Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-04-08
ChOctaw Writes of Mexico.
MONTEREY, MEXICO,
March 16M, 1897.

III my IeCenI letter promised
write again of Mexico ana Mexican
life as seen by the tourist. SO with
out attempting to write letter
will jot down such items as appea
worthy to be be published.
The Hot Springs are reached by
mule-motor street-car, and are abou
five miles from the center of Mon
terey. They flow from the base O
what seems to be mountain of mar
BILE.
The water has little or no minera
or medicinal properties, is not yer,
hot, but the stream is large and tn,
baths are much resorted to, an,
drinking the water benefits dyspep
tics. What always amazes me j.
that hot spring or we'll should re
main perpetually at the same tenn
perature. The water doubles:
comes up from great depths, but
what is the source of the uniform
heat? All heat of which we have
knowledge, including that of tn,
sun, undergoes incessant change
Some Of the intermittent wells OF
geysers of the Yellowstone Park
flow and cease at regular intervals,
and the temperature of the water is
always the same, just as it is in those
that spout and send water heaven.
ward at irregular intervals. WHY
is it so?
The marble Of the mountain is
black, and house at the Springs
built of it looks more like real pal
ace than the handsomest of 9Th Ave-
nue. residences.
a few of the modern houses of
Monterey are built of it, but a far
| greater number are built of volcanic
mud. This earth, that has the ap-
pearance of concrete, is taken from
the quarry, near the city, in softer
state than that of the magnesia
limestone found in Texas and Kan
sas, and, like the latter, has no grit,
and can be cut or sawed readily, and
gets as hard as stone when exposed
to the air.
1t Is well that the houses have
thick walls and massive doors, for
as rule, there is no provision made
for heating them. Heating and
cook stoves are rarely used in Mon
terey.
The rich cook by fire. place in
the kitchen which is usually sepa-
rate from the house; the poorer sort
have not so much AS chimney, but
cook over smudge" fire, or little
bed of Goals i'm the stone or dirt floor.
or else out in q plastered stone oven.
Inside the latter the fire is built, and
when the oven is hot the fire is re-
moved and bread, vegetables, etc.
put in to cook. Although Monterey
is more than three centuries old,
much of the wood used for fuel and
other purposes is packed from the
mountains on burros, and it is aston
ishing what heavy loads the little
asses can carry up and down places
so precipitous that a man climbs
with difficulty.
In any part of the city rough,
heavy, two-wheeled carts, drawn by
oxen with yokes on their heads, are
to be seen almost any time of day,
including Sunday, and often late in
the night.
Feed is scarce and oxen feed on
the grass, and when that is gone the
thorns are burnt off the prickly pear,
of which there is superabundance,
and cattle thrive on it. The poor,
slow burro, like the goat, can live
where other animals would die OF
starvation or thirst.
Writing of animals reminds me
that in plain view and not many
miles from Monterey are cinnamon
bear, mountain lions and other wild
animals more or less ferocious.
Not very long ago l read in the
INDEPENDENT that the good people
Of Lewisburg were celebrating the
Centennial Celebration Of the Ole
Stone Presbyterian church, and {
little later that the same good people
were preparing to build manse fol
their pastor. 1 thought of it wher
learned that an American gentle
man, grown rich at Monterey, wa
preparing to put in water-works.-
Think of city Of sixty thousand
so old, and no water works. Seeing
so many women with their earther
water pots on their heads or shoul
ders reminds one Of the pictures O
the cities Of the Nile and ancien
jerusalem.
1t is an offense against the law t,
throw trash on the street or plaz
and prisoners for small offenses ar
made to sweep the sti eets, which ar,
kept quite clean.
The native grape wines and tn
Mescal and other liquors made from
the Century or Maguey plant ar
very abundant and cheap.
The Mescal is fiery, but not les
palatable than good apple brandy.
, The people are rarely seen intoxi
Gated, but evidently love stron
, drink next IN THAR nase;n,, g.. .Oxo -.