Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-06-09
NEW ORLEANS TO MEXICO.
Very Pleasant Trip, Made More So
by Good COmpaniOns-Immi-
grants 40 the
Railroads. All the Talk-Mor-
mon Missionaries
.eeial Correspondence of tie Appeal ]

|
| Special Correspondence of tie Appeal
CITY OF MEXICO, May 25.-The American
| en- route to Mexico must possess an abundance
of "cheek" and "push" or he will be surely
| left. He must get with the crowd and stay
with 1t until he is safely on his steamer
| Our party purchased tickets in New Orleans
for Vera Cruz. We asked for no in
strucions, as We thought Ee required none
Leaving the City Hotel at 5 o'clock pm. by
| omnibus, May 10th, we were carried to the
foot of Chartres street and left there waiting
for the ferryboat. In the course of an hour the
| ferryboat came over and had to unload all
passengers of the Morgan, Louisiana and
Texas Railroad Companies and numerou.
freight cars. We sat quietly and ablded our
time to go aboard. Finally the crowd COM
menced to go aboard and we did likewise, nc
one ever saying a word to us. We were
then carried across 10 Algiers, where the
crowd again rushed into the passenger
coaches, which seemed to be waiting to re-
ceive them, although there was the marked
Absence of the conductors call aboard" We
were then switched from one 81 e track 10
another until we were run down into a shed
and mounted the gangway for the steamer
Whitney, which was to convey us
TO VERA CRUZ
1t is worth all the annoyance and trouble
you encounter to be fortunate enough TO Sc
cure passage by the Whitney. II is the
incest boat that runs out of New Orleans.
and goes direct to Vera Cruz, the passenger
thereby avoiding all the stops at other ports
made by some steamers was fortunate in
securing a splendid state-room through the
influence of some railroad friends in New
Orleans. My location was in the front arLof
the steamer, just opposite the purser's office,
and l thereby lost all OF the jostle that people
get who have rooms nearer the engine. Per-
haps a description of my room might be of
interest to some Of your readers who
have never taken similar trip. 1t was
about seven feet wide and ten feet deep. The
bed WAS placed against the wall firmly, with
elegant linen and mosquito bar, one large
pillow to lay your head on and one placed
against the wall to prevent the head striking
the partition when the ship was in rough
water; nice mirror and rack placed Sc
curely to prevent falling 10 hold your traps,
and last, but not of least Importance, the
life-preserver.
THE BILL OF FARE
was all the most fastidious epicure could de-
sire; in fact, in my opinion, was far superior
to the hotels in New Orleans. For breakfast
we had nice fresh fish, juicy beefstesk and
broiled spring chicken on toast; the other
meats in like proportion; for each meal q
printed bill of fare. i did not find print
ing Office on board, however, and presume
they were previously printed and then con-
formed to. You must have the wherewilhal
to 'fee" the waiter or you will not be well
treated. Our party, consisting of five, con-
cluded that it would be wise proceeding on
our part for each TO give our waiter dollar,
which we did at the first meal, and the
consequences were we Jared sumptu-
ously every day. We were fortunate in
falling in with some gentlemen bound
for the City of Mexico, and who
we're very companionable. Mr.. Richardson,
civil eng gineer from the Texas and Pacific
railroad, who goes to assist on the Gould
Degrees Mexican railroad; Mr.. Rushmore
and Mr.. Palmenteer, from Illinois, who will
engage in the nursery business in the City of
Mexico. There were several steerage pas
sengers going to the various railroads in
Mexico. There is a constant emigration of
Americans to Mexico / learn, and greater
portion are men that have a standing in the
financial world. There are also numerous
adventures, who go expecting to find
GOLD HANGING ON THE TREES,
and who return, OF course, to pronounce the
entire country a failure. You will get no such
reports as this from the cool, clear-headed, ;,
calculating American, as have met numer-
GUS men OF this latter class, and all say the
country and its outcome has surpassed their
most sanguine expectations. OF course the
greater part of American capital is invested
in mining operations and railroad enter
prises, and the greatest outcome is yet to be
anticipated. All the Americans in this part
OF the country seem to talk OF nothing else
but mines, ores and railroads. You hear it
in the hotels, on the streets and in the cars
As some of my Memphis friends are inter-
ested in a mine in Chihuahua / shall inquire
into this one particularly and give you my
views in my next. We had aboard
our ship two Mormon missionaries
from Salt Lake City going over to
Mexico to convert the ''greasers' to
their faith and "polygamy." One of them,
an intelligent young man of about twenty
three years of age, and a son of the cele-
brated Mormon, Orson Pratt, discussed his
religion and his people with us "Gentilesp
with candor and fullness that to me was
rather astonishing. | must confess my views
were somewhat altered from my acquaint-
ance with Kim. l had always thought their
religion and practices would not bear the
sunlight and civilization of our nineteenth
century; but laying aside the
PLURALITY OF WIVES
doctrine, it is no bad faith. Our party con-
tested every point with him, and put him
through cross-examination that would
have tried the patience of Philadelphia
lawyer. Ihls young missionary was born,
bred and reared in Salt Lake, and we might
say under the very shadow Of the Tabernacle;
TO US then 1t seems no surprise that he should
think Mormonism embraced everything
pure and holy, while to US 1t appears the one
black and damnable blot upon our nations
otherwise fair escutcheon. He is quite an
enthusiast on his subject, and has more lib
erality toward others religious views than is
generally shown. He proposes to operate
for a while in this city until he is more ia
miliar with the language of the country, and
| shall watch his movements with. more than
ordinary curiosity. have been in the City
of Mexico now four days, but my attention
has been principally absorbed by
RAILROAD BUSINESS.
The Mexican Central road is far ahead of
all the other roads in every way. Its equip
ment would do credit to any American road
It's coaches are elegant, and engines large
and powerful. They are building cars at
the rate of FIVE per week to accommodate
their rapidly increasing traffic. Their con-
strHction is going forward at the rate of a
mile day, and they expect to be at Ell Paso
in a few months, thereby forming a direct
line from this city to the United States. /
find one or two employees on this road that
have at times resided in Memphis. Below |
give you the miles of track laid on various
6nes:
Hles.
Mexico and Vera Cruz railroad ........-...... 29s
MoreieS 116
Mexican Central railroad. ,. ..-...... .... 275
railroad 50
hfa-TT do Daf1 (frNrrTrs