Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-12-22

to the city, $50 miles.
The last named road has only been
about two months-it had
been in operation but three weeks
when the editorial eXcursiOnists
passed over it-but it will in future
be the great highway between the
United States and City of Mexico, be-
ing a shorter route to the city by 700
miles than the Central, and $50 miles
shorter than the International, from
any point east of the Mississippi river.
1t is narrow gauge road, but with
broad gauge management. Mr.. Nor
com, the general manager, was at one
time private secretary to Gov. John
G. Brown. We will leave further
particulars regarding this road to a
future article.
The National Editorial Association,
1865 in number, "a of whom were la
dies, left Nuevo Laredo at II o'clock
on the the night of Nov. oath, and
took breakfast about 10 o'clock at
Saltillo-the MeXicans pronounce it
Sam-tee-O. Sometime during the day,
as we reached more mountainous
country, the train was divided into
two sections, and on the second day
it was made into three sections. The
last section reached the city on the
morning of the 9th at three o'clock,
the other sections having arrived two
or three hours earlier. The run be-
tween the Rio Grande and the city is
usually made by the regular passen-
ger trains in about A hours, but the
excursion trains were delayed from
various causes. All of the party pro-
vided themselves with well-filled bas-
kets of lunch before leaving San An
tonic, else they would have been on
the point of starvation ere reaching
the city. This will not be necessary
for travellers over the route after an
other month or two, as Mr.. Geo. ID.
Hodges, an American, and we believe
formerly a Nashville man, is fast
getting first-class eating houses estab-
lishetl all along the line. He already
has them splendidly equipped at
NueVo Laredo and Saltlllo. Very
good meals are also to be had at
Acambara and TOluca, but the break
fast we had in a freight car at San
Luis Potosi one morning at 1 o'clock
was the toughest spread we ever sat
down to. We had drank Indifferent
coffee before, but the stuff we got
there was meaner than castor oil and
ippecac mixed. The hummer who
ran the establishment made us pay a
dollar for it all the same. Oranges,
bananas and other fruits are to be
had quite cheap at most of the sta
tons along the line, and at many OF
them native vendors Gust as
noisy as the American type, offer
various articles of Mexican diet for
sale at the car windows. Our party
sampled everything offered. Some
of the articles are very good, while
there are Others which nobody on
earth but a Mexican could eat with.
out dastardly outrage upon the
stomach.
The country, in its physical feat
ures, like the people, presents very
striking contrasts at almost every
turn. The train moves successfully
through fertile fields and over sterile
plains, One hour you are rushing
over level plateau, and the mex
winding through rugged mountain
ranges. Going toward the city the
road climbs gradually up into thu
mountains until just beyond Toluci
an altitude Of more than 10000 fee
above the sea level is reached. Thel
begins the descent into the valley 0
Mexico, and in a run of 80 or 35 mile
you go down about 5000 feet. There
is some beautiful scenery along thi
part of the route, and from many
places you look down dizzy height
that almost take ones breath. AlOnI
some parts of the road water is s,
scarce that tanks for supplying tn
engines are long distances apart, anC
the engines have to carry an extr
tank of water in addition to what tn
tender will hold. The agriculture
sections have to depend upon irriga
ton for their crops, and during tn
rainy season water is collected il
large ponds or basins, and drawn Of
through bitches as needed. The mic
system of irrigating bitches to be see
along the route show that the Mex
cans are quite skillful in this work.
The greater part of the country
almost destitute of timber. Man