San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-12-14
Letter From Mexico.

-FOUR friend, p j. @. Smith, to whom
the following interesting letter was address,
ed, has kindly handed it to us for publica-
ton. The writer will be remebered as
having been in the employ of M. W. Nc
Gehee at this place some years since. ED.
FREE PRESS.
SAN Duaurro, OLD MEXICO, Nov 1st 1882.
DEAR FRIEND:
You doubtless will be surprised to read
message from the once Texas lad, but
hope it will not be ignored. AS fond recol-
lections often call the mind back to days of
the past, and this being the case with ne to-
day, 1 take pleasure in penning you short
letter from the Tropical climes Mexico.
! Iwrote you in June last year, and never
received any reply, thinking you probably
failed to receive it, write again. l landed
in this country at Tampico on March the
20 th., 1881, and have been ever since in the
employment of the Mex.canCentral Railway
Company on the San Luis Potosi and Tam
pico Division. I was one of the first boys
to introduce this enterprise at Tampico,
| and as we could not speak the language, and
the natives seemed to wonder what we want
ed among them, SO it must not surprise
you that we had quite lively time break
ing the ice. All tn boys that came here
first have long since returned to the States
of America and others come in their stead.
I am the longest here except the chief en-
gineer, Mr.. Harrington.
Finding this to be first class company
to work for, and as am doing well I've
continued to remain, although I've found
many disadvantages here, we don't find in
our native land But time aad endurance
have accustomed me to the many queer
modes OF the old, but st Ii new country, and
the longer stay the better like, but l
don't think tine will ever erase from my
memory the enioyments we find in the more
civilized countries. I've been one or the
surveying party ever since l have been here.
marked the irst stake set in Ta-npico on
the 29th day of March 1881 where the train
Is now running, Dut h"'o Do0A ANP' 80 '
advance from Tampico We run prelimi-
nary line from Tampico to tho Canon OF
Tamosopo, $50 miles, and have located 80
miles. which is this division, 120 miles from
Tamp;co. They have begun construction
On this division. There are TO men Mex
icans) now on the works clearing the right
of way and grading on the first residency.
We will finish revising the End Residency
next week. 1 hold the position of level
man
We Americans win now have much more
easy and pleasant time Of it, (this part Of
the construction is being done by contract,
Mexican General (oiviers). A great por-
ton of my time while on preliminary work,
was in IN unsettled portion Of the country
3 months were in q mountainous wilderness:
could not 90 ten feet rom the line without
frst cutting .our way through brush and
cactus. :5r it was impossible to travel the
trail If the Wild beasts, such a. wolves. ia
bali. Mexican Lions and Tigers, sometimes
little cat about the Eze of dog So the
only chance was 10 retraoe the line We had
cut IN Osr Aborsrs CMeIicAns) finally
swore that We we're going 10 Hell, and sad
thew would stay one more week. and then z
ne did not ees 70 some prairie country they
uere leaving Is luck would have Il on