The morning call., 1894-04-10
AROUND THE CORRIDORS.

AEOOTNO HE (OE<KiOOkS.
"An Item In THE CALL the other day regard
ing Mexico Incidentally mentioned the wide
spread use of pulque as drink among the
natives, and thought something further about
that product OF the country mentioned might
prove OF interest TO your readers" said A. J..
Mortimer, who for several years resided in
various portions Of Mexico, In conversation
yesterday. "Pulque plantations cover hun
dreds OF thousd nds OF acres around the City OF
Mexico, and wherever one goes on train or
tram be fluids pulque. peddlers at every stop
ping place, and somebody to drink 1t every
time IL Is offered. Il forms In a large measure
an article Of food for many Mexicans, 1t being
said that a native miner will take two or three
gallons of the stuff with him into the mines on
his shift OF eight hours, and that, aside from a
tortilla or two, is the only means Of subsistence
he has. The maguey, or century plant, from
which the pulQue is made, Is OF no other earthly
use. except for the manufacture of coarse
fiber, which is inferior to hemp or flax. There
are TWO kinds OF pulque-nulqne dulce and
pulque fino-iust as there Is sweet cider anG
hard cider, and IL takes the puqus fino, which
is in The hard-clder stage, TO reach the sp0t,'
as the boys say. 1t tastes like cider that has
just turned, and In its best state has milky
appearance and creamy consistence. 1t takes
the pulque plant about eight wears to mature.
and when tapped it only yields the sap for six
months, when the plant dies. Aud yet pulque
plantation is mint for the owner. cheap as the
stun sells. 1t Is said the outside cost OF rails
ing a maguey plant and marketing its product
is about 81, while its yield is from SO 10 S12.
Those who are familiar with the matter say
that pulque pays better than cotfee-raising or
silver mine. Ex-President Gonzales, it is
said, derives an income OF over $1,000 day
F.D.. n. to- al
j. L. White, an official In big London insur-
ance company, who was In the city over Sun
day. told CALL reporter something about the
precautions taken by the authorities of the Eng
lish and French banks TO guard the treasures
in their vaults "Tbe Bank of England" he
SAID, sis watched nightly by guard of about
fifty men from the Household troops, under the
command of an officer. They patrol the spacious
quadrangles Of the bank and do sentry duty over
allotted spaces until morning. when they are
relieved on the arrival Of some members OF the
banks staff. The officer in command is allowed
dinner for himself and a friend. including the
provision OF a bottle of the banks special old
port. The men are also supplied with neces-
sary refreshments. Besides this military guard
two clerks remain on duty all night al the bank
as well as all day on Sunday, and these watch
clerks must not 90 to sleep. Their duty is to
ing the various rooms, TO see that all goes well.
Several Of the higher officials also sleep on the
premises. ready to be summoned al a moments
notice. Tie Bank OF France Is also guarded
by soldiers who do sentry duty outside the
bank, a watch being likewise kept within its
precincts. Z former practice of protecting this
bank was TO get masons 10 wall up the doors Of
the vaults In tn cellar with hydraulic mortar
as soon as the money was deposited in these
turned on and kept running until the cellar was
flooded. A burglar would thus be compelled
TO work in a diving suit and break down brick
wall before he could even begin to plunder the
vaults. When the bank officers arrived each
morning the water was drawn of, the masonry
torn down and the vault opened"
G. c. Morgan, an emDloye In the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing I'm the Government
Office at Washington, Is visitor in the city.
There are great many interesting features
about the different departments 10 Washington
which even the old employees know nothing
about" said he yesterday, sand this Is due not
10 lack OF opportunities for observing them
but probably TO the sudden manner in which
we pass them by. For instance / did not know
until last summer that only one man In the
Uniled States knew how to manage the geo.
metric lathe used In the manufacture OF plates
ment. This machine consists OF a large num-
Der Of wheels OF all sizes and in all sorts of
arrangements. together with a complicated
mechanism OF eccentrics and rods, all OF which
Is incomprehensibie to any one but an expert
machinist BY proper adjustment OF its
parts the delicate diamond point that moves
about over the face Of the steel is made TO work
out a perfect and artistic pattern with greater
accuracy and much more speed than it could be
done by hand, and hence this delicate and In
tricate part OF the engraving is one of the
greatest obstacles with which the counterfeter
has to contend, for il has been found practically
impossible to correctly initiate it. There is an
air of mystery about the man who has charge
OF the lathe which Is also OF decided Interest.
Nobody seems to know anything about him prior
TO his coming into the Government employ,
exeert, Of course, the head officials, and he goes
and cores silently, seeks no friendships and is
apparently encouraged by the 0fficlals in this
mysterious manner OF living"
]. N. Brice an old-time miner In this State,
but who at present resides In Albuquerque. N.
Mex, who Is al present In the city, says that
the late strike in the Cochiti district in New
Mexico Is the most remarkable he has ever
known. "a 5O0pound sample OF ore which
was received by friend OF mine just before /
left home assayed 900 to the ton in gold
and silver, with the gold largely In excess"
said he. "Tbe prospectors are pouring into
Cochiti by hundreds, and If the indications con-
tinue they will most OF them make money.
was In that country some fit en- or eighteen
years ago, and, although we were satisfied
there was gold to be had for the mining, we
thought that getting IL out would be too expen-
sive TO make 1t pay. This last big lead was
struck by Jim Macarthur, who has been starv.
ing 10 death for ten years. II was surface ore,
under heavy soil OF loan, and has never been
prospecrcd before. Macarthur ought to have
had more sense. but he sold out for q thousand
dollars. When left home bis money was gone