The Portland daily press., 1886-12-21
History of the Remarkable Plan to
Found Perfect City.

Mexico and the site of the prospective city
in Sinaloa. They constitute the first detach-
ment of colonists from this vicinity, who are
going to settle on the shores of Topolobampo
Bay, under the patronage of the Credit Fon-
cier Company. Rev. w. f. Eaton of Cape
Elizabeth, who is the future chief of police
of the new city, appeared at the Boston &
Maine depot early yesterday morning, to as
sumo charge of the departure of the emf
grants As no one was going until noon,
however, Mr.. Eaton had the platform pretty
much to himself until he was cheerfully
greeted by party of friends who told him
that they had come down to see the last Of
him. Mr.. Eaton, however, told them that he
was not go ng until noon, and they promised
to make their last adeus then.
At noon the members of the party arrived
and received the last instructions and their
tickets from Mr.. Eaton, who was here. there
and everywhere with package of tickets in
one hand and roll of money in the other
The colonists were retieent as to telling their
names, and Mr.. Eaton said that while he en-.
tertained no objection to reporters as individ-
usls, as representing the press, which he
thought had not been friendly to the idea OF
the colony, he must decline to tell who the
members of the party were. Mr.. Eaton was
accompanied by his daughter. The party
contained nine men, six women and three
children. Among those going from this city
were Messrs. j. f. Turner, II. w. Fletcher.
Capt. A. p. Bunker, William Briggs and
George Williams and j. Foss. L. w.
Stubbs of Newcastle, was also of
the party. Mrs. Eaton and several
others left on Sunday, and were to ioin the
party in Boston. The large number of the
residents of Cape Elizabeth reported to be
anxious to so to Mexico were not there the
Eaton family being the only representatives
of that town.
As the time for departure drew near the
faces of some of the colonists became cloud-
ed, and they did not look as happy as if they
were going ON picnic Mr.. Eaton's daugh-
Ter and some of the other ladies shed few
tears at parting, and the head of the party
himself, while he hung number of baggage
checks on string, looked as if he did not
feel entirely joyous.
AT last the gong sounded, the train rolled
out OF the depot, and the colonists were off.
those who go direct to Mexico are ticketed
10 Guaymas, little south of the proposed
settlement, which they will then reach bv
water. Mr. Howard NJ Chase, of this city,
is a colonist who missed the train. He set
of in pursuit of his comrades last night.
letter from the Governor of Sonora to
Mr.. "A. X. Owen, the protector of the enter
prise, contains the following:
nave learned with particular pleasure of tha
III ,i..ehuon @ oI me Credit Foucier Company to set
W ee part o. It's four thousand and more colonists
az T0polobampo this winter, and as Governnr os
tne state OF Sonora, for my people and mvsejf n
pe pgISonaliy AZ extend to them and to all who may
eoiVw Inelr example, welcome to and across our
otate 70 Sinaoa. and it win be my pleasure al any
aha ANA aii tmes 70 cooperate with them in any way
welfare Of aHa fba " aer Own advantage and to the
WISH 10 say TO you that have in person and
IN bn .wo occasions, visited the waters of the har-
yantages, probably superior to any other harhor
Nl wllnln the Republic OF Mexico. Believe me. nv
uo"i sn, yours very truly.
LUIS TORRES.
Inc party expect to receive accessions
along The line, so that the number who will
ieaVe kansas City, where the Portland emil
grants Will SOP one day, will be about 100.
Inc Underwood Spring Company made the
party present of case of their water.
ORIGIN OF THE SCHEME.
The beginnings of this striking COLONY
scheme go back to the wanderings of its real
protector, A. K. Owen, in Mexico in 1872 and
1873. Owen has had an adventurous career
from Doyhood as traveller and surveyor.
rambling afoot over nearly every country in
Europe and through Palestine, and crossing
and recrossing the Western plains before the
days OF railroads or stage lines. He had
learned civil engineering in Chester county.
fenn., and plunged with great vigor into
railroading at thirty years of age. Getting
through with some work in Colorado. he
went down into Mexico in 1872 with General
W. }. Palmer to survey what is now tho
Mexican Central railroad. Foreleyen months
ne pushed his explorations through Central
Mexico and in September, 1873, travelling by
cnance along the coast of Sinaloa. he dis
covered Topolobampo Bay This bay. IL
seems, opening off the Pecifc coast by
narrow passageway. like the Golden Cafe at
San francisco, had escaped the notice of
geographers until then About half way
between Guaymes, n poor roadstead to the
north, ana Mazatlan, another poor one to the
south; lying just where the Gulf of Califor-
MA merges with the ocean, with spacious
land-locked harbor, deep water and gently
sloplng shores, it seemed to offer rare adyan
tages for commerce.
IA. a railroad across Mexico to Topolobampo
Decanle now his fondest project. At the
governors Convention in Atlanta, in the
Virginia Legislature, in the United States
Senate and House of REPRESENTATIVE
whenever and wherever the opportunity
osTGaeredCowen ssG.aa. urged the claims of his
1reat southern TranS-Oceanic and Interna-
tlonal Air-line-Asia to Europe via Mexico.''
PRESIDENT Grant, in his second term, ordered
survey OF Topolobampo Harbor, and a
report on it by a board of United States
engineers engineers was published. in the War De-
partment Two committees in Congress
recommended the railroad scheme favora.
Dly, before 1876, but hard times followed.
and nothing came of it. Owen meanwhiIe
mad Joined the. Greenback party and gone
into all sorts OF labor reform movements and
9bsa11[ahonssae tbse Soyereigns Eof Industry,
knights OF Labor. From soft money" he
ran by degrees into socialism. fierceH at
lacking the old competitive order in his pam
phlets and advocating what he calls, in a
recent work on the Sinaloan colony, "Inte-
gral Cooperation" Full of these socialistic
ideas, he went to Mexico once more i'm 1879
and set afoot plans for digging a vast system
OF canals and drainage for the valley of
Mexico, and for building the Mexican State
railways. His proposals were accepted by
York to organize syndicate for the work.
Gen. A. 1. A.. Torbert was at the head of it.
and Owen sailed with him and seyentv-fo
others for Mexico again in the CITY OF Vera
Cruz. The steamer foundered off Florida
and all but Owen were lost. IT. s. Grant
Jr., was next made head of the syndcate
but by this time the Mexican Central and
Franco Egyptian banks had got control of
the public works and Owens schemes were
dropped.
PROMINENT MEN INTERESTED.
Nothing was left out to organize a new
railroad corporation and apply for conces-
sions of land and subsidies for building. The
Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad
Company was formed with ex-senator Win
dom as president, and General b. F. Butler.
ex- Mayor Prince, of Boston, General Grant,
Wendell Phillips, Minister Romeo. e. A.
Buck and John II. Rice on the board of di-
rectors. In 1888 one hundred miles of road
were surveyed eastward from Topolobampo.
Owen himself had charge of it and of the
north and south branches. A city was need
I'd badly at the terminus of the railroad. In |
iucements would have to be given to set |
lers. Here was chance for Owens soc ial |
site friends, one that he knew they would |
enthusiastically snap at.
Marie and Edward Rowland, both we'll |
inown writer's among the socialistic and la
)or reform parties of this country, were liv-
ng at Hammonton, n j. Edward Rowland
lad been master in the Grange, and a
PROMINENT Greenbacker in the time of tho
soft money craze" His wife had written
ome soclalistic novels, and is the translator
(rnn6NVintc lttff