Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-02-05
LETTER FROM MEXICO.
By c. J. LAMB.
DIrcH CAMP, NEAR
Tono, 0BAAPo, SINALoA, MEXICO.
AOfoL January 18th, 1891.

Ed. Herald In your issue q D0,r
25th, which reache I me YESTERDAY %,
find an article clippec. from .Is : IT. -
isct Champion. concern s IL. - -
ny. The article represents 'n''v 1-
colony and people are in II -
plorable plight, starved for wanO y
food and pestered by plaques of a.
sorts to such an extent as to entitle US
to the pity and sympathy Of the whole
world.
I presume the article quoted, or
one to the same effect, has had the
run" of some ten thousand different
papers in the United States IN the
past ninety days, and I would not
trouble You or myself either to reply
to it if it were not that the proofs are
convenient and that there are a good
" number OF your-readers financially
and otherwise interested in our work
here who would like to know the facts.
No forward movement was ever IN
dertaken but that has had to- undergo
the sharp criticism and unjust COM
ment Of the more conserva tive ele-
ments, and this cooperative move
ment is no exception to the rue.
It is probable that such reports do
us more good than harm, however,
for their tendency is to keep away
from Us the timid and weak and to
call to Us those who are courag eous
and strong, so that possibly even
falsehood may be OF some good SER
vice and villifeation rebound to our
great advantage.
The facts are that the colonists
here have been, and are now, pioneer
ing, and have had to endure the many
dlscomforts in the way OF lack Of
variety of food, lack of good houses,
and similar hardships usually Incl
dent to pioneer life. Some have come
here who have been unfit for this sort
of work, but the last party contains
very few "tenderfeet7' and is full OF
the sort Of stuff that buii dis States.
They came well equipped with over
100 horses, harness. wagons, scrapers
and other tools and with tho help Of
those who were here before are now
engaged actively at work on their If
rigating ditch. In camp here every
morning the gong rings at five o'clocl
and by sunrise the men, te ans anc
iscrapers are rolling out the dirt anC
the ditch is coming. A good deal o
dirt has to be moved before the VI ate
can be utilized but it is moving il
good shape. Most of the people he
now are old Kansas, Nebraska ar {
= Colorado pioneers and the work goe
: on bravely.
The land question for rs is now
pretty well settled. We have pretty
near enough for the present-some
thing like 1000 quarter sections, which
will do for a starter This land i.
all in one body; all lies with a gentle
slope towards Topolobampo bay; full!
so per cent Of it is fine farm land ana
can be irrigated, all of rich soil nnC
capable OF a range OF production
from coffee and sugar-cane to corr
, and wheat. But it is of small valu
till it is irrigated and it is to that en'
that oar efforts are now being diroct
ed. When the land is irrigated TWEEN
ty acres will be a fair sized farm ana
forty acres will give the best farme
in Kansas about all he can tend 10
for crops will grow here the yea
= around, and there is no stopping
work for six months on account 0
cold northern winters. Just now it i
strawberry and orange season here
the first strawberries having beer
picked on Jan. 1. The orange season
continues from Nov 1 to Jan. Is. anC
l the strawberry season from Jan. t
!. about May.
But to the report: There are sew
3 eral errors in it. In the first place NJ
woman has returned from here t.
t Abilene as the paper states. Nor arr
g the colonists suffering great hard
3 ships for lack of proper habitation
y though, of course their houses ar,
i mostly mere temporary structures
= yet fairly convenient. Nor have tn,
crops been fixtures for two years past
e Nor has there been q crop failure her
/ for the past ten years. Nor are man.
: Of any) Of the colonists willing anC
Y anxious to return to the States. No
!, does the atmosphere seem to sap thei
st lives with its torrid heat for it has no
e been hotter than 1G2 degrees for tn
/ last year which certainly leaves Kan
: sas several notches in the lead; no
e are people obliged to eat with thei
IF eyes shut on account of worms an
insects in their food nor are slizard.
&c flies, snakes aad all manner of creeI
% ing things" near as troublesome her
N as they are IN Michigan or Kansas
If In short the article is a tissue of out
q Observation-Disclosures efusion {
i. fervid Imagination. The fact
- this country is a splendid all roun
- region-fully equal to the best PAL
- of California and in many respecl
superior to that most excellent Stat
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