The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
NOTES OF LIFE IN MEXICO.
ENGINEERING THAT COSTS born
MONEY AND LIFE

Mexican Hotel Men sleepy, nut Ads 10
Make Out BilIs-Feeling Toward Ameri-
can.-Odd Police systsm-Demand for
nsd.Hoaded Psopie-spiendor In Gam
biing-Cast Iron Art.
cry or MEXICO, Nov. MORTALITY here
has increased rapidly In tho last three years
The death ratio has moro than doubled. city
which becauao Of altitude and surroundings ought
10 he ono Of the most hoalthfu in the world 10 ono
q, the most unhoaithful Grip. pulmonary COM
pl,inta typhoid, diphthena are common. For
this there is q physical and easily discernioio
causc The city Is undergoing a huge vans
formation In the matter Of Its sewage disposal
The CITY Of Mexico Is upon made ground. Tho
,pot where II stands was once covered by the waters
Of Lake Tezcoco. Yard by yard the lake has
been driven back For thrco hundred years all
tcwngc has run directly upon tho surface Of 'ho
Ground n, into the ground Two hundred years
bgn the Spanish built a tremendous drain under
the principal street and into this the discharges
from houses and public buildings passed. It
was open AZ either end II was, In fact. long
underground cesspoo No man can say when
1, settled broke and camo apart, but that hap
ucucd probably In the last century. Since then
the towns sewage has poured into II and secpcd
In every direction. The effect Of this has been 'o
make tho entire subsiratum cesspooL Inc
wonder In that tho buildings have stood The
srr, NJ opening up this storage of three centuries
OF fifth can be- imagined.
"hc city of Mexico had reached a condition
where immediate action became vital necessity.
Tie choice was between a modern sewerage sys-
tom as randy ~ II could bc built. or abandon
mont " the town site. With characteristic bold
moss. the executive determined to tear up the
ground let IL cu, wha, IL might in life and money.
Plans were drawn. contracts let and work bcgun
with ,clrtity The labOrcrs died and the people
living near the openings died. but there was no
check There will I've none. For more than
two years there was a heavy increase In the death
rate but for the past six months II has remained
stationary. This is due to the fact that the new
savers are being put down and the trenches closed
.. fast ~ possible. The engineering plans are
rl.''ir. hut exceedingly simple Tho city
49, "a y basin surrounded by mountains. II is
n, M" bottom II bowl. $50 feet above sea level
snd some thousands of fee, above the valley which
rtns away to the SOUTH outside ri the bowl. There
IL under construction n central sewer six feet in
diameter from which branch smaller sewers to
all PARTS VI the town. The central sewer at its
southern end connects with n tunnel driven
through the side ~ the bowl. The far end vi
thstunncl rmptics into the valley What the pco-
pie II the valley think about IL is known, but does
Mt master much. This tunnel when completed
WIN he twenty three miles long, going through
the great range at its base Three ffths OF II has
been bored Il will be finished in 1901. Tho
entire work will cost SIS 600 600 in gold or about
SIG 900 900 in Mexican money. In the States
1t would cost three times that sum. but labor hero
L. r,diculously cheap For the protection Of the
u,rLm,n rb,,n AS they are and badly as the
I,;.,,;., -, No,i,, 10 ,,,v1.d Win NO, tolls
A"N''''' >" . Nv. ~
every possible prrcautlon has been taken. NO
more Of them have died than would have died
,,,,,,,,, ,n ,,1,..,,,,io, y, ,,o,L which 4. NOR.
NJ =, ',t., - ,I,.. ..ish,
of the city above the southern valley enables
a.. .r,-ins.,s ~ cire 10 IN. tunnel almost ,pv
'hr rhE'hec'S :" give W 'he ,un"e' "'i",o' a"'
angle they may see ht and the current moving
out Of 1t will b. strong. Swiftness and sure
- " " 49, a., :. a. =
the compensdtl"ns LOT government NAV Is b
tensibly republican, but POSSESSES many Of the
.,,.ih,,.. -, -, .u,,c,a,,. wh., tho cr.st
A'",ou'eS VI az "u'1' -,
work Is completed this should be heai'Mui
place, though because of its elevation and the
aAnpne'' I' ~, VIZ on VA
ior people WIN weak lungs OF hu"ehhs hea''s'
In some WAYS A auccrrr town il nowhere Amcri
cans 20 IN Europe looking for strange things
unaware that on their own continent they have
something within easy reach more singular han
ANYTHING they are APT To find across the Atlantic
The Iibcrality II Americans when abroad makes
wiling To- Iclp them. Hotel rates. for Instance
run from 50 50 to SIS day for room. OF cours. a
pnpp Ts "A NJ IL 4 chpfafa
We il No, All % comnlain that the prc.s are to-
low su,,psing, thnt hr goes to cnf wherr he can
Gel thinys i.e cal in cookery and serving as he
wouId lie IN hsy. them The ten doilar. a. d ay
roo,, contains nothing extraordinary in the wny
NJ con senicnI,s ~, imtnishines il Il ant 10 lark
a nIyaic hn,h ,t,,rhment Tor priyate baths in
Mr,irn s,c ,ea,td.J ss h,she.sb dreams nj lux
uyv Tn,s 4, len. Too al The bft.en dnIar. a a az
ynSm Rrhir,y,, man here mai long AGO gnt hin
a ntie, rtcns"T'tI,' iintrd ,n,rtmcnt In a sw ii
bo,uri ,nnd ne rc,i Jsy huntrd m a friend n.
- i've Ir.,d Ia his s,..n,ny quarters 70 sbov
hin bnw r'|I,rtnIJc h. ua. in IA fnreign Land
The friend sniI ii va, ali ri'-St hut wanted snm,
tnIormat,nn 80 4, tbs ,a,. 'rLe CHICAGO n, "A,
Ala moi Linz, h,n would innui,c Ne inouircd
r.. r.t, ~. 81 !, 49, ~ ~ c",,sc the |birag,
man h,fr,c r,,tinI n Sn,nisb edy"ncc said
aEHs,t Sro,t man 7 r,me tn siaen in ynuI bntei
moi 10 Inv -" That 10 a xittirismp "a b;ch nd IN
h,,th vhc, los. ,b ,ssIcd Ia a I'D hnuss on his
wsw ,r T,vpt ~" ''''' "a '''N "'o'" VII u"
Sme,,rsns 70 bette, I,l.J In N.xico ,o,x IN,
hsvs N heitc, a,stUs ,hsn cya, h.inTs Ear man,
Years tbcv vrrc rcyar,icd win n dis,a a.. In a
smnur,r1 ia hatre1 The rcesnns fny II vrr
t"" In tho AS, nlare Ncxicnns looked an,
sill l,nk unon our MAR with Them AZ a bruiai
dispr.crin n nd uni,IsIilIn nj, at,nrk They sncai
Of Il vel "a The INVASION from The North In nh
src"nd plncc when American railway men bera,
Ia drive ther mn rnIlcl hands oI steel thrnuvh In
hcar, Of The country had men flockei with them