The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-04

from the cautious admission of the rail
rord officials that delay of at least that
duration was imminent.
We found it typical Western hamlet
on one side only of the railroad tracks
and consisting of struggling line of sa-
looms and stores with about a dozen
adobe dwellings scattered over the plain.
hunger finally drove us in search of
tood, and seeing on the front of one of
the low buildings the words ''Hotel by
Nj. u. Ship" painted in characters which
nearly covered the rectangular surface,
the more adventurous of our party
started out through the snow drifts to
see what could be procured in the way
OF food and drink. The hotel has lately
changed hands, and the new landlady
was not altogether prepared for such an
unusual number of guests as poured in
upon her, and the resources of her larder
were taxed to the utmost. In fact the
1irst meal exhausted the supply of GER
tain articles, and the quality of the beef
furnished at the next meals deferred any
further attempt at satisfying our hunger
in that quarter Recourse was lad to
crackers and cheese and Eastport sar-
dimes obtained at the general store Of the
settlement
thirty weary hours passed by, relieved
only by the advent of additional trains
bound in the same direction as we were
pointed, and the diversion of watching
the Intellectual attemps of the railroad
employees to get ON to the iron derailed
locomotive, which had left the switch
opposite our Pullman car Two loco
motives assisted in the work, which was
carried on under most embarrassing
deficiency of tools and appliances peces-
sary in such an emergency. Fish plates,
old sleepers and broken plank finally
accomplished the job, and the train
started toward Rattan, which place we
reached in about four hours, only
to learn that there were more de-
rallied locomotives ahead of us and
that force of three hundred men work
ing on each side of the mountain had not
been able to clear the track and get
passage through the tunnel which is
nearly mile long and 1922 feet above
the level of the sea. We had, however,
reached one of the regular feeding
stations" on the line and had the salts
faction of eating the first well cooked
meat we had tasted in thirty-six hours.
How long we are likely to stay here it is
difficult to say, as the railroad officials
maintain most rigid and uncompromis-
ing silence on the subject, processing the
densest ignorance as to the progress made
at the front, and apparently considering
conjectural statements as unworthy of
their position and dignity
AT the present time of writing we have
been delayed about fifty hours. Rumors
come from the front that we may get out
OF this place tonight, but little credence
is given to them, especially as seven west
bound trains are understood to have the
right of way and will cross us at this
station, among which are said to be one
or two Raymond Excursion trains whose
occupants are having their first taste of
the climate of American ITALY," And
yet all this detention has been caused by
a snow storm which in the east would
hardly be considered serious matter to
railroads, but here has proved an in
superable obstacle for more than two
days on account of a lack of suitable ma
chlnery and equipment to open the road.
The snow plows are enough to make
a State OF Maine man smile as he thinks
of the proportions of those in use at
home. They are attached to the COW
catcher of the locomotive and consist of
iron plates moulded to the requisite form
but for real work in plowing through
snow bank are practically useless.
Having nothing else to do, some of the
party visited the general offices of the
Maxwell Land Grant Company, which
are located at this place. This Company,
which represents four or five million of
Dutch capital, owns 100000 acres of
land which is covered by Mexican grant
and United States patent, the validity
of which has been confirmed by a decis-
ion of the Supreme Court at Washington.
This is one of the few Mexican grants
which have been confirmed by the court
of last resort. The Company's property
is an empire in itself, running into two
states, Colorado and New Mexico, and
comprising valuable agricultural and
timber lands, together with large de-
posits of coal and other minerals includ
ing the precious metals. One hundred
and twenty miles of telephone lines con-
meet the general Office of the company
with outlying stations. Five saw mills
are in constant operation, supplying
large portion of the spruce and hard pine
lumber used in that region. A large
irrigating system connected with lakes
for storage of water has been constructed
and some of the best agricultural lands
in New Mexico are now offered for sale
by the Company with permanent water
rights for twenty dollars an acre. With
the mild climate of New Mexico lin or
dinary seasons) the condition for success
full farming and fruit culture are as good
here as in any part of the Southwest
which we have yet seen, except the Pecos
Valley and Southern California, which
are seldom troubled by frost and snow.
O. II T.,