Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-16
On a Mexican Railway.


The railway from Vera Cruz to the
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 a trip across the mountains should
be sufficient TO convince the most skep-
teal that not much of the S27, 100000
that it cost to build 263 miles of road
was misspent. Between Orizaba and
Esperanza the rise is nearly 5000 feet,
and this journey is accomplished in
three hours. The track winds round
the hillsides, 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 sugar eane
sWaying in the breeze, while he has to
button his overcoat close round his neck,
and pull up the windows to keep out the
keen, frosty mountain air. 1t is notUnl
usual to leave Vera Cruz with the ther-
mometer at $50 and find it six hours af-
ter, at 1G7. The train stops at little
wayside station at the top Of the noun
tains to take on wood and water, and
dozens of Indian boys and girls imme-
diatelv surround the train with the most
delicious fruit. Plantains, sapotis, and
pines of choice bloom can be bought for
a mere trife, half a real (6 IA cents)
procuring a basketful.
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 Of Orizaba is now left behind
to the northeast, and far away in the
southwest the sharp, snow-clad summit
of Popocatepet, and his companion,
Iztaceihuatl, 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 futter-
ing of handkerchiefs shows that the
noses of some are giving warning Of q
tendency to bleed.
On the alkaline plain beyond Espe-
rama the traveller is suddenly reminded
that neither life nor property is pro-
tected as it is in less favored climes. 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 toe
less boots, at every station, does not
remove this impression. But as the train
stops at a 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 yon-
der hill, not half a mile from the rail-
road, and few days ago bandits at
tackled their home and killed 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 OF Sheridan. These
young men, scarcely 20 years of age.
were travelling lately on a diligence,
when they were attacked by bandittia
one of whom seized the horses heads
and called to the driver to stop. One
of the Americans, named Centre, inn
mediately shot the rufian dead, sand
within half an hour five bandits lay
dead on the field. Six more were after
ward found dead or dying, and four
who were captured were hanged.-M.
7. Sun.