Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-20
How to Enter That Republic From
This Country.
HISTORY OF TIE OLDEST ROAD
It Runs Through a Picturesque and
Varied Territory.
OF SPECIAL INTEREST HERE

The railways of Mexico are made The
subject Of a valuable article in a recent
publication at the Department Of Agricul-
ture. 1t is compiled from various official
| sources and from the British and Amer
lcan consular reports. According to this
the railways of the United States, from all
points east and west connect with the rail-
ways of Mexico upon the boundaries of the
two CT untries, at Ell Paso, 2456 miles from
New York. 1,2S6 miles from San Francisco
and 1.6i2 miles from Chicago; at Eagle
Pass 2,OS3 miles from New York, lsl9
miles from San Francisco and / $3.50 miles
from Chicago. and at Laredo. 2,1s7 miles
from New York and 1,316 miles from Chi
| cago. Hence, to the City Of Mexico there
are three rail routes-that from Ell Paso
via Mexican Central. .22i miles; that from
Laredo via Mexican National. 500 miles,
and that from Eagle Pass, miles
making the distance from New York via
Mexican Central 800 miles, from San
Francisco 2.510 miles, and from New York
via Mexican International Eagle Pass
! 3,2l0 miles, and that from New York via
Mexican National Laredo 3.Oi5 miles,
| The number of miles of railway con-
| structed in Mexico is as follows: Federal
| concessions, G,5n miles; city railways. 3Gs
miles; suburban ls5 miles; private, 90 miles;
| plantations system Decauville) lI3 miles:
total, 7.291 miles.
| The First Railway.
/ Early in the history of the republic the ne
| cessity for railway construction was seen
! by the government, and as early as 1897,
| seven years after the opening Of the frs.
| English railway from Manchester TO Liver
| pool. an exclusive concession was raade by
the government to Francisco Arillaga of
! Vera Cruz. to construct a railway from
Mexico to Vera Cruz, with a division TO
/ Puebla, but the concessicnaire was unable
TO build any portion of it and the grant was
Cancelled. Between May, 1872, and Sep
| TENDER. 1851, about Z miles I'll i-2 kilo-
meters)-from Vera Cruz to San Juan--were
constructed at cost of Sl0s620 per kilo-
meter U.62 mile). The contract was sub
sequently abrogated by law November 80,
| 1850, for non fulillment of stipulations
| In August, 1855, the firm Of Mosso Her.
manos obtained a concession to construct a
| railway from San Juan, and on January ],
1891, the division from Mexico TO Guada-
| lupe Hidalgo was opened. Subsequently
| Mosso Hermanos sold their franchise and
the finished portion of the line to Mr. An
| tonic Escandon, and the government, on
| August 81, 1857, granted a concession to
( him for the completion of the road and
| from this time IL may be said the history
| OF the road commences. A few months
| after the granting Of this concession a
5
made with the work for the following three
| years. On the installation Of the cons,itu-
| uonai government in the City OF Mexico, by
decree Of April 8. 1861. this concession was
modified and amplified, but the occupation
of Vera Cruz in December, 1861, by the al
| lied forces Of France, Spain and England,
which was followed by the war Of intcIyen-
ton. interfered with its construction.
During the Maximiltan Empire.
On December %. 1862, Mr.. Escandon en-
| tered into an agreement with the French
F: authorities to build, as contractor, the Sec
| ton of seventy kilometers t43.5 miles) be-
| tween Tejeria and Paso del Macho and re-
| ceived about 81 92i. G61 from the same which
sum was afterwards repaid to the French
by the custom-house duties of Vera Cruz
in September. 1864. Mr.. Escandon coded
his concession to the Mexican Railroad
Company, and transferred the contract he
mad previously made with Mess,s. Smith,
knight IL Co, of London, who had agreed
TO build the branch line TO the city of
Puebla for the sum of SO, l95.tgo This
cession was approved by the Macmillan
government which had then been establish
ed. After the fall of the empire it was evil
dent that the national government could
not recognize the validity of the Escandon
agreement made with the Macmillan gov
eminent and his rights were declared for
feited. because of his having made a con-
tract with the French invaders; but the
government, realizing the Importance of
completing the road. racated the penalty
OF forfeiture November 20, 1851.
Afterwards, in 1868, the constitutional
government approved the transfer of the
grant OF Mr.. Escandon to the Mexican
Railway Company with further concessions
Construction was commenced and at length
on september IL. 1862 the branch line from
Apizaco to Puebia was opened and after
many delays. and meeting with almost in
superable engineering difficulties I'm cross
Ing the lofty Cumbres de Maltrat Ia Of the
ha 0a1
augurated on January !, 1871, placing the
valley of Mexico for the first time in direct
communication with Europe ard the intel
States.
Line of the Oldest Road.
This railway connecting Vera Cruz with
the City of Mexico is the Oldest railway 4,
Mexico. The line rises 500 feet above the
sea level to Soltepec when IL begins TO de-
scend into the valley OF Mexico. until Il
reaches the City of Mexico, whose altitude
is I341 feet The line in parts is thoroughly
constructed; the stations comr,odious and
we'll built; the tunnels arched with masonry.
except one which required none, having
been cut through the solid rock; the bridges
are iron, with stone piers. to withstand
the tropical storms and heavy floods that
prevail during the summer months
After crossing the plain of Vera Cruz and
the Soledad river the ascent commences
with a heavy grade, and on leaving Paso
tropical jungle The first station of inn
portance is Cordova, altitude LIB feet, and
the limit of yellow fever.
Soon after leaving Cordova the s.lendil
barranca travineD OF Metlac is reached
crossed by a bridge $50 feet long. and after
running through some tunnels the train
arrives at OriZaba, population l9T1a alti-
tude +,U2S feet, and situated in a very fer
tile valley, where tobacco and sugar cane
are largely grown; after EsperanZa the
plateau or mesa is reached and the mag
nifcent scenery ceases. This plain crows
wheat, maize. rarley: aud cattle are raised
in considerable nambers After this Al
runs into the region OF the nasuey and
ropal (cochineai>. Apizaco the ,unction
for the city of Puabla, is the next most I'm
portant station, and from there Il is n
down grade, passing small villages aud
towns built OF adobe, and the maguey form
Ing the chief feature of the handsome and
after slsirting the lake OF Tescoco the CHS,
of Mexico is reached.
Two branches.
The main lire from Vera Cruz IS o,r; "a
miles in length, and it has two branches