Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-07-17
a INSTRUMENTATION Town.

4 INSTRUMENTATION Town.
FL Paso de L'Aguila. to give Eagle Pass
1 its old Spanish name, is such a mixture of
\ Mexican and American that one can hard.
/ ly credit that it was settled as recently as
/ 1919. Yet it was in that year that Gen.
| w. S HaEney established Fort Duncan at
/ this point. and kept his twelve hundred
men in health and happiness on the high
bluffs which overlook the Rio Grande
/ The mexican government allowed a ferry
/ to be established across the river, and
| here it is still-the hat-bottomed boats,
each with two Mexican ferry-men, the
propeling power being a pole, and its
! guide rope stretched from bank TO bank.
on which run two shorter ropes with pull
! leys. On our side stands the American
custom-house official ,or lounges lazily in
/ the little shanty erected there for his use;
on the Mexican bank march up and down
| the Mexican military, not imposing, not
soldier-llke, and very odd 10 American
I eyes
To Hamey's men came over the Mexi-
cans from the other side of the river
! lPiedras Negras then, la Ciudad Porhro
! Dia2 now 10 trade and barter and sell
their many commodities for good United
States gold. They came too as seryitorS
and hewers of wood and, literally drawers
of water, for to this day may the men be
seen toling up the banks OF the Rio
Graude burdened with y0ke-lllle wooden
bar across their shoulders, from which on
either side depends a filed bucket. In
this manner do all the poorer families re-
ceiye their water supply There are no
I.t
the recently established hydrants to all
others the Mexican carriers come daily, be-
ing paid a certain price per bucket
Around Fort Duncan, then, sprang up
the town-a town of jacals and abode
houses, of dirt floors and grass roofs.
Gradually American traders came there
from San Antonio and Goliad. and many
were struck by the gold fever of that year
and started ;or California, choosing the
route through Mexico, were harassed 10y
Indians and Mexican banditti, and so
turned back and settled here under the pro-
tecting folds Of the United States flag.
Thus it grew, and now il presents a won
derfu mixture of poverty, ignorance, and
dirt with wealth, culture, and refinement.
1t is a tumble of all classes, but Spanish il
anything Every store is hepdo Jaratd
Cheap store) and all have names, as
Iieada DEL Gallo lstore of the cock,
TicHdd }e los NcTicanoS, and so forth.
They are one-storied and Aat-roofed, the
most modern ones built of brick, and
the others of abode, which last forever;
they have earthern floors, or cemented
ones, perhaps. Here and there can now
be found a wooden building, but, though
more notwithstanding they do not
have the solid comfort and immunity from
fire which the more primatiye structures
enjoy.
The town looks as though the skies rain
ed buildings, and they fell wheresoeyer
they pleased Everywhere are the jacals,
and the houses of the Americans are but
a little more regularly placed The jacals
Eagle Pass are vastly superior to those Of
any other part Of Texas Here the straw
roofs are laid in regular overlapping tiers,
imperyious 10 the elements. and lasting i'm
good repair for thirty years. Nor Is there
danger of FIRE. for this peculiar grass Is
hard TO ignite and even when once caught
does not blaze but shoulders sullenly, and
may be extinguished with the bare hand
1t is well that it is so, for many of these
dwellings have no chimneys the fire Of
mesquite is built on the earthern floor and
the smoke goes out of little hole left IN
the roof above, or an opening just in the
corner where walls and roof meet. The
jacal itself is made by driving four mes
quite posts in the ground; then poles are
nailed across inside and outside Of these
uprights and slender branches are wattled
between these poles at certain distances.
All the spaces are then filed with the
i H..
and a clay cement is made with which tits
plastered In and out If chimney Is
added it is constructed in the same way,
1t is all hre-proof, it lasts alltetime, takes
but few days to build, costs nothing for
material. and keeps ont both heat and cold.
hi If these ilcals have dirt floors and only
one or two openings for windows. Here
live the Mexican and his wife and their
innumerable children who seem to swarm
around every door Here also are found
the dog and all the chickens, as well as
goats without number which are the
mich cows Of there primitive folks.
In and out of the open door stray the
/ poultry and animals, while the family slt
| contentedlyo on the floor, smoking and talk
/ ing. Most of these houses are innocent OF
| furniture; in some a bed is found, or a
| chair or two: but drYgOOds boxes seem 10
answer their every purpose, and skins are
spread on the hard earthen floor, and
| there, wrapped in their blan-
/ kets. they sleep Above them from the
roof hang strings of chile lred peperl and
/ ierked goat meat and outside against the
/ house are fastened bird-cages Of their own
make. with different kinds Of teatEered
denlzens, for they are great bird trappers
and the bird sellers are a feature in the
piece. The jacas are all clean swept and
| the yardways as well; indeed, their clean
/ illness seems to show itself in this partlc-
ular manner. for a broom is constantly in
/ the hands of every Mexican woman.
From Texan Types and Contrasts, by
Lee c. Hardy, in Harper Magazine for
july