La Junta tribune., 1905-06-03
Asornea ,eryea saos ssx,eo.
JAIISCO. MEXICO,
Nay y, 1905.

rived here at 6 p. m. tonight. We
left Mexico City at 8 a. m. Saturday
and as we have travelled eontinu-
ously you can easily see that our
pace has not been rapid. The dis
tance is about 500 miles and we
came over four different roads,
There are 800 people. including
twenty women and six children. in
the excursion train Of nine cars.
Five Of the cars are Pullmans, two
chair cars. one baggage and one
lunch car. People in all walks Of
life are in the party. and they come
from all over the United States.
seventeen states being represented.
Those who are not locating here
permanently will make the train
their home for the three days it will
remain, and then be taken back in it
to the City of Mexico. So you see
we are comfortably fixed. and yet
there are many discomforts. II is a
hard trip. especially for an old
couple occupying the berth next
ours. who will celebrate their golden
wedding in two or three years. The
La Junta crowd expects to pitch its
tent tomorrow. but will probably
locate not too far from our Pull
mans in case we get one of those
tropical rains We have heard so
much about.
The country We have come over
is much different from that de-
scribed in my last letter. Leaving
Mexico City, our course was easter
ly at an elevation of oven 1900 feet
until we reached point seventy
five miles from the Gulf Of Mexico.
Here the country takes sudden
drop. In a straight distance Of six
miles, in which the road covers
eighteen miles, the train descends
5000 feet. And from this point
600 feet elevatiOn) We descend to
practically sea level in about fifty
miles. In other words, imagine
Rocky Ford to be 1000 feet high,
Ia Junta 1000 feet las it isl and
Lamar 1T SEA level, and you will
then get some idea Of the short dis
tance in which the descent is made
from Mexico's high plateau to the
tsea.
The scenery along here is beyond
my power Of description. All Of
Mexico from end to end is q plateau
averaging about 1900 feet high. and
on top Of this are mountains without
number, some rising to an elevation
Of IS, 900 feet. With such . narrow
strip along its sea coast you On
readily perceive that It can not have
. tropical or semi-tr0pical climate
over very much Of its extensive
area. The great bulk Of it Is high
and arid like Colorado. After get
ting down near the Sen level our
course parallels the Gulf for 100
miles and then turns q right angle
and climbs over the top Of the
Republic to the Pacific side. Here
we turn south at . right angle
again, and over . t0TtuOus route
follow the Pacific line to Jalisco.
would like to tel you Of the many
strange sights and people we have
Iseen the past three days, but pre-
tsume you want to know about Jalis-
co first.
At San CeronOmo this morning
we were met by q brass band. This
town il 100 miles north Of here and
is the point where the Pan-American
railway begins. The president and
vice president Of the road also met
US there, and. together with the
band, escorted us 20 Jalisco. Tbs
lToad 10 in bod shape and we were Ill
day coming the hundred miles. This
was not entirely owing. however. tQ
the condition Of the rood, for at one
place the train stopped two hours in
order to enable US to visit the birth
city Of President Diax. This place,
has an unpronounceable name and
II, 900 inhabitants. q
Jalisco isn't much yet and does
not look rs we expected it would.
For instance, we expected to SEE tbs
sun 70 down into the ocean to the
west Of Jdisro ut the close of the
day. Instead, our first sunset view
from Jalisco discovered the sun
sinking behind IoW range Of moun,r
tains. And to the north and eass
are the ever preBent mountains. We
have traversed The Republic from
end to end. md crussed Il from So
to 50, and never for one momenS
have we been out Of sight Of noun
tains. This doesn't apply to the
jungles we have pa8ed through, but
even there you en- Sc the noun
tains BY climbing . tree.
Jalisco Is . division point on the
Pan-Ame.ican railway end in that
respect looks about like La Junta
did when the Santa Fe started .
division point there. The "nilruod