La Junta tribune., 1905-05-27
q 1nilIi1S ~ nEIico-

capitol city of Mexico just six hours
Together with a dozen other Jalisco
boomers VINO boarded our train after
leaving La Junta We are beginning
to realize that We are a long way
from home. We have travelled with
out interruption for three days and
nights, the number of miles covered
being more than 200. The sun at
noon is directly overhead, and We
are twenty degrees nearer the
equator. Since crossing the Rio
Grande at Fl Paso We have seen
much To excite our wonder and sur
prise. We were agreeably surprised
TO find the Mexican Central Railroad
as well equipped in every way as the
Santa Fe. II has 3, 100 miles of
track and It's officers are all Ameri-
cans some of them getting their
. first training with the Santa Fe
I After getting up out Of the valley
Of the Rio Granie the road stretch
es away across the plateau Of North
ern Mexico This table land Is prac-
tically level and is trayersed with
mountain ranges running north and
south. The railroad follows the
trough made by two Of these
ranges. For a hundred miles at
stretch il takes its course in
straight line without crossing or
following a single water course. II
you will imagine a railroad running
. in straight line from La Junta To
Colorado Springs. a mountain range
on either side. on the entire line of
which there is not a short curve.
embankment, cut or bridge. you
will get some idea of this railroad in
Northern Mexico.
l In this section there is no timber
on the mountains and no streams
flow from their canons to water the
plains. There is scant vegetation on
which thousands of cattle seem to
thrive. The water which the cattle
drink comes from springs ana lakes.
and these are always found on the
low ground of this plateau and
never in the mountains. Cattlemen
own the land. II can be bought at
% to 80 cents in gold per acre. the
price depending on the quantity of
water. We met a cattleman on the
train. while passing through this
section. who Is manager for COM
pany owning eight thousand acres
and thirty thousand cattle. They
employ Mexican COW punchers at S6
per month. and the annual tax on
their land and cattle is $500 eight
I hundred in gold. One rich Mexican.
through whose land we passed. has
eight million acres and four hun
Z dred thousand cattle.
All day "Wednesday we passed
through Central Mexico. where the
scene changed considerably from
that described above. We occasion
ally follow some river and find i'm
mense cotton plantations where the
poems. in their picturesque costumes
are working in groups under the
eye of an overseer on horseback, in
much the same manner, | imagine.
as the slaves were managed in the
I South before the war. During the
/ middle of the day We ran into a
/ section where the dust and heat
were almost unbearable. This did
not last long, for about 3 O'Clock We
began climbing a mountain range
and at sundown found ourselves at
the top of the divide between north
ern and southern Mexico. We
crossed this divide at the town of
of Zacatecas, at an elevation of
5000 feet.
I This town has 80 900 population and
is surrounded by silver mines that
have been worked continuously for
the past 400 years. The location of
the place reminds me of Cripple
Greek. but besides this | could dis
cover no similarity. The view from
the rear platform of the train as we
climbed the mountain to this town
was one of surprising and ever
changing beauty and grandeur.
I The third day Of our ride through
Mexico brought still more surprises.
From daylight. until arriving at
at Mexico City at noon. we passed
through country very different
from the two sections described