Arizona republican., 1903-10-22
Railroads in Mexico.

Mexico has 11,1S5 miles of railroads
valued at more than 81, 900, OOO, 900 Next
carl. So recent a thing is railroad
building in the republic to the south
that one sees engines in operation that
hauled the first trains that Mexico
ever ran.
The earning capacity of capital in
600, 900 have gone in from the United
States. and of this 20 per cent has
gone into railroads. More is entering
every day. Pullman cars, huge mogul
engines, and gigantic freight cars are
the rule now, where hitherto they had
been the exception. Most of the roll
ing stock was made in the United
States. If Mexico is making her mark
in industrial prosperity It is because
the government was wise enough to get
the railroads and give them chance
to grow; these brought investors, then
manufacturers. then captains of indus
try, then prosperity. Today trains run
to all parts of the republic. or will
hitherto to be almost inaccessible. are
being bound to the central city-the
capital-by bands of steel. Ports like
Veracruz are put in communication
with transatlantic places. The rich
mining and agricultural lands of the
south are tapped till they pour their
treasures into the worlds markets.
a mighty line is to connect Salina
Cruz. on the Pacific, with Coatzacoal-
cos on the gulf. According to careful
estimates. this road is to put New York
and New Orleans 1900 miles nearer to
San Francisco than they would be by
q passage through the canal at Pan
anna. There are some who say it is
70 have a good deal of trade that is to
go over the Pacific. While the Pana
ma canal is to cost at least S1s0,000, 900
gold. the Tehuantepec railroad has
cost about s45,OOO,OOO silver, and will
cost only little more. The Mexican
government is quietly giving it f1nan-
cial aid and encouragement. The
revenue required to make the two EN-
terprises-the canal and the railroad
pay is $40, 100000 gold, against $2.70O.-
oOO silver. The saving of time is es-
timated at q high figure-not only the
] 800 miles difference in distance. but
the slowness with which ships VIII
have to pass through the canal are
considered.
An interesting feature is presented
by the pan-Americar road, which is
rapidly reaching out toward Guata-
mala and is expected to form an i'm
portant link in that chain of roads that
is to connect Alaska and Canada with
Patagonia. Brazil and Chile.
An Independent line-that of Yucatan
capitalized at s3000.O0O. every cent
of which was raised in Yucatan, is
to stretch it's arms out toward Cen
trail Mexico. Besides these, there are
numerous roads that touch the great
lines, feeding them from re-
mote and once almost inaccessible re-
gions. These are mainly mining, log
cling and plantation lines; but even
these pick up quite a lucrative line
of extra freight and passengers. 1T
is q fact, as surprising as it is true,
says one of the writers from whose
article much of this resume is taken.
that there is not a. railway in Mexico.
no matter how small and insignificant.
but what enjoys a local passenger and
freight traffic far in excess Of the
same pretensions in the United States"
In 1873 Mexico had 1886 miles of rail-
way Over these went 723,834 passen-
gers and 150,473 tons of freight, and
the receipts were $1.S4S.375. In 1900
there were $3.50 miles in operation;
10. 709, 1852 passengers and 7,522.92S tons
of freight were carried and the re-
ceipts were $40, 425, 47S. Since 1900 the
mileage, freight, number of passen-
gers, etc, have gone on Increasing.
Better ballast. steel rails for iron.
steel bridges fer wooden, 1lrst-class
rolling stock, etc. all mark the meth
DDS of the Mexican railroad manage
ment. In the face of almost insur-
mountable natural obstacles-up hills,
over mountains, and climbing prec!-
pices--the roads have gone till the
tale, when told, sounds almost incred-
ible.