Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-10
A Trip Through Mexico
A. WI

izing surroundings, and he is no long
er a savage. The great Juarez, who
He'd the Mexicans to liberty, and whose
name will live with those Of Washing
ton and Lincoln, was one Of these In
dian boys. He was born in an Indian
village, but at an early age was taken
4 into the home of a lawyer in Oaxaca,
i and given an education. Never did
kindly benevolence pay a bigger divi-
i dend.
i A Scenic Railway.
i The railway from Mexico City to
Cuernavaca, which continues on down
i through the states of Moreles and
4 Guerrero to the river Balsas, and
] which will ultimately be pushed on to
! the Pacific coast, is one of the scenic
| railway lines of America. 1t is now
1 q part Of the great Mexican Central
system, but was originally built and
4 largely owned by J.. H. Hampson, a
former Iowan. Mr.. Hampson, who is
now one Of the millionaire residents of
Mexico City, being last year president
i OF the American club, began life as a
4 stage driver between Washington and
/ Fairfield, Iowa. He tells me that he
knew Mr.. BallingaH and other old tim.
ers In Ottumwa. Well. Mr.. Hampson
went west many years ago. A friend
OF his tells me that Mr.. .Hampson was
the first successful rancher near the
i Apache reservation In Arizona. At a
time when all Of the other ranchers,
contiguous to the Apaches were driv.
en- out by the Indians, Mr.. Hampson
held his own. His rule was to make
q good Indian" out of every Apache
that left the reservation and stepped
on to his rancho. To accomplish this
result, the Winchester rife method
was used and used effectually. After
a few lessons, thus administered, the
4 Apaches stayed away from the Hamp.
son rancho.
Mr.. Hampson became one of the
biggest railroad contractors in the
country. He helped build the Santa
4 Fe, A. & p, Mexican National and
Mexican Central railways, and is now
doing some big work for the latter
road. He built the Cuernavaca road
without Issuing any bonds to pay for
the construction though 1t was an ex.
ceedingly expensive line to build. 1t
goes up, across, and down the noun
tains and there is one stretch of three
per cent grade thirty miles in length.
There are some places where there
are eighteen degree curves on per
cent grades; while the longest stretch
OF straight track in the one hundred
and eighty-two miles from Mexico City
to Rio Bakas, is three miles. II all
the curves were formed into complete
4 circles the train would turn around
one hundred times in making a trip
4 over the line. These facts were civ,
en- me by Isaac Mathewson, a former
4 Muscatine boy, who has won for him.
self success and an honorable name in
this country. Mr.. Mathewson was for
some time chief engineer of this road
and laid out the extension of the line
! which Is now being built from REQ
Bakas to the Pacific ocean.
! An Excellent Description.
The following description Of the
country, through which the line passes
in coming over the mountains from
laexico City to Cuernavaca, is taken
from pamphlet issued by the Mexi.
can Central railway. 1t is accurate
historically and otherwise, and Is we'll
worth republishing here:
Beginning at the City of Mexico
In the highest of the great valley OF
i North America, 1850 feet above the
level OF the sea, this line winds west
ward by historic Chapultepec and
Molino del Rey, through and above
battlefelds where Toltecs, Aztecs
Spainards, French and Americans have
fought, conquered or died disputing the
possession of the great valley.
1 Slowly. climbing the mountains
one of the great views of the world
unfolds itself before our eyes-villages
cities, lakes and mountains. We cross
the battlefield of Contreras and climb
towards that of Monte de la Cruces
Hidalgos great victory, which should
have ended the Mexican war of In
dependence. In the dim distance de
/ rectly to the east, at the foot of 8
little hill, can be seen church spires
domes and monuments, the shrine oil
Guadalupe, the most venerated of the
republic. Here the patroness of the
Indians appeared to Juan Diego; here
also another event took place, Of per
haps greater moment to the two great
American republics-the treaty OF
Guadalupe Hidalgo, which legalizet
the possession by the United States Of
perhaps third of her present territor,
and finished a war Of conquest and az
erosion, was here signed. To the
4 THE EASY OIL.
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