Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-18
THE LAND OF DROUGHT.
Life in Ei Paso, Texas, and the Neigh.
boring City Of Juarez.

ON my FIRST morning at FL Paso, by
good luck, when. as before explained, |
arrived nine or ten hours behind time.
| made an early start for JuareZ, the
Mexican city tciudad) on the opposite
bank of the Rio Grande, writes Brad
ford Torrcy in the New York Post. AS
/ waited for the car at the corner OF
tho street. - rosy Mexican house finch
stood on the top of "A tall telephone
role near by and warbled eCstatically,
Evidently this beautiful bird-and
beautiful singers quite at home in
his bustling city at least in winter.
for | WAS hardly in my room on the
afternoon of my arrival before | heard
it's warhle. and looking out of the win
dow brhcld the bird perched upon the
caves Of the opposite hotel. where
more than once since then | have heard
10 singing. | am sorry to say that the
Euliish sparrow. its most unworthy ri
Val. * here. also. though for the mo-
usut i'm small numbers.
When the car came along. II proved
~ be- an open one.
~ pretty cold morning for open
cars" | said To the youthful Conduc-
tor.
ooh. W. rum open cars all winter,
he answered But suppose We don't
mind the cold so much" he added, en-
phesizing the we" because we are
out of doors all the time
Northern tendcrfoot might natu-
rally bc less Injured to frieidity, he
seemed 20 imply. but ! remarked that
hc wore d heavy winter ovefeoat with
the COLLAR up Warm days (nuch like
New England juno. cool nights. clear
aIIirs. constant winds. dryness, and
dust such IS the January climate of FL
Ptso. IF my four days here have given
mc - ttlr impression of it. Presently
We crossed a short bridge.
WAS that tho riVcr2" | asked my
scltultr a minute afterWlrd. Il sud
den suspicion coming over me. though
IL seeiucd 40 absurd that | WAS halt
ashamed to betr1y it.
Yes. sir. that was the Rio Grande.
You're iu Mexico now H. answered.
Ncs ana that vas the Mexican GUS
tom House officer whom | had seen
stop cat of the door of u small building
pt tho southern end of the bridge and
salute our conductor so politely. None
or us looked like smugglers. suppose.
At all events. the car was not held
up" as happened at the other end of
national travel, even in an electric
street car. is liable to complications.
As for the river IL was practically dry.
Pedestrians were crossing ito save
tull-ou few small stepping stones at
Il point where the current could not
have been ten feet wide nor more than
half uf ten inches deep. My seatmate
explained that so much water was
drawn off above this point for irriga =
tiou purposes that the river had little
left for its own use. and, in fact. more
than once afterward SAW its bed alb
Snutcly dry. so that even the stepping
stones had gone out of business. Yet
il is "A READ rio grande for all that. and
the life of Il long long strip of Texas
Drought is the mark of this country
a Friendly citizen warned me earnestly
against wandering far out OF the city
II some Mexican did not kill me for
"A the kaBe Of the clothes haa on tan ig-
4 nohhs sleatlh surely)i 4 might get lost
aud in that event. NJ nothing else hap
pened to me. should perish of thirst.
The car took me through the city "a
fve-minute passage. perhaps), and
struck out for the country. along the
lire of the Mexican Central Railroad
in the direction of the mountains
heading my course for a cemetery ou
on the slope in the midst of the chap
parrall White necked ravens were
foraging along the track. and allowed
me to pass almost as indifferentiy n
SO many English sparrows might have
done. How soon the strange becomes
familiar" ! thought. had never seel
n white necked raven there is N
Wilderness visible. the bird being Il Yer.
imp of darkness. To look at III. TIL les
than twenty-four hours ago. and al
ready | was passing it almost with In
difference. l was not Indifferent. how
ever. two afternoons later. when say
~ flock of several hundred soaring II
may circles far overhead. after tn
manner of buzZards or sea RpAls} ia
No other birds showed themselves til
/ came near the cemetery gate, whel