Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-05-09

IN IL Tor the dement, OF MS nelis ua
men invest in life Insurance policies IN
the states 1t will mean an income OF
81 TO Sc per tree later oman enormous
yield for 80 acres Of ground with 200
trees to the acre,
Cocoa on chocolate is one Of the prin-
cpal products Of this section. Coffee
does not do well In Tabasco, as II pos
sesses a better flavor when raised IN
the mountains Tobacco is grown ex-
tensively In the vicinity OF Cardenas
and Huimanguillo, and Is said TO be
the best favored tobacco produced In
Mexico.
A PECULIAR FORMATION
The Rio Seco is a peculiar formation
The land along It's banks for FIVE miles
back Is higher than any Of the sur
rounding country In the bed of the
river. which Is from 800 yards TO half
mile in width are occasional lagoons
and many small plantations. Tradition
has II that the volume Of water now
running past San Juan to the Gulf as
the river Mescalapa, once flowed over
the bed Of the SEGA but the Indians,
to prevent Spanish buccaneers from as
e3ndins 10 sack the inland'towns made |
sort cf>barfiei~ of poles and spikes
across the channel, in time debris gath,
cred ana formed q dam. A freshet
found an outlet through a drainage
ditch cut near the town and created a
new stream, called the Mescalapa, now
nayigable for light draft steamers,
JoURNEYED OVERLAND.
Rather than walt two weeks at From
terra for the return OF our vessel from
III Progresso, Yucatan we decided TO
make the journey overland.
In vain the Americans tried to dissuade
us, and Mexlcans made excuses With
out avail. We secured saddle horses,
pack mule and a guide, convinced that |
where people had lived and carried on
commerce for a thousand years there |
ought to be trail We struck out
for the sayannas, or pralries, and In
two days and nights reached the Indian |
town OF Zenapa. the head OF canoe ma
yigation on the river OF the same name. |
At this point rain drove us to the |
principal house OF the town, bamboo |
gallery for the drying OF tobacco, In one |
end or which lived the family includ- |
ing three grown daughters, a son-ln-law |
and children Of various ages and sizes.
MILLIONS OF MOSQUITOES,
We drove the pigs out into the rain |
and swung our hammocks. Night came |
and with II millions OF mosquitoes |
The pigs returned and scratched their |
backs against our hammocks rocking us |
to sleep. II rained all day and we ate |
tortlllas tomales and frijoles and spent |
another sleepess night. on the second |
morning We took TO the river. Our canoe |
was about le feet long by two feet wide,
cut out Of log of mahogany II con- |
tained two Americans, five natives, 200 |
pounds OF baggage and 200 pounds Of |
green cocoanuts, which we had the ma |
tives cut open every now and then for |
refreshment.
For a day and night we sat or lay In
the bottom Of that canoe, drinking |
"agua dc cocoa" and fighting mosqui- |
toes, Monkeys among the trees along |
the river kept w such an internal |
chattering that we couldn't go TO sleep. |
Past miles and miles OF bamboo which |
fringed the river. with royal palms |
waving their feathery plumes IN the |
back ground, parrots flying overhead In |
pairs. and occasionally alligators slip |
ping into the water with a splash, We |
gllded along the Zenapa for "a hours |
and reached the Gulf at Tonala.
Here we found the sea boiling IN a |
high wind and no boats venturing out. |
So we secured horses and struck out |
along the beach for Coatzocoalcos, a |
terminus OF the Tehauntepec railway
The surf beat about our horses legs |
but II was fine road and we enjoyed |
the ride. shooting at great sea birds or |
occasional sharks which ventured too |
far landward in search Of smaller fish. |
Crossing the mouth OF the Coatzocoal- |
cos river on hollow pole Cf o canoe We |
reached the railway station, tired, tam
ned and bearded like pirates,
IN A DILEMMA.
Next morning We boarded the train |
for Santa Lucretla where the Tehaun- I
tepec road Is intersected by the Mason |
lire. shining parallels Of iron and steel |
before us oh the way 10 Salt Lake. AT |
sta l.ucretia We learned that. while the |
track had been completed, II had not |
been formally accepted by the Mexican |
authorities any further than Juanita. |
TO which point and no further ran the |
daily train from Cordoba new dif-
hculty confronted us. We could not |
secure horses al sta. Lucretia. and a
handcar was not 10 be had FOR love or
money. But perseverance won out. IL
happened that the watch inspector Of
both lines was likewise DESTROYS OF
reaching the midnight train at Juanita.
Making a deal with the Mexican sec
lion gang We bad them lift handcar
from the Isthmus line TO the other
road little after dark. and In a few
minutes were flying across the country
At better rate OF speed than tropical
passenger trains have yet attained. At
one point We encountered a work train
but the Inspector OF time pieces was
AQual 10 the occasion. With tone OF
authority he called the crew together.
r,otso THAR trnin ffll ua could fut attr |