The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-24
AMONG ORANGETREES
Victor Murdoch in the City of
Guadalajara.
MISSED AN EARTHQUAKE
By a Few Days = How the
Mexicans Work
AN EARTHQUAKE

Guadelaiara, Feb. 14.-In this beautiful
city, with it's orange blossoms and gar
dens faring in beautiful coIors, there are
| many grand sights, as well as interesting
details of life The guidebook tells you
about the grand sights and onits the
| others. You can read about the muIillo
| in the Cathedral, and seeing it scarcely
adds anything to your knowledge about
it.
Here are some Of the things which in
terested me: They had an earthquake
here last week and the old cathedral had
a great shaking up. 1 have been watching
them this morning put great iron hoop
around the dome of the structure to
hold it together. In the course Of twenty
years or so they will have this iron
support completed. All the church walls
here are heavily buttressed against
earthquakes.
Down the stree. little way, they are
tearing down a business house and erect
ing new one in its place. The workmen
take out little bit Of the old building,
put in braces, cut a stone to fit the hole
and put the stone in, working from the
bottom up All scaffolding is held to-
gether with ropes Nails are not used.
I suppose lumber is too scarce. On top
Of some of the scaffolding is a rude little
wooden cross, made of two laths.
Near by is a carpenter shop. The car
penters all saw from them, not towards
them, as we do. These people and this
place resemble the time of Christ in so
many ways that I expect it is true that
when young Jesus worked in the shop Of
Joseph, he used the saw in this manner.
While quick in their gait and apparently
Industrious the Mexican is clumsy at the
trades. I watched a man drawing nails
in a window sash yesterday and he took
a. three minutes rest between nails.
Right in front of our hotel is an incom-
plete arch. Occasionally a man will ap-
pear on it, drive a nail, put up a board,
or take one down and then disappear
for couple of hours. I caught an Aneri-
can tourist studying it this morning and
I asked him what he thought of it: ''Oh,
it is a pretty arch" he answered. But
have been watching it three days, and 1
ing it down or building it up
This is the greatest shoe town, this side
of Massachusetts. All the shoes you see
are handmade, and every other store
appears to be a shoe store. The shoes
are peculiar. They are Of a thin leather,
and in the case of women's and childrens
have no rights or lefts. That is they are
all rights and lefts. The womens shoes
are not laced or buttoned, but hooked
and no attempt is made to make them
fit around the ankle. They flop around
like top boots. This immense shoe pro-
duction is astonishing. because a great
proportion Of the people either wear san
.dals or go bare-footed.
About four miles from this city is
suburb called San Pedro and the road
leading to it is canopfed by the limbs of
great trees. In travelling along this road,
you are in a Bible atmosphere and the
manner in which historical scenes in the
Bible are reproduced is surprising. Hun
dreds of women carrying babies are
mounted on asses with their shawl over
their head and half over their faces. the
husband trodding along behind, reproduce
of Joseph's and Marys fight into Egypt
In the same way. the immense two
wheeled solid. spokeless wooden Wheeled
carts are drawn by oxen, look like they
were a page torn from some old family
Bible.
This is the second city in Mexico and
by far the cleanest and most inviting. 1t
has as fine a market house as there is
anywhere. Most of the things you see
are strange. Among the things you know
are oranges. which grow everywhere,
even along the streets, where some trees
are blossoming; some have great green
fruit and some the yellow. Today for
dinner we had among other things, new
potatoes, fresh tomatoes, watermelon,
strawberries.
Here in Mexico very few cigars are
smoked Nearly everybody smokes cigar
cites, and whether iEdulging in cigarette
or cigar the majority use cigar-noiders.
When a man does smoke cigar he is
careful to keep on it, that little gold
and red band, which has mostly dtsap-
peared IN the United States and which
no one retains.
The real gorgeous costume for men in |
Mexico is seen now only frequently. It |
s used for riding costume and al |
ogether I have not seen over twenty |
men 50 dressed. The sombrero is heavy |
With gold. the gloves brilliant in metal; |
he short coat finely trimmed. the trous- |
ers broad-cloth with heavy metal trim
nings down the outside Of each leg. and |
The spurs twice as big as a dollar I saw
young man so dressed yesterday in a I
iazzling saddle. Taking the clothes off I
he young man and saddle of the horse. /
he outfit was worth according to a
native. 500. The sombrero was worth (
lbout S4A
I went to a cock-fght here. The roost- /
RS are heavily gated and make only 4
about three flies at each other before one /
uccumbs. The attendant crowd was
-er- enthusiastic
The bells OF Guadalajara are the pretti- /
st by far in Mexico. The city is in /
ensely religious and in the evening when /
Ill the bells ring out, hats come OF as
ar as you can see. Every man in pass
ng in front Of the Cathedral takes OF |
IT touches his hat. The plaza IS always /
rowded with rich and poor.
Anyone who has watched wichita
loosely knows that II summer the city i
iuiets at noon almost to a point Of total /
That suspension in Wichita
; personal habit In Mexico cities * is
ublic custom People during this part
{ the day go TO sleep. IN some places
re have been even the street cars stop
unning. On the railway coaches. the
eopls get sleepy az this time OF day and
many go 20 sleep.
tried Mexican shave and haircut
o6ay. For the haircut you are pat into