The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-14
Extraordinary Boo In Railroad
Building in Mexico.

In the republic of Mexico there is at this
time more activity in the construction of
new railroads han in any other country In
the world. In a message which President
DIAz sent to the Mexican Congress two
years ago, he spoke of the new lines which
were then approaching completion, and of
other lines upon which work had been
begun, and also of the projects for yet other
lines which had been presented to the Gov
eminent. Since that time the building of
railroads, some of them long and others
short, has been carried on as theoretically
as Gen. DIAz could desire. American and
English and German and French capitalists
have made Investments In them to the
amount Of many millions of dollars.
We learn that the new line from Cuerna.
vaca, near the City Of Mexico, to the port
of Acapulco, on the Pacific seaboard, is so
nearly completed that, IL expectation be
fulfilled, it will be opened for traffic before
the end Of this month. Five thousand men
are at work upon it. There ia already a
line from the City Of Mexico to Vera Cruz
on the eastern shore; 30 that. when the
road now nearly ready for service shall be
opened, there will be a transcontinenta
line, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with
the Pacific Ocean. There is now another
road, from the Gulf to the Pacific, a short
one. across the isthmus of Tehuantepec;
but 1t has hardly any way traffic, and is of
far less value to Mexico than will be the
line which is to connect Vera Cruz with
Acapulco, passing from one side of the
country to the other through a well-popu.
lated and highly productive region.
A line OF perhaps greater Importance to
Mexico Is the one, now under construction,
which Is to run from Ell Paso, on the Rio
Grande, across the States of Chihuahua and
Sinaloa to Topolabampo, on the Gulf of
California, and which will probably be ex-
tended ms far southwark as San Bias, on
the Pacific, or further yet. Its title, as in
corporated at Albany by n company of New
York capitalists, is the Rio Grande, Sierra
Madre and Pacific Railroad of Mexico. A
portion Of this road, leo miles in length,
was opened a fortnight ago, all of which
had been built in excellent style since DC
tober last. 1t will pass through a region
that Is exceedingly rich In its resources, but
sparsely inhabited, the two States of ST.
naloa and chihuahua, which have an area
OF 10000 square miles, with a population
OF only about half a million. The capital
stock OF the American company which has
the concession for the road amounts to
$3,12O,OOO. There Is to be a connection
between this line and the Mexican Central.
Besides these large railroad enterprises
there are a number of others of lesser mag
nitude. The Mexican Navigation and
Halfway Company has received a subsidy
OF pubic lands for the construction of q
line that shall bring the Tehuantepec road
into connection with the city of Vera Cruz.
There Is to be a line from Monterey to the
port OF Soto la Marina, on tho Gulf Of
Mexico. A contract has been entered into
for the construction of a line from San
Luis Potosi to the coffee districts of the
State OF vera Cruz. A concession has been
made Tor a new line running southwark
from Ioluca. The line that has been built
from Merida, In the State of Yucatan, to
the city OF Campeachee Is to be extended,
unoer a liberal concession from the
Government, to several other places. The
new line from Manzanillo, on the Pacific
soast, to Colima, in the State of that name,
Is In operation, and will be extended north
ward to Guadalajara, II q renewal of the
concession which was forfeited for tho non
fulhllment of its terms can be obtained by
the Americans who desire 1t, Beside the
many enterprises here spoken of, there are
plenty OF railroad projects awaiting the
approval OF the Mexican Government. The
seven thousand miles of railroad which
Mexico had last year will be increased by
three or four Thousand miles when the
l lines now In course OF construction, for