Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-04
SOUTHERN MEXICO.
IN AND AROUND THE STATE OF
VERA CRUZ.
the Sister Republic of the
United States.
[REcoED-UNIoS Special Correspondence
TUyPAN. Mexico. January DC. 1883.

[REcoRD-UNIoS Special Correspondence
TUxPAN, Mexico, January 26, 1883.
This little city-which is just now being
brought into prominence by the railroad
TALKS worth coming a long way to see,
yet tourists visits here are like those of
angels, "lew and far between"
Tuypan lies on the eastern coast of the
State of Vera Cruz, ten miles inland from
the Gulf OF Mexico, on the Tuxpan river,
and exactly 100 miles from Vera Cruz
City. Situated in the very heart of the
dangerous terra catiente (''hot lands'') }, with
q long stretch of desert wastes, robber-
infested roads and tropical forests, under
whose every leaf turks deadly reptiles and
deadlier diseases-the only way to reach it
in comparative safety is by steamer or
coasting vessel. We tried the latter, sail
ing northward from Vera Cruz, and found
the trip 4 charming one.
Most travellers, however, come down to
Tuxpan from the north, if they come at all
| wonder if it is generally known in the
United States that the most delightful
winter journey in the world is
FROM NEW ORLEANS TO TUXPAN.
Leaving the first mentioned place by
steamer one descends the Mississippi l25
miles and enters the Gulf by what is
known as the 'South Pass" taking course
toward Bagdad, the port of Matamoras
The latter port of entry is in the State of
Tamaulipas, on the south bank of the Rio
Grande and about thirty miles from its
mouth, exactly opposite Brownsville, in
Texas.
Leaving Bagdad one sails southwark to
Tampico most of the way keeping out of
sight of land. From Tampico to Tuxpan
Is summer-day's cruise which inclines
one to the belief that piracy must have
had its charms if SO perfect was the
weather in those days We read of, when
the "long, low, suspicious-looking craft,
with raking masts used to steal out from
sheltered coyes to plumber richiy-Iaden
galleons.
At the mouth OF the Tuxpan river pas
sengers, freight and mails are transferred
to small sail-yacht for the remainder of
the journey. The river is noble stream.
navlgable for thirty miles; but unfor-
tunately, there is the inevitable bar at its
mouth, and scarcely six feet of water upon
1t at highest tide. Though none but yes
sells of hghtest draft can find entrance.
when once across the line of shifting
sands the safest anchorage is afforded, and
so deep is the river that the largest ocean
steamers could sail triumphantly up to the
Tuxpan dock. The time may come when
some Mexican Eads will arise, to the de-
struction of that dreaded bar-but proba-
bly, not until after the present generation
OF ease-loving people shall have been gath
cred to their fathers and a second crop be-
come more thoroughly Americanized
In Tuxpan there are no hotel accommo-
dations, but the good citizens are hospita-
bly, inclined, and the stranger finds no
difficulty in exchanging his reales for the
best bed and board" the town affords.
The busy little burg has only 1000 inhab-
ltants, but rejoices in municipal palace"
custom-house, cathedral, alms-house, hos
pital, horse-cars, telephones, electric lights,
etc.
The climate, though that of eternal
summer, is never excessively warm, the
heats of the tropical lowlands being tenn
pered by sea-breezes which blow shore
ward with the regularity of the tide.
Strange to say, though
THE DEADLY voMITo
RACES on all sides, neither that nor yellow
fever has ever touched Tuxpan. Cdlentu-
TdS local fevers) are common enough and
frequently fatal, while malarial chills are
sometimes alarmingly epidemical.
In the country round about the Their
mometer seldom rises above 900 or falls
below 600, and in all the fertile gardens
and ranches grow an uprivalled abund-
anee OF cotton, corn, sugar-cane, tobacco,
vanilla beans, castor beans and mangoes.
In the back country India-rubber culture
Is extensively carried on, the caoutchouc
of the Tuxpan district ranking in the mar
ket quotations of New York and London
as second to fine Para" equal in price TO
the Nicaragua product, and far ahead of
that from Panama and Gsyaquil.
Among the valuable woods in the vicin-
lty, is the zapote or 'iron wood" which
bears fruit much rclished by the natives.
Its timber is unsurpassed for railroad ties
and has been extensively used for that
purpose by the several lines in Southern
Mexico. A zapote tree is heavy enough
to ballast itself, and is said to outlast the
constant usage of a quarter of century.
This exceedingly rich section has long
been retarded in Its development by what
is known as
THE TUXPAN LAND COMPANY"
a society whose organization is most pc
cullar. By the terms of its charter no
one can own an acre of the vast tract of
land controlled by the company unless he
be the happy possessor of a share of the
lt1t h.aI as4 L. 4
the land he pleases, Craze all the stock he
can buy or borrow, cut down the mahog-
any and other choice timber from his own
and his neighbor's fields for tifewood, and.
IN short, do pretty much as he pleases
About once year the company has
meeting, when efforts are always made to
divide up the land, giving to each share
holder tract in proportion to the amount
OF stock he owns. But the shareholders,
having altogether too good a time of it to
rashly oountenance changes, desire no
pentup Utica to cramp their powers; so.
invariably there is stormy session-not
lnfrequently emphasized by pistol practice
and dagger-points, and the meeting breaks
up In row, leaving the company's bust
ness more hopelessly muddled than before.
Some valuable
PETROLEUM WELLS
Are found in the vicinity of Tuxpan, and
a few years ago two American companies
erected works to refine the oil. The yield
is exceptionally good, the waste being less
than per cent. One of these. called the
"Vera Cruz Oil Company" was organized
in Boston in 1881. Hon. B. F. Butler is a
shareholder in it, also Thomas Nickerson.
Another company is shipping to the
United States considerable quantities of
what is called chapopoIe-a kind of heavy
oil, mixed with asphalt. Most of the oil
wells in this State occur near the coast,
principally between the Panuco and Tuxpan
riyers. The best are found near the La
guna del Tamaiahua-a lake of peculiar
interest, because upon its sandy bottom
are the ruins of stone palaces, beautifully
carved, unlike any Others in Mexico.
The whole State of Vera Cruz is rich in
ruins, and has evidently been occupied by
successive races from the earliest period of
recorded time 3 Not far from Tuxpan.
easily reached by two-days' Journey on
horseback, are the famous ruins of Papan-
tia. The crumbiing city, which belongs
10 an epoch so far back in the past that no
trana IL loft Of