San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-03

land, they are startled by the
sound of the steam whistle as it is
echoed and recalled along the
mountain side until the train stops
at the RincOnadO station, which is
here nestled in the bosom of the
Rockies.
THE CAVE JEWELLERS.
1t is a fact, although not gener-
ally known that there are cave
jewellers at this station, and in
those mountains. AS soon as the
train stops, if the tourists will get
out on the left hand side of the
train and walk about 100 yards
forwards they will see caves that
have been dug into the clay banks.
On the arrival of trains, men,
women and children will issue
fourth from their subterranian
chambers to gaze at the Americans,
and it is hard to tell which of the
two are the mos surprised at the
dress and looks Of the other.
AS rule, many of the cave
jewellers are as scantly dressed as
Mother Eve was when she lived in
the garden of Eden before she de-
serted Adam and ran off with a
younger lover. Some of the chill
dren run around as naked as they
were when they came into this
world, and many of them look as
dirty as some of the low headed
children that are raised in the
pinery woods in Arkansas.
After the tourists get through
looking at the deniZenS of the
caves at the station, if they will
take look at the mountains off to
the right, they will see a trail lead
ing up their rugged sides. That
trail leads to rich silVer-lead
mines, and the homes of the cave
jewellers who work them. Those
Indians carry the ore down on
their backs in sacks, and deposit
them at the depot. During the
summer time they are perfectly
naked, with the exception of a
cloth that is wrapped around their
loins. The men are tall, well-built,
and muscular, and they look as
yellow as some of the ore that they
carry down from their mountain
Businesses.
Just as the tourists begin to get
interested in the inhabitants of
the Sierra MOjada, the conductor
gives the signal to the engineer to
go ahead, and says, "All aboard "
and off they start, through small
corn fields and fruit orchards,
and winding around the huge
mountains, on whose sides is
built an irrigation ditch, which
meanders for miles around them.
This ditch is a splendid piece of
engineering work, and was con-
structed by the JeSuites over two
hundred years ago, and it must
have cost thousands of dollars,
and taken many years to construct
it.
When the train reaches the Los
MuertaS bridge it crosses over to
the opposite side of the Cannon,
and from there up to OjO Calienti,
it again enters the mountains,
curves around them; and in places
they rise perpendicular thousand :
of feet; round precipices that pro-
ject over the sparkling waters of
the Rio San Juan, which sings
merrily as they skip and foam in
passing over the polished stones
while on their way to join the
blue waters of the Gulf.
But the iron horse pays no at
tention to them, for it took and
good supply of water at the Rim
conado tank, it rushes upward and
onward, entwining around the
mountains until it reaches the
Ojo Calienti which is the gate way
to the plains or table lands of Sal
tillO.
There are no springs there, but
about two and and a half miles off
to the left of the road, under the sha-
dow of the Rockies those medicinal
waters boil up out of the bowls of
the earth. They are not as hot as
the waters of Topo Chico springs
but we have been informed that
their healing powers are equal to
them.
These springs have never been
developed, but, there is no doubt
but what some live Yankee will
get a hold Of them and make Ojo
Calcienti a great health resort.
Santa Maria is the next station
on the line; but unfortunately for
the tourists, only few houses of
that city of churches can be seen
from the train.
Einht p1iloS binhar mn iS tho 1ittIa