Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-04-17
ABOARD FOR MEXICO!
A Trip on the Newly Completed In
ternational Railroad
Popular Errors COrrected-- Along the
Plateau ROute.-- Barren Tracts
and Grazing ResiOns---lm.
pOrtant Cities
TChicago Tincs.1

to the capital Of Mexico is All event worthy
Of celebration. The gap between the north
ern and southern sections of the great Mexi.
can Central line is now closed, and an TN.
broken track unites the City Of Mexico with
the city of Chicago-the Oldest with the
youngest of the great cities on the western
hemisphere A few weeks hence, when the
operating arrangements shall have been per-
frcted, the traveller will be able to leave
Chicago Monday morning and on the follow
ing Sunday emerge from his hotel in tina
beautiful cale del Cinco de Mayo to look
upon the famous "halls of the Montezumas'-
if he Can discover any vestigee OF them,
which is very doubtful.
BY cooperative arrangements three great
lines Will form one continuous line from Chi
cago to the Mexican capital-a total distance
of 5000 miles. From Chicago to Kansas
CITY, about 600 miles, the train will traverse
the .ine of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy;
from Kansas City TO Ell Paso, about 1870
miles, by tho Achlson, Topeka & Santa Fe
line, aud from I'll Paso TO Mexico, about
l,2UO miles, by the Mexican Central line AL
together, the western hemisphere contains
no more interesting line Of travel-none SO
interesting on account of tie various lands,
zones, climates, attitudes, and peoples that it
traver>es.
For Americans as we'll as for Mexicans, the
opening Uf the Mexican portion Of this great
international lue is the beginning OF new
epCcn and new experience. Nhat sort OF
country is Mexicol What manner of land
is il that, though separated from us only by a
shallow river, has so long been an ultima
thule, known to the bulk Of Americans only
by the accounts they have read Of ITS seeming
perennial revolutions, yet now is brought as
near and made as easily accessible as the
Pacific section of our own lanlt
GROSS ERRORS CORRECTED.
In the average American mind, some
grossly erroneous opinions prevail concerning
it. As more than half of Mexico lies within
the socaied torrid zone, it is popularity
imagined TO be land of torrii heat; aud as
its IeoIle speak language of which Though
it is spoken by about one-nalf g. all the peo-
pie on this henisphere> the bulk of Americans
are peculiarly ignorant, there is q popular
American idea that il is a land of come sorG
heathenish. Both are gross errors.
Tie Mexican Central railway. in the whole
length of its main line, t:i.vorses the great
central plateau that comprises more tErn
three-fourths of all Mexico, and upon which
nine-tenths Of the population OF the
country is found. Everywhere upon that
plateau the climate is much the same as
is found in somewhat lower alt tudes in
New Mexico, affecting humanity with neither
the intense heat of summer nor the rigorous
cold OF winter that reign alternately III
the Mississippi valley. This is owing partly
to the situation Of the country between two
great oceans giving to it the character Of an
oceanic rather than a continental climate,
but chiefly to its high elevation. The eli
matte difference between the low-lyirg tierras
callentes of the sea coasts and the great CEN
tral plateau, though separated only ty tho
slope of u mountain side il the difference BE-
tween the shores of the Amazon and the
shores Of Lake Michigan in midsummer.
THE PLATEAU ROUTE.
What may be called the plateau route from
Chicago to Mexico nowhere penetratps the
hot region. Crossing the southeastern corner
of Colorado, it rises in the Raton pass, to an
elevation of 5000 feet at the boundary line OF
New Mexico, and between that point and tho
Mexican capital nowhere desccnds to an ele-
vation SO low as 5000 feet above the sea
AT the Mexican boundary, where the
line crosses the Bravo, the elevation is
about s, 400 feet; at only one point between
there and Mexico City does it touch a
lower altitude. Tie average altitu 'e of the
Inc in Mexico is rather over than under
5000 feet The highest point ON the line is
at or near the city of Zacatecas At that
city, though it is within the line of the tcirid
zone. the Traveller. in winter, should not be
surprised to see the ground lightly covered
with snow And in tho CITY of Mexico
whose altitude is between 1000 and 500
feet, frosty mornings in winter are more
common than sultry days in summer, when
the mercury seldom marks above s. degrees
Fahrenheit
THE GRAZING COUNTRY.
The country traversei by tho northern
half of the road is comparatively unsettled,
towns being "few and far betweeu.' Some
superficial Observers have swespingly called
it Il barren desert; but this is not the fact
The road passes through only three absolutely
barren tracts. The first aud largest is en-
tered few miles beyond the Bravo
and extends nearly half way to the
city CT chihuahua, or about eighty miles
Then the journey gradually emerges into
fair grazing country, that grows better as
the train advances. and nowhere lacks any
thing but an adequate supply Of water to fit it
for all the purposes Of agriculture. The rail
way-huilders had little difficulty in finding
water at a comparatively small depth.
This grazing region stretches southwark
into the state of Durango, where, around
Mapimi u smaller desert is crossed, and the
road emorges into the remarkably fertile
lacuna region amply watered BY a number
OF large streams, that lose themselves in iso-
lated lakes. Entering the state Of Lacatecas,
an abs )lute desert Of bare gravel, twenty or
thirty miles wide, is crossed; but from its
southern border, some miles north of Fres-
Milo, to the Mexican capital, the road trav-
erses a populous country of great and uni
form fertility, whose character may be in
fcrred from the fact that the local traffic of
the southern part of tho line has, from the
beginning, shown a satisfactory balance on
tie earnings side of the companys balance
sLeet.
CITIES ON THE LINE.
A number of the most Important and in
teresting cities in Mexico are on the line Of
this road. Chihuahua, a beautiful town OF
5000 people, is awakening from sleep of a
couple of centuries into a new and modern
life. Durango about 10000, with its inter-
esting iron mountain, owned by some enter
prsing Chicago gentlemen, will be reached
by branch road that is not yet built. Hlca-
tecas is picturesque city Of 10000 "whose
streets seem more busy" says a recent letter,
ethan those of any place | have yet seen in
the republic. The public and
private buildings of Zacatecas are more
substantial and ornamental than those Of
any mining city in America" Aguas
Calentes (hot waters), with population of
IS, 0O0, is the point where the Central COM
pany's line from Tampico to Mazatlan inter
sects the man line, thus making it a very
important railway center. Some of tho
principal railway offices are already estab'