Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-28
In OLD MEXICO.
THE SO.CALIED HARBOR OF VERA
CRUZ.
the Sister Republic-Romantic
Career of a Dead Bandit.


Especial correspondence of the REcoRD-USIoN.]
VERA CRUZ Mexico), Jan. 30, 1888.
Perhaps the most dangerous point on the
Gulf of Mexico is this so-called harbor OF
Vera Cruz. In the frequent "northers,' y
even the open sea is preferable, and it is
not uncommon for vessels to beat up and
| down for days, in sight of land, waiting
for the storm TO abate before it is safe to
venture into the harbor. When winds
begin TO blow from the dreaded quarter,
steamships make haste to get up their an
chors and stand out to sea with all posi-
bic speed, such a course offering less risks
than the treacherous anchorage.
The present city of Vera Cruz-whieh
until recently was capital of the State OF
the same name-is not the original town
which Cortez named La ViNa Ricd de Ia
! Vera Cruz (the rich city Of the true
| cross but was founded near the close OF
the sixteenth century by the Spanish
Niccroy, Count de Monterey, and was
raised to the rank of ''city" by King Philip
place was ON the Rio Antigua, several
miles north of this place, and there it was
! that he commanded his vessels to be sunk
before beginning the murderous campaign
into the interior.
Both the new and the old Vera Cruz lie
in the midst of an extensive desert, VIII ose
arid sands are washed by the stormy gull
on one hand, and bounded by low, barren
hills on the other. 1t is a common remark
that the great Coaguistador should have set
up his " true cross " at Anton Lizardo in
stead-a point about fifteen miles to the
southwark, where is the only really good
harbor on the whole gulf coast. Though
man Of vivid imagination and sanguine
temperament, the Conqueror never dreamed
that the desolate beach upon which
he first set his adventurous foot would one
day be great city-the commercial cap
ital Of New Spain" and the mart of
European and Oriental trade
More than two-thirds of Mexico's COM
merce passes through the port of Vera
Cruz, the Custom-house receipts averaging
100000 per month. Yet such is Mexican
inertia that it is probable that no attempt
would have been made to render this first
port of entry worthy to be called harbor,
had not the impending loss of trade and
threatened destruction of the commercial
supremacy of Vera Cruz led the merchants
of that city to hestir themselves. As the
lines of the Mexican Central Railroad
come nearer together, the construction in
the south approaching that in the north,
| thn Nara 'rt,sa h.. e
ing large part of their importations.
This stirred them so much that they
said the harbor ought to be improved, and
should be ''mandna" tomorrow that
never comes; but when they saw that the
audacious railroad, besides its other inno-
vations, was actually planning branch to
the gulf itself-not only that, but propos-
ing to have commodious harbor, with
wharves and piers, at Tuxpan-then they
began tumultuously TO beseiged the Presi-
dent to come to their rescue.
1t was owing to this sudden pressure
brought to bear upon it, that the Mexican
| Government invited the late Captain Eads
to inspect the harbor of Vera Cruz and
submit plans for its improvement. His
| recommendation was to build a break
water across the entire northern end of the
channel, between the shore and the island
OF Uloa. BY thus fencing of, so to speak,
what is now enormously digniied by the
name OF harbor, protection would be af-
forded from the weather and opportunity
given for dredging out the channel to a
more uniform depth, making docks feasible.
The Mexican authorities have since con-
Quoted the work along the general line of
Captain Eads suggestions, and good deal
of Roadway has already been made. Sew
eral shiploads Of hydraulic lime have
lately arrived, to be used, somehow in the
improvements
Every steamer that touches port has all
its staterooms filled with passengers for
Vera Cruz, and every train coming down.
ward from the north is equally crowded.
| Within the last five years Mexico has be-
| come the most visited country on earth,
the objective-point of tourists; how much
of this influx of travel is due to those
earlier scrihes who were first to excite the
worlds interest in the beauties and won
ders here, | leave to the perhaps grateful
railroad and steamship magnates to deter
mine.
According to Senior Dublan, Secretary of
| Mexico's Treasury, the imports to this
country consist chiefly of cotton, linen.
| WOODEN and silken fabrics, besides cotton
and silk in their raw state; wines, liquors,
oil, earthenware, glass, quicksilver, iron,
steel, tin, hardware, watches, jewelry, pa
per, machinery, wax, carriages, furniture,
books, musical instruments and various ar
| ticles of less Importance.
The principal exports are gold and sill
ver-no less than $29,906,500 being annu-
| ally sent abroad. Then there are con-
stantly increasing quantities of coffee, be-
sides hides, timber, logwood, India rubber,
vanilla, indigo, flax, wool, lead, tobacco
and sarsaparilla. The United States now
sends down here machinery for factories
and mining purposes, sewing machines,
| type and printing presses, arms and am
munition, coal, furniture, carriages, manu-
| featured articles in brass and copper. rail
road materials, tools and implements
hardware, cutlery, etc. That from Eng
land is almost identical, but less in auan-
tity. Paris sends silk, wooden and cotton
| fabrics, gloves, artificial flowers and fancy
goods, books, engravings, glassware, per-
fumery, wines and liquors. jewelry, wear
ing apparel and fancy goods, clocks, drugs,
medicines, toys and bon-bons.
The manufacture of cigars and cigar
| cites of fine quality is a comparatively
new industry in Mexico dating only from
| the Cuban instruction of 1868, when a
number of refugees from that island landed
in Vera Cruz and there established fac
tories. Since that time manufactures of
cigars and cigarettes have sprung up in
all parts of Mexico where tobacco is pro-
duced, and furnishes employment to thou
sands of laborers and skilled workmen.
Vera Cruz alone contains four important
tobacco manufactures, besides various
other establishments on smaller scale.
The four mentioned employ fifteen hun
dred workmen.
According to official accounts. they
raised more than two hundred million
bushels of corn in Mexico last year, and
wheat in proportion. Among the poorer
classes, who are largely in the majority.
corn is in much greater demand than
wheat, the former being used in tortiNas,
the Mexican staff of life The average
laborer here supports his family on ten
cents per diem, invested in corn and beans,
plentifully favored with garlic and gar
nished with chill.
Not long ago a curious marine monster
was captured near Tampico. For several
days school of unknown creatures were