Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-27

Gigantic Old OrIzaba-The Beau
ties and Scents of Vera Cruz-On the
Mexican RaIlyVay-A Hair Straight
ening Ride on the Rails-Three
Extinct VOIcanOes-The City OF
Mexico, Hts Castles and CathedraIs
"Reminiscences of the Aztecs and
MOntezumas - GaudalOupe, the
Monte Pho and Other Places of In
terest.
Editor Morning Netos: MY last letter closed
as we were leaving Frontera. Our next expe-
rience worth recording was the entry into Vera
Cruz.
Early on the morning of the 26th of February
we were awakened by exclamations of de-
light proceeding from one of the party. who
sat up late and rose early. fearing to close his
eyes lest the Southern Gross should
come and go without being recorded.
This time it was not the Southern
Cross, although I felt it indeed a cross to
turn out so early, but the sight that met the eye
dispelled all thought of sleep. Old Orizaba, a
cloud among the clouds, looked down upon us
in ell its grandeur one hundred miles away,
its noble summit clothed in perpetual snow
and its foot hills resting amid the luxuriance
of a tropical cline. How sublime the sight
this hoary old king standing among the eter-
nal hills, its white peak fairly piercing the
heavens and its base resting on mother earth.
At no spot does Orizaba impress one with its
magnitude as at this your first glimpse. As
you approach the mountain afterward ten
thousand feet of its altitude Is lost and you can
hardly realize that it is so high.
Aswe near the city of Vera Cruz, the morn
ing sun glances and sparkles from many
dome and spire, giving one the impression
fore us. Also how much better the anticipa-
ton than the reality. 1t is city of beautiful
domes and unpleasant smells. What COM
bination for the aesthetic gentleman of our
party. "Oh, dear" he said, ''the incandescent
purity Of the atmosphere of Vera Cruz has
gone up the mountains for vacation,
and we all felt that it was true for OF all bad
smelling, bad drained cities, Vera Cruz takes
the first prize
only wonder that the place is ever free
from epidemics. 1t is said by Humboldt that
the old Spaniards claim that yellow fever was
first introduced into Havana from Vera Cruz,
and If the city of old was not an Improvement
on the place of today, should be inclined to
give the story full credence.
We concluded to make our stay as short as
possible, and that night at twelve o'clock
we left for Mexico City. During the day.
however, we looked the town over
The bay is large enough to accommodate the
shipping conveniently. The castle or Fortress
of San Juan d'Ulloa and a coral reef studs the
sea from the outside. The fortress is more
of fort on paper than in reality. 1t is per-
fectly proper to say the old pile frowns. In
fact l approve of such old forts frownipg.
They cannot smile, and it seems that frown
is the only exit for repressed misery, so long
confined in the dungeons dark and deep. We
had a fine opportunity to see the
Mexican dandy, bedecked with spangles
and bugles. on his fine horse, riding
along the street, with eye ever on the alert to
catch the glance of the dark eyed senoritas as
they admire HIM from the balconies. At
slow pace he moves along the pavement, ever
and anon touching his horse with his spur and
making the animal show off They are fine
riders. these Mexicans, and sit the horse well,
and well they know, and show 1t
The Charleston eagle, alias the turkey buzz
zard, has here all the rights and privileges Of
naturalizsd citizen, except that he is not al
lowed in the park at night. Sky
dusk to drive him out. and
he, seeming to realize that he is out of place.
great scavenger Of the town, and although
under contract to remove all the filth he will
not take it beyond the city limits. Yet the
people seem to be contented, and l heard no
talk Of anyone bidding against him at the next
election. 1t is said that ones associates gradu-
ally mould the character of the man, and on
no other grounds can understand the MeXl-
cans total disregard OF bad odorS In vera
Cruz, unless long association with the buzzard ]
blunts the sensitive f1llaments of the olfactory
nerve.
to pass on our way to the City of Mexico, is |
one Of the greatest engineering feats on this |
continent. From the time we leave Vera Cruz |
the first part of the route Is over the "tierra |
caliente'' or hot land Starting at night, this |
portion of the road was not seen, and when 1
morning broke we were in another cline. The |
cool, crisp air of the mountain was very CRATE |
full to us after the heat of the coast We |
stopped for breakfast at OriZaba, one OF the |
most inviting of Mexican towns. of all the |
places we saw in Mexico Orizaba would be our /
aS a hO0na Indians surrounded
on all sides with their oranges, bananas and /
other fruits. calling out their wares in clear, L
same Indians are on hand. The road winds 1
around and up the mountain In such a manner
that the Indian steps across the valley and in
tercepts us at the next station. The scenery be-
comes a never ending source of pleasure.
