El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-09-02
THE BORDER LINE.
Observations Along the Long Line of the
Southern Pacific's Progress.

Observations Along the Long Line of the
Southern Pacific's Progress.
Weary and travelled stained, clothes
and face so covered with dust as to be
scarcely recognizable by my fir ends, |
have just entered Gallup, N. M, on my
return from the Moqui PueblOs, 119S,
miles to Ell PasO, on the Southern Pa
clfic;frOm the sea level at New Orleans
over the summit over the Sunset Route
at Paisano, 5OS2 feet: northward 200
miles to Albuquerque on the main line
of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
railroad, then westward Isl by the
Atlantic and Pacific railroad to Gallup
and 100 by horse or buggy, over rough
roads, make up the journey of 1745
miles, accomplished in the least possible
time of seven days. The first break of
direct connection was at the change of
railroads at Ell P.so, from 3 O'Clock in
The afternoon of Thursday, the 18th of
August. We found pleasant hotel
and wandered around the curiously
miXedup town. The recent overflow of
the Rio Grande river destroyed about
500 of the adobe houses of the poorer
classes, who are probably all the Mex
lean origin. The title to the
lower part of the city is all
in dispute. Advantage of this is
aiken by squatters who cut out Of the
ground itself squares of soil, which
few days exposure in the sun turns
into a useful adobe brick, so that the
cost of house 12x12xS feet high, a
large size for FL Paso, is limited aud
this small expenditure, with a few
dollars for window and door. The
greatest defect of such dwelling is
that it is liable to be washed away by
any extra heavy downpour. The roof
very thick, and of the same ma
terial so that the protection from the
burning sun is complete. A few of the
stores are of good architecture, with
the speciality of eXellently d signed
iron sun shades almost the whole width
of the sidewalks. There are many
shops for the sale of Mexican and In
dian curiOsities, and one excellent
secondhand book store, where | had
the good Torture to procure
few books needed by the Pub
lie Library. The great Interest, bow
ever, of this city is its nearness to an
absolutely foreign country. l should
have thought it impossible for such a
great difference to exist between two
places connected by three bridges and
constant steam and horse cars. These
latter are very primitive. For the sake
of economy, the drivers are Mexican
and can not speak English. The fares
are collect. d at the American end,
going and returning. We were told
that it cost 10 cents American money
to go ard 10 cents Mexican money to re-
urn, but from US American mOney was
collected zach end. This station of the
Mexican Central is admirably designed.
The only,other brick building of i'm pOr
lance is the custom house. We visited
the barracks and were most kindly guild
ed around it by the commandant, who
unfortunately spoke as little English as
we knew of Spanish. The horses were be-
ing fed and grOomed. They were about
sixty, not very shapely, but apparently
equal to a great deal of hard work.
The equipments were rough, especially
the carbines of native manufacture.
On our way back, in passing the pictu-
rescue cathedral, we saw funeral of
child of a peasant family from the out
skirts. In farm wagon, decorated at
the corner posts of the covering with
green bOughS, tied up with bright rib
bOns, supported between two seats was a
tiny coffin, covered with pink calico.
On the front seat were the driver and
two women in heavy black clothes and
yelled: behind were the mother and
two children, holding the coffin to
prevent its being shaken off by jolting
of the springless wagon. A few other
wagons, with green boughs, were
waiting to take up the twenty or thirty
re: Oh bOrs who had Joined in the fuue-
raj service. The belfry of the cathe-
dral, with two old bells and heavy
beacon frame, inclosed In tower of
distinctly Spanish design, and the
woodwork of the interior, carved in
high relief and black with age, are
| we'll deserving visit from the
| tourist,
have omitted to mention the mag
nifcent hills which wall in the South
ern Pacific railroad between that tri-
umph Of engineering, the bridge over
| the PecOs river, and the town of Ell
| Paso, and specially from Marathon on
ward. The vegetation is very scanty
as the el walton Increases The cact
appear at about 600 feet, first the Span
fish dagger, then the prickly pear anG
elk horn, the former just beginning tt
turn bright crimson. TIE flowers are
nearly all of the com posite order ant
yellow. In some places for miles there
| is nothing but me- quite in sight: then
again. the thirsty soil will grow only 1
little bunch grass and sage brush, bu
| crossing the track are written larg'
the traces of tremendous showers which
have fallen so suddenly a, to turn tn
whole of the slightly santing hilleid
into watershed, covered few inche
deep, until the gathering flood meet
| NiIh q VI ooo oNlhCf VI LII ooiV ocii Wv
for itself new course. Th Sc join
and, following the line of the least re
sistance, become formid able torrents il
a few minutes. In few hour
the water runs Off and nothing remain
but the ravines to show the violenc
of the downpour. Along the Who'll
the section-houses and iUclo-ures ar
object lessons of neatnesS, and sho'
an ingenious adoption of local materis
to decorative purposes. From ash
black and white drawings, which ar
not high art, but an excellent use