Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-09-15
MEXICO ALAND
OF SENSATIONS

GREAT FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES
AND TERRIFYING FIRE IN THE
MOUNTAINS.
City of Mexico. Sept. 6-The recent
remarkable behavior of the elements
in Mexico, eliminating in the cloud.
burst and flood at Guanajuato, on June
20, in which over 1000 lives were lost
and millions of property destroyed, is
causing many Of the old inhabitants
to predict greater disasters to come. |
Natural phenomena in Mexico are al.
ways connected in the minds OF her
people with her sleeping volcanoes. |
This has been true from the time of
the Aztec epire and probably earlier.
Nearly all Mexican legends are about
the volcanoes, and history shows that
they had far greater influence i'll
shaping the destinies of the Aztecs
and their contemporaries than might
be- supposed. They were neld respon-
sible for floods, drOughts, electrical
disturbances and other meteorological
phenomena, plaques, wars and all
sorts of things apparently quite out of
their line of business. The old Aztec
beliefs and superstitions are held in
far greater respect in the present day
than the church likes to admit, SO it
is not particularly strange that just
now the common people and many
of the educated classes hold that the
volcanoes are at the bottom of all
that has been going wrong in natures
laboratory recently.
Lurid Sunsets Frequent.
Immediately after the eruption of
Mont Pelee and ever since then the
sunsets in all parts of Mexico have
been unusually lurid Brilliant sun
sets are uncommon in most parts Of
Mexico, owing to the rare, dry atmOs-
phere and almost immediate darkness
8 after the setting of the sun, as rule.
For weeks after Pelee's outbreak hun
dreds of timid people in Mexico gaz-
!, ed at the crimson west in the evenings
r and passed sleepless nights, for one
v is within reach of a fire mountain al.
: most anywhere in Mexico if it should
q break loose Shortly afterward the
4 eruption of the Guatemala volcano
which nearly destroyed Quetzaltenan
o go and sent ashes all over the 18TH
:. mus of Tehuantepec, sent new shiv
O ers up and down their spines. Then
:. an unusual amount of smoke and
n stones and ashes from Mount Colima
@ nearly due west from the City of Mex
q leo, on the Pacific slope, kept up thel1
V fears. Colma always smokes lit
tie, but about two years ago the in
" ternal explosions became so violen
!. that the Indians living on her side
IS moved away and haven't moved back
N No longer ago than the latter par
I'd of the month of May, of the presen
~ year. the mining town of Tamazula
I'd in the northwestern part Of the stat
As of Durango, was thrown into PAM
as by heafening subterranean noises
n. Earthquakes of unusual violence wer
as felt the temperature of the water i
cd springs in the locality greatly increa.
ar ed. in some places the ground becam
hot enough to dry up all vegetatio
* and in several places the ground ros
at to a considerable height, forming cor
shaped hills. Hundreds of people le
that immediate district, fearing thu
new volcano was about to be Dor
and not especially desiring to /
ol among those present when the ever
at occurred But later the phenomen
en- ceased and those who stayed are no
III breathing easier.
~ Electric Storms and Rain.
IN In the past four or five years tt
w. seasons have changed considerably
oh- Mexico. The winters have been col
err and the summers hotter and tt
lines between the rainy season al
the dry season have been nearly was
ed out. In 1904 it rained during t.
'aI' months of the year in the City
d. Mexico; it usually rains only five.
all parts of the republic during la
ter. year the rains were unusually heaN
lad The list of washouts. wrecks and !
sulting loss of life on the railroa
nty was about five times as long as usu
ma. and so far this year the record h
me been kept up. Electrical disturbanc
and have also heen of unusual freouen
cry and severity. On one day in Mare
sick last in tbe CITY Of Nexico if snow,
ore hailed and rained simultaneously
out different sections of the city. In F.
am ruary blizzard swept down from t
oea eastern Texas frontier over the nor
la a.. eastern part of Mexico, as far so,
eu as Monterey, an almost unheard
'uIu phenomenon, doing great damage.
was May an earthquake of unusual sew
va ity shook Mexico City from her stu
o , bers about midnight one night.
NV What will be the next calami
~ is the question which people here
.ne asking of each other. 1t is a rema
'"e able coincidence that renowned NJ
lean prophet on natural phenome
living in Guanajuato. prophesied
recent flood disaster here, being
most exactly correct in all of the
new tails. This same prophet has foret
a dreadful volcanic eruption by
sls's of MeXico's volcanoes for this S,
ana mer He doesn't specify which @
ping The lower classes believe now IN
sess strongly than ever that he knows W
ears he is talking about and in spite
hers the fact that few of them can +,
lose. they have all heard about his volc
Nd ic prediction and each one has p
e IN ed out the volcano nearest his G
lons home as the one meant by the 81
S III fessor.'
ai.o Is City of Mexico Safe?
ais The City of Mexico is beautif,
luH situated for disaster of almost