The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-10-31
MEXICAN NEWS ITEMS.
A Contract Let for Building Canal for
Flushing Sewcrs-Other Notes.

Mexico City, Oct 2S.-The department
| of communications has entered into a
contract with Noriega brothers for build
| ing canal 100 feet wide to carry the
waters of Lake Chalco into Lake Tex
coco and to divert into Lake Xochomilco
| the waters from the springs which now
| feed Lake ChalcO. The contract also
allows the concessionaires to use the in
creased volume of water in Xochomllco,
| which will result from the concentration
there of so many springs, for flushing
the sewers of this city. All machinery
needed for this work may be imported
duty free. BY reclaiming Lake Chalco
q large tract of exceedingly fertile land
will be made suitable for agriculture.
Lake Texcoco is now drained off to such
an extent that many square miles OF It's
bottom are exposed and as that lake
abounds in saltpetre the land is not good
for farming purposes. Engineers differ
radically as to the effect on the city of
the completion of the drainage system,
some maintaining that the houses will
certainly settle unequally, owing to the
nature of the soil, thus infiicting heavy
losses on property owners, whilst equally
competent engineers argue that no pos
sible harm will result Houses built a
century ago in the massive manner of
and heavy structures like the school of
mines and the National library have set
tied most unequally, greatly injuring sim
liar edifices
President Jones of Union stock yards,
Pueblo, Colo, is expected here. Colonel
Pate will purchase lands required for the
projected Union stock yards, which is a
scheme favored by the government and
railway companies The price of the
land is said to be $2,000,000 in gold The
new belt line railway, called the Indus
trial railway, concession for which was
lately granted, will have the cattle bust
ness in case the stock yards are con-
structed, which now seems certain.
The municipal custom house, which the
new law abolishing interstate and inter-
municipal duties will do away with, col
lected in last fiscal year S3,426, 94S.
About half went to the city treasury and
the remainder to the Federal government.
An entire new scheme of taXation will
be necessary to make good the deficiency
in the city revenues which the abolition of
the city custom house will occasion
Several large landed proprietOrs from
Poland have recently been visiting this
country for the purpose of selecting lands
suitable for colonization. The govern
ment having assured them protection and
cordial cooperation, they will establish
Polish colonies here with their own
schools and churches.
Eduardo Gonzales, who confesses to
have placed stones on n suburban steam
railway line for the purpose, he alleges,
Of enabling his cart to pass easily, has
been tried under the law furnishing with
death all persons tampering with railway
property, and will be shot.
The government is determined to apply
this law to every case in which cars are
tempered with, bridges rendered in any
manner unsafe, telegraph lines interrupt
ed, distractions placed on tracks or
spikes removed. Experience has shown
that this law is the only protection
against this class of offenses and is sup
ported by n powerful body of public opin-