The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1905-01-13
Some Things Seen in Mexico.

Arriving AT III Paso. Texas, abou
10 a. m, had TO change cars fol
Parral, Mexico, but before the traiI
pulled out had time to look arouns
the city and found that the portion
near the Rio Grande was made NJ
of small, one-story adobe houses )ar
adobe house is made of large square
blocks OF dried earth and laid up
like brick, and just the color of the
earth.t IAN aboard" and the
train pulled out In few hundred
yards we were crossing the great Rio
Grande river. You will be surprised
when | say that this river, at this
point, is about rs wide as the Big
Sandy. and has about as much water
in 1t as the Big Sandy has at its
lowest tide. The first station is Just
across the river. Ciudad Juarez, this
meaning the city Of Wharez, There
every one had to open baggage, par
GELS and trunks TO be examined by
the Mexican Custom officials, then
We were off again into Mexico, over
the broad expanse which is very
beautiful TO look at, nothing but
small cedar growing in portions Of
this country. Then after a little
ride We came to the sand desert
Passing through that we came TO the
wide prairie, with sharp peaks along
each side In the distance. Now and
then the conductor would announce a
station. and, OF course, we expected
to see a town, but instead, small
adobe house or perhaps, a box car
for a depot was all we found. / will
give you few OF the names of the
various stations: Los Medanos, Ahu-
mazda, Ojo Caliente. After while
the conductor came through and an
nounced that at four o'clock we
would get dinner at Moctezuma. Here
we expected to see a city, but We
found a small station house and an
eating house where Chinaman sery-
ed meals. BY the way, the Cinnamon
are God-send to the travellers
through Mexico. We were shown a
farm that belonged to Terrazas, Gov
ernor Of the state Of Chihuahua, which
was eighty miles long and contained
100000 acres, this being one OF his
many such farms. Terrazas is one OF
the largest individual cattle owners
in the world, owing 100000 head and
over 2O,OO0,OOO acres OF land. Chi
hauhau is the only place that could
be called city, after leaving Ell
Pa,'o, until your arrival at Parral.
distance OF over 400 miles. Parral
is thriving city established before
the beginning OF the 18th century.
II has some handsome blocks, but
most of the buildings are Of adobe
and all along are seen sprouts pro-
jecting from the caves about two feet
long, and when 1t rains the water
strikes the passer-by on the head.
The streets are narrow and very
crooked, From Parral went direct
TO the mining section, which was
about three miles 10 the west. Among
the most noted mines in this section
is Don Pedro Alyarados. 1t is equip
ped with electricity for light and
lifting. and about the mouth OF its
shaft are swarms of Mexicans, men.
boys and burros. The ore being lift
ed Is run out on the tram and these
people with hammers are seenbreak-
ing the ore up in small pieces, throw
ing the different portions OF 1t in
different directions and the best quail
ity is cast into tin can and carri-
Ell into house, where IL remains
until placed in bag and sealed, then
IL fsN carried TO the railroad station
for shipment to the smelter. The
other grades Of ore is thrown out in
piles and shoyeled up in jute bags
Of 1875 pounds each andtwo of these
are strapped upon the backs of the
burros. Each man has about fifteen
or twenty head of burros over which
he has complete charge, and in a
few seconds each drove Is loaded and
you hear the word, "huderay," and
off start the little burros with their
load which appears to be almost as
large as they are. and they pass
over large pair Of scales and are
weighed and then down the mountain
they go. To see them mixing around
and loading the burros is confusion
to the observer, but | was told that
each man knew his burros and the
burros knew their own masters, and
so the loading and carrying away Of
the ore went on like clock work. Al
varado uses about eleven hundred
OF these burros to carry the products
pf his mines to the railroad station.
The burro is used for carrying all
small packages, water and merchan-
disc TO the mines. In all my life
never saw such a patient, hard-work
ing little animal as the burro is, ant
they live on about as little as could
be imagined. C. W. C.