will be that to the southwest, via San
Antonio, Texas, to Laredo, on the Rio
Grande, Monclova, the little capital of Goa
hula, and tho city and State of Durango.
Mexico, to Mazatlan on the Pacific 1850 to
1900 miles by the most direct course, or
about the same. distance from New Orleans
to New York by direct line. The next
runs directly west, also via San Antonio,
Texas, and through the city and State of
chihuahua, Mexico, to Guaymas, on the
Gulf of California; a distance, direct of
1900 TO 1900 miles: and the third, called the
Texas Pacific, via Shreveport, and thence
; directly west TO San Diego, on che Pacific.
1900 TO 1900 miles in a direct line A bright
future is now opening to New Orleans, to
Texas and to the Mexican States and ports
to be traversed and reached by these roads.
Without at present dilating on this bright
future or writing of the cities, States and
rich mining countries on these routes, let it
suffice to describe somewhat the three west
ern terminal ports above named. First, Of
MAZATLAN.
This city Of the State of Sinaloa, and the
most considerable on the Mexican coast,
which was captured last month by revolt
ing band of pronunciados, or revolutionary
pronouncing gentleme n, was port of IL, 900
inhabitants ten or twelve years ago, and
has, probably, grown considerably since.
Writers do not fully agree as to the charac-
ter of the place. Albert NJ. Gillian, Yir-
ginia gentleman, appointed consul at San
Francisco by President Tyler in 1913, and
who visited Mazatlan some thirty-one years
ago, says oft:
It is entirely defenseless from the surges
and winds of the ocean, not possessing any
Of the attributes of a good harbOr and is
unsafe for shipping by its having a large
rock Immediately before the town, upon
which vessels founder in time of storms.
However, Mazatlan is the principal COM
mercial port on the Mexican coast on the
Pacific ocean. 1t contains about 5000 in.
habitants lin 1885, and imagine that the
same number Of people can hardly be found
where there is such faragO OF compilations
and tongues. There are not less than
200 Americans at Mazatlan. The
scale and shellfsh of this coast are abun-
dant and excellent. There is blue-gilled
oyster caught here equal to any of those in
the Chesapeake bay.
Bayard Taylor visited il in 5uiyo 1919,
He says:
Few ports present more picturesque ap-
pearance from the sea than Mazatlan The
harbor or roadstead, open on the west to
the unbroken swells of the Pacific, is pro.
tected on the north and south by what were
once mountain pr0mOntOries, now split into
parallel chains of islands, separated by mar
row channels of sea. = : The sky was of a
dazzling purity, and the whole scene had
that same clearness of outline and enchar9t-
ing harmony Of color which give the lando
scapes of Italy their greatest charm.
It is sufficiently warm climate, even fog
an Orleanian. In Taylor's visit to 5fazatJaD
in January, 1850, he saysa
The sun was intensely hot until near eve.
ming. The situation of the place is very pc
culiar and beautiful. The houses are stone,
of q white, pink or cream color, with heavy
arched entrances and cool courtyards with
in. The contrast of their clear, bright
fronts, with the feathery tops OF the cac0a
palm, seen under dazzling sky, gives the
city a rich, oriental character, reminding
me Of descriptions Of Smyrna.
Mazatlan is decidedly the gayest and live
liest little city on the continent :
The air was as transparent as crystal, and
the breakers rolled in with foam and de
lighttuI freshness to bathe the shelly sand
at my feet. = Bundles of sugarcane
were heaped upon the ground, and oranges,
bananas and other fruits spread upon mats,
beside which their owners sat
The region about the mouth Of the Gulf Of
California enjoys an unvarying clearness of
climate to which there is probably no par
allel On the earth. At Cape San Lucas, the
rising and setting of star is manifest to
the naked eye.
The style of the buildings is that of the
old Castilian, with short columns, Moorish
capitals and ornaments. Some of them
present long lines of colonnades. The shops
are numerous and well filed It is in lati-
tude 23o 40'. Culiacan, the capital of the
State of Sinaloa is some three days travel
inland by mule from Mazatlan. 1t is near
the junction of the Tamazula and Umaza
rivers.
GUAYMAs.
This Mexican port is but about two de-
grees sssouth of New Orleans, or in latitude
27o 40. It's in the State of Sonora BaIbi,
in his Geography of 1889, says: