The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1895-11-29

meuts. and Aguascalientes went down
hilfa at a rafting pace for some time
without apparent power of reaper
alton. The advent of the smelter is
having the effect Of waking them from
their Rip Van Wrinkle sleep, and prom
ises to bring them back eventually to
their old-time prosperity.
Aguascalientes is named from the
hot springs that rise on the confines of
the city. 1t is fairly level with a DIP
to the south west. The hot springs are
owned by a ranchero. but be has 10
control of the water after it leaves his
bath houses. The bath houses cover
the springs which number owe twenty
and are of various degrees of heat,
ranging from 80 to 100 degrees +, and
the chages of a bath pot 10 25 cents.
Observation-Disclosures Aguascalientes
is "a city of baths, it does not follow
that everybody takes them. Even the
great majority are guiltless of a waste
In that direction, while some of the
lower classes look upon water as a
thing to be Stunned for natatorial
purposes. There was one fellow at the
smelter who was SC dirty that they
told HIM that he either had to wash or
they would discharge him. After siz-
ing up the situation, he summed it up
this way: 81 won't wash in cold wa
ter, and If / wash in hot water l shall
catch cold and have to lay of, so j
might as we'll quit" And he did. There
are many yarns told about the natives
and their first contact with Yankee
ideas. A Pullman conductor told Of one
fellow who was dressed in the height
of ranchman style, and who was un-
doubtedly well to do, being on a night
trip, engaged a sleeping berth. This
was undoubtedly a first experience, so
when he started to retire he say the
small hammock that extends along the
side of the berth. That was some
ing be was familiar with, SO after I'M
dressing he tried to get into it. Fail
ing in his endeavOrs, he next unlocked
it aud stretched it on the berth and got
onto it. Another railroad man who
was one of the pioneers of railroad
building, tells Of their first experience
with wheel-barroWs. On one of the
grades that had been pushed ahead and
was remote, the contractor sent scrap
ers and wheel barrows. His teamsters
started to pillow and then the men
we're instructed to FL the barrows and
told to bring them along and empty
them. They obeyed orders, only in a
different way to the n prescribed by
Hoyle; instead of wheeling them. foul
of them each grabbed a corner and
packed the barrows off and dumped
them, just as if carrying wheel-bar'
rows was an every day occurrence
When l was told this story l thought
/, that there was some romancing about
: it, and there may he too. Yet, a few
days ago I gave my r%oustabout a fire
shovel to get some sand, and be started
to fill it with his hands, and | at leas
> feel convinced that there Is room TO
belief in the contractors version.
The streets are to all intents ant
> purposes sewers, they all dish to tn
center. The natives reason that run
ming the water on each side of th
street damages the walls of the build
. ings, so they make the gutter in tn
center and food the streets occasional
y ly, partly for cleansing purposes an
partly to give natives a chance to get
supply. There is one custom in vogu
here that could be adopted b
many incorporated American town
to advantage. Every household
or tenant has to clean the stree
in front of his residence or bus
r ness house every morning. He taxi
his full frontage, sidewalk and stree
D. to the center; the policeman is Il
h. overseer of his beat, and it must
done or you are taken before the ma
or and either reprimanded or fined a
cording to the gravity of the offenc
u With Americans OF English speakir
people, they are notified to appear b
~ fore the magistrate at a certain tim
y and they go. They suffer no indigni
" of arrest unless they disobey, and
have not heard of a case yet in Whit
" they disobeyed. You are subject
~ the same penalties if you leave yo
20 door open after night. IT a polio
man finds your door open he walks
''' and tells you TO shut it and to call
" a., ,lo,lJa IN hi morning