Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-04-07
IRA VEL By RAIL IN MEXICO.

Lie railway lTOUt era OruZ UO Iu6
City of Mexico is in many respects one
of the most remarkable pieces of en-
gineering of its kind in the world. The
cost was very great, taking into account
the cheapness of labor in this country;
but trip across the mountains should
be sufficient to convince the most skep-
:ical that not much of the $27 900, 900
that it cost to build 1853 miles of road was
misspent. Between Orizaba and Esper-
ANA the rise is nearly 5000 feet, and
the journey is accomplished in three
hours. The track winds around the hill
sides, at one moment crossing an almost
bottomless chasm, and at another darting
through short tunnel, only to come out
at the other side of the hill with greater
heights beyond. The tropical vegetation
ceases; trees and flowers of the temperate
zone appear, only to make room for pines
and moses. The change seems magical.
Far down ON the plains that have been
left behind, the traveller can see the su-
gar cane swaying in the breeze, while he
has to button his overcoat close around
his neck, and pull up the windows to
keep out the keen, frosty mountain air.
1t is not unusual to leave Vera Cruz with
the thermometer at IS degrees, and find
it, six hours after, at Is degrees. The
train stops at little wayside station at
the top of the mountains to take on wood
and water, and dozens of Indian boys
and girls Immediately surround the train
with the most delicious fruit. Plaintains
sapotis and pines of choice bloom can be
bought for mere trife, half a real (6 IL
cents) procuring basket full.
On leaving Esperanza the railroad
crosses an alkaline plain, where the dust
is intolerable, and this plain continues
until the City of Mexico is reached. The
great peak Orizaba is now left behind
to the northeast, and far away to the
southwest the sharp, snow-clad summit
of Popocatepetl, and his companion,
Iztaccihuatl, or LA Dame Blanche" are
seen in the rare, clear air. In fact the
elevation begins to tell upon some of the
passengers, and general futtering of
handkerchiefs shows that the noses of
some are giving warning of tendency to
bleed.
The principal production of this region
OF Mexico is the maguey or agave Ameri-
cano, so well-known in the States as the
century plant. 1t is no exaggeration to
say that between Esperanza and Mexico
there are at least a hundred miles of
plantations of this shrub, and every year
the production is becoming greater
Hundreds of farms are given up to the
cultivation of the maguey, and good
plantation yields net profit of from $25,
n NHn ,NIn, &c,
not ready for use until after several years
growth, and it is then generally about
three to four feet in height. When the
time has arrived for extracting the juice,
an incision is made near the foot, in the
center, and the heart is cut out to form
reservoir in which the juice of the leaves
collects. This juice is then drawn up by
means of long dried pumpkin called
acocotle, and is then emptied into a sheep
skin. 1t is poured on cows hide
stretched on a frame, the hair being in
side, and there allowed to ferment After
ward it is again put into sheepskins and
shipped to market under the name of
pulque. This forms the staple drink of
Mexico, and according to the rather i'm
perfect returns of the octroi of the City of
Mexico the duty paid on pulque alone
amounts to between $4,000 and $4,000 a
day. 1t is drunk instead of water. 1t is
slightly intoxicating, and to the foreign
palate it is insipid, tasting like barley
water that has soured The maguey is
to Mexico what the wine is to France,
or hops to England, and it has played a
prominent part in the history and tradi-
tons of the country. The word Mexico
is said to be derived from the Indian
name of the maguey metl) )-at least the
most ancient Mexican traditions give this
derivation. Their great god, who rejoic-
ed in the high-sounding name of Huitz-
| ilopochili, is said to have been born of a
virgin of the noble race of Citli, and to
have had his cradle in the heart of a
metl plant; whence his pet name OF
Mecitli, afterward corrupted into Mexitli
When their new city was built by the
Aztecs they called it Mexico, after theil
tutelary god.
On the alkaline plain beyond Esper-
ANA the traveller is suddenly reminded
that neither life nor property is protected
as it is in less favored chimes. A guard
of sixteen soldiers in the rear car of the
train seems at first to be used merely in
order to employ those worthless during
the short space of time that intervenes
between revolutions, and group of very
ragged cavalry, in dirty linen blouses and
toeless boots, at every station, does not
remove this impression. But as the train
stops at little station, several women
dressed in black, accompanied by young
men with black bands round their white
sombreros, enter the train. That is their
farm that lies under yonder hill, not half
mile from the railroad, and few days
ago bandits attacked their home and kill
ed two of the family. This is no isolated
case. At the present moment there are
two young Americans in Mexico who are
much more interesting to the natives
than is Grant or Sheridan. These young
men, scarcely twenty years of age, were
travelling lately on diligence, when they
were attacked by banditti, zone of whom
seized the horses heads and called to the
driver to stop. One of the Americans,
named Centre, Immediately shot the ruff
fan dead on the field. Six more were
afterward found dead or dying, and four
bo x,o., oo,>k,,.oJ o,,d honoroI