San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-09
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
Notes From the State OF NueVa Leon
"A Glance at Monterey ana
Topo Chico--HoW Lare-
do is PIllng up Brick.
,,o.-,,,,,,,,,- Nav nao

have very materially enhanced the
comfort of southern travellers by re-
ducing time to six hours and twenty
five minutes between San Antonio
and Laredo. The trip down was
made on schedule time and the hos
pitable doors of Hotel Hamilton in
Laredo opened for us most inVit-
ingly. Laredo is no longer
the dread of the traveller be-
cause of execrable hotel discomforts.
Hotel Hamilton, a commodious three
story house, with all the modern i'm
provements, now offers as good a bed
and as appetiZing a table as can be
found in any Southern city. All
Americans stopping at Laredo will
find this hotel just as represented.
The proprietor is no novice in the art,
and as "mine host" Thompson is
model landlord. Laredo had greatly
improved in the three months elapsed
since last seen, and large brick blocks
in process of erection demonstrate the
substantial quality CT the improve
ments which are making Of this bor-
der town a real metropolis. President
Hamilton, of the Improvement COM
pany, did the honers and gave
all opportunity for an inspection
of the city improvements. Inc
shops of the Mexican National
railway were inspected under the
guidance of Master Mechanic Milan
and plant shown that has no rival
in Texas. These shops, for complete
ness of outfit and extent, can hardly
be matched anywhere in the south,
and will require from 300 to 400 work
men when fully equipped: The build
ings are stone, brick, and iron, OF vast
extent, provided with the latest ma
chinery and wanting nothing to COM
plete their equipment. The LIGHT
acknowledges obligations to General
Superintendent Galbraith, of the
Mexican National r. r. for courtasies,
as also to Messrs. Hamilton and
Thompson, for kindness rendered.
The trip to Monterey was tedious,
being night trip, and as the arrival
at Monterey is made at 3 a. m.
sleeper would be only an aggrava-
ton. Some beautiful scenery before
and after reaching Monterey is
missed by this night trip. The Hi
dalgo hotel is the American hotel,
par excellence of the city and the
LIGHT was as Hospitality received as
though he was a long lost brother.
The house deserves patronage, and
Americans visiting the city are COM
mended to its excellent table and
cool rooms as luxuries they will APP
precate. 1t is the best hotel i'll the
country outside of the City of Mexico.
While in Monterey the LIGHT has
been greatly indebted to Major Ran
dali of the Topo Chico Springs, Cen
eral Manager Robertson of the Mon
terey and Gulf railroad. to Messrs.
Coplan and Petit of the same COM
pany, and to Prof. Ford for attentions
most grateful to stranger in a
| strange city.
One can never cease his wonder
and his pleasure increases as he wan
ders over the streets of this quaint
old town. He finds himself in
the presence of new civili-
zation and his interest is div
ided between the strange OBJ
iects that everywhere surround him
and the everlasting peaks of the
| Sierra Madre mountains which sem
l
in the land of "God and Liberty"
This day has been a cloudy one for
| Monterey and all during its hours
the mountain peaks have been ceas-
lessly changing their cloud capped
appearance. The mist wreaths have
never presented the same view for
five consecutive minutes, and the
kaleidoscope effect has been enchant-
ing. During the day every hour
has been full of business, and every
moment OF delight. The orange gar
dens with their loads of yellow fruit;
the plazas with their architecture
and their fountains and their semi
tropical foliage; the city without car
riages paved with cobble stones
and without dust; the walled
up houses and iron grated win
dOws; the solid stone structures,
the peculiar pain ting and frescoes;th
street cars for sole passenger locomo-
ton and the OK team for freight; the
foreign tongue, the foreign manners
and the foreign appearance of all
things make upa whole ofinteresting
objects of which the eye and ear
never tire. Not the least of the days
enjoyments was a plunge into the
hot waters of the famous Topo Chico
springs, situated about six miles from
the heart of the city, whose waters
are not eXcelled for curative virtue!
) by any in the world. The city stree
railway system connects with tn,
springs and the day is not distan
when the rheumatic and scrofulous o
all states will flock 10 them for heal
ing. The city is so quaint and pecul
I lar and unique that its beauties can
! not be disclosed in random commu