Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-05-02
Judge Kendall Completes
His Writings.

covered heads the passengers stood
around and listened attcntivcly tc
the short and impressive service,
when two sailors stepped forward
and tilted the plank and the body
slid off and down into the ocean,
some thirty feet below. After
waiting Il few minutes the captain
again pulled the bell cord and the
great engines began to move and
we were on the way again.
On the Sth of June we passed
thru Il very narrow strip of water
into the bay of Acapulco, Mexico.
This bay is very small, but is one
of the best harbors in the world.
1t is very nearly surrounded by
mountains and the town is situated
in the very narrow little valley at
the edge of the bay. Here we saw
many tropical fruits growing. We
could see the narrow roads or
trails that wound around the
mountain, and in them were long
strings of little burros loaded with
wood packed on their backs, com
ing into town, this being their on
~ mode of transportation. The
natives, or MeXicans, here were
expert swimmers and entertained
us with many fcats in the water.
They would swim around the ship
in swarms and the passengers
would throw small silver coins far
ont into the bay and they would
swim to the spot where it fell and
dive down and get it, Here we
saw the novel sight of taking beef
cattle on board the ship. The eat
tie were led or would swim along
side Il small boat until they came
up to the side of the ship when Il
rope was put around their horns
and with derrick were raised out
OF the water and up onto the ship
and let down into the slaughter
pen.
In the evening of the same day
we steamed out of the bay and
when we were well out to sea the
ship sprang leak and it required
an effort of all on board to keep it
from sinking, and when we landed
at Banana there were several feet
of water in the hull. The ship
could get no nearer than about a
half mile of the shore and we were
taken ashore in small boats by the
natives, and as the water on the
beach was very shallow the small
boats would have to stop thirty or
forty yards from shore and the
natives would carry us ashore on
their backs. There were some
women and girls along who did not
relish this mode of transportation.
AS we had several hours to wait
here we put in the time in looking
over the old city. Everything was
strange to us; the trees, shrubs
and all kinds of vegetation were
so different from ours that they at
tracted our attention. | went to
see the old cathedral, said to be
over three hundred years old. The
was good and the
building was in good repair. 1t
was built of brick with tile roof.
The whole building was covered
with moss. About noon the day |
we arrived here we started for AS
on Il little narrow guage
railroad. The grade over the
was so steep that they |
put on two engines, one to pull
and one to push. About half way
up the grade we had Il breakdown
and were delayed some time. While
we strolled out into the
forest where we saw many strange
birds and small animals. We saw
several different kinds of parrots
md monkeys. Finally we were
III the way again and when the
enter of the train reached the
summit it broke in two, the front
lalf ran down the hill about a mile
md stopped and the rear engine
pushed the rear part of the train
'vcr the divide and uncoupled and
vent back. The speed with which
We went down the hill was terrific
nd when we crashed into the front
'art of the train that was standing
till it seemed that many would be
Tiled. | was in the third ear be-
ind the break with about fifty
thers when the crash came. We