The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-10-16
'LIFE IN FAR-OFF
YUCATAN.
Canton Boy Just Retur ned, Says
Central America Is Booming.
WAS CURED OF YELLOW FEVER
ny the Treatment for which the Mexican
Government Il About to Give .
Prize Of Hundred Thousand
Dollars.

Charles Wise. Of Woodland avenue, q
Canton boy who has had decidedly
tough experience in Mexico and Yucca
tan, left Canton Friday for Pittsburg to
report for duty to the company there--a
structural iron concern-after a month
spent off duty, recuperating from h,s
recent southern trip.
Mr.. Wise went to Mexico early in the
present year, to work. for his company.
They built several bridges in Mexico.
and then Mr.. Wise and a party of men
went to ,Progressio, Yucatan, on the ex-
treme eastern peninsula of that state,
and started work on an immense steel
pier. Their portion Of the work was
completed In July and the party pre-.
pared to return home; but just then Mr.
Wise was attacked with yellow fever,
and was compelled to remain behind.
Mr.. Wise was treated by the young
italian doctor of Vera Cruz who has re-
Gently announced to the world that he
has discovered the cure for yellow fever,
and has claimed the reward Of 500, 900
offered by the Mexican government for
the cure. In Wise's case It was a sue
NNoS, ohu thS yOuiib inuSI culdCl
ated, returned to America as soon as he
was able to move, arriving in New York
early in September. Since that he has
been resting at home. but he now feels
as well as ever.
LIFE IN YUCATAN.
TITS not such a bad country down
there" said young Mr.. Wise speaking
of his experience. "Of course there are
the fevers. You are in constant danger
from them. But you live we'll and
cheaply. That country is on the boom
now, you know-and has been ever since
the war in the Philippines cut Off the
supply Of hemp from that part of the
world. Manila hemp Is conceded to be
the finest In the world. 1t had the call
In all the markets up to the time of the
breaking out of the Philippine war,
which, Of course. brought the hemp in
austry there almost to standstill. Sc
cond In point Of quality comes the
America.
''The result has been that since the
outbreak Of the war In the Philippines,
Yucatan has been on the boom. They
can't raise enough hemp. It is shipped
10 New England as fast 1t comes into
port. Everybody Is busy now, labor is
At a premium and outside capital is
exploiting not only the hemp trade, but
'ther lines as well. Everybody who
wants to can work.
Wages? Why. they are good. The
ordinary laborers along the coast get
$3.50 a day, Mexican money, which Is
equivalent to about $1.20 American.
Further inland they don't make quite
10 much. But the way these people live
t Is a small fortune to them. Most ot
'ur labor was done by Indians, and they
we're good workers, too, and lived in a
civilized sort of way.
The seaports throughout that section
ire building up with remarkable
The firm for whom we are
these piers have
EIGHT GREAT WAREHOUSES;
n which to store hemp. One new ware
,ouse, just completed, has capacity of
light thousand tons OF hemp. 1t Is an
affair.
"Of course, you meet all classes down
here-the outlaws from other lands, the
'oldiers Of fortune, the hard working
Of new enterprises and the
prosperous skilled mechanics. Men with
'apital are getting rich mighty fast
They never saw boom like this one is,
lown there.
"Am going back? Well, I guess not.
take no more chances with those
evers. America is good enough for
me-"
Mr.. Wise looks quite as well as when
he left home. He promised his friends
lie would be home In time to vote.