Riding along the side of the mountain, or
crossing over the head of a gorge, with sheer
precipice of two thousand feet in depth, makes
one almost hold his breath, but the thrilling
sight is tempered by the exceeding grandeur /
and beauty of the landscape spread out be.
fore US. The valley of Maltrata lies to our
left, with the little village of Maltra nestled in
its centre, protected on all sides by the grand |
mountain ranges 1t looks like some fine paint
ing, as we see it from our perch in the clouds |
Away we dash, drawn by our huge double
engine mountin1 the steen GRADES with as
much ease as if we were on a level. Up, up we
go, until we reach an altitude of ten thousand |
feet, and old Orizaba is close at hand, with
three thousand feet of its head covered by the
eternal snow. From its icy crown the people |
of Vera Cruz obtain all the ice they consume,
with no fear of short crop.
The keen. bracing air, the clear rarified at
mosphere, the rapid ascent the glorious pan
Drama Of hill and vale ever before and beneath /
us, all tended to exhilaFate and keep us ever
on the alert for some new wonder or delight |
Through dark tunnel we dash, out on a ledge
of rock we shoot, with q suddennesS that takes
ones breath. Along the ledge we fly with the
charming thought that our lives may hang on
single nail, and If the nail gives way we will /
have delightful whirl thousands Of feet /
down the rocky glen. Such thoughts
at such a time keeps ones hairstraightas as "the
quilts upon the fretful porcupine." The high
est point is reached, and we commence our de-
scent to the table lands some two thousand feet
below.
Miles Of the maguey plant or aeave Apseri-
cana, can be seen as we speed along. Pulque,
the great Mexican drink, is obtained from this |
plant. 1t is milk-white fluid, which the Mexi-
cans drink with great relish, but which to my
taste it very like spoiled beer. The centre of
the maguey plant is cut out leaving |
basin, into which the milk gathers, |
and from which it is sucked up by
squirted into hog skin sung to his back. Some
drink it in its state, but it is generally fer
mented, after which it will keep three days
without souring. 1t is a mildly intoxicating I
beverage, and is drank In the mountainous J
regions in lieu of water
The table lands of Mexico at this season of
the year are very dry and dusty, the rainy
season not commencing before next month |
The view from the cars is very fine, With the |
long range of mountains CLOSING tsnne picture on
each side, and the plein filed with haciendas. |
plantations and ranches OF cattle farms
Countless whirlwinds can be seen in all direc-
tions, some OF which attain considerable size |
lifting the dust in large quantities and whirling
it along with great velocity.
At one point on the line you can see Orizaba |
49, ,372 feet high. Popocatapet1, 7,716 feet high
and Ixtacihuatl, 15,702 feet high-three snow,
capped extinct volcanoes. PopoaatapetI. the |
highest peak on the North American conti-
nent, hiss a crater one nile wide and one thou-
sand feet deep, which is yielding at the present
time large quantities of sulphur 1t was sug-
gested by one of the party that taking the sui
phur from the volcano was rOhbiug the old bov
of his stock in trade ,
Entering the City of Mexico at niphtfalI We |
were conducted to the Hotel Iturbide which |
was once the palace Of sshhe Inflated Emperor
Oh tnat name. 1t is large building. built
:. round several courts. There is very little in
the way OF orpamentation about the hotel, and
not muoh 80 attract the American II is de- |
cidedly Mexican in all its appointments Che
pultepec first claimed our attention. Taking a
carriage out Juarez avenue into Carlotsa ave
nue. manned after the Empressl we bowl along
a fine road for g couple Of miles and
the old castle il reached. Into the grounds and |
up the winding road we 60 passing the en- | /
trance 70 the caves which undermine the whole |
hill
unt.-