Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-11
OF GREAT fERT ILITY
Rich Land on the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec.
TALES NEARLY INCREDIBLE
Telegraph Poles Sprout and Fence
Posts Blossom.
THE PECULIAR DEVIL TREE
Death for Man to Be Caught by Its
Branches-Mahogany Used
for Railway Ties.

for Railway Ties.
By WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
CITY OF TEHUANTEPEC, April s. 1906.
Old and WORKOUT steel rails are used for
telegraph poles down in this country, W tn
couple of holes drilled at the top SO that
cross-bars can be fastened on This is a
measure of economy and also of necessity,
because, according to Mr.. Morris. the as
slstant general manager of the Tehuantepec
railway. IT is improbable to use wooden
poles because the soil S SO rich that they
would take root and grow. Mr.. Morris de-
clares that If they should set up an ordi-
nary pole OF seasoned wood In almost any
place on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec 1t
"oufd negin 10 sprout as soon as the rainy
season commenced. Within SIX months it
would De a HoWering tree and the branches
would get tangled up in the wires That is
the reason why iron is used for telegraph
poles.
Stakes That BIossomed
Mr., Morris also says that the surveyors
who laid out the line had d great deal of
trouble because The wooden stakes which
they drove In the ground to mark the right
VI way DiosoHeu ike the ROD OF Moses. You
can see the prof OF such stories for yourself
on either side of the track at frequent inter
VaIs along not only the Tehuantepec but
an OF the other railways down in this vicin-
lty Half the posts that are used to sup
port wire fences around the farms and
ranches and to keep the cattle off the
track are now Towering bushes and at this
season or the year are in their glory. Some
'ol the renee posts are cherry wood others
are peach, others are plum They are
growing ike hedges and are covered w tn
wealth of flowers. The cherry blossoms
Gown mere are as brilliant they are in
Japan at this season of the year: the peach
blows are lovely and the apple blossoms
actually perfume the atmosphere. Wher-
ever there Is wire fence you will find a
long row of blooming bushes, although the
posts seemed to be thoroughly seasoned
when they were put into the ground After
admlring mile after mile and league after
league of towering fence posts it is east
er to believe the telegraph pole story
Ihe soil down here is terribly fertile II
IS dangerous sometimes to plant things
When gourd Is planted the farmer has to
act as II he had lighted fuse on a bomb
shell for fear the vines will grow faster
that he can run and entanele his los
one aged gentleman who was lame and
could not hurry found ripe gourds in his
pockets when he got home. His wife gave
him a good blowing up as good wives al
ways do for picking them
Popularity of the Devil Tree.
WI "ic THESE the only marVelS of the
country. There are many strange trees and
plants. Dld you ever hear of the Arbor
Diaboli, the octopus of tr--1s which has an
extraordinary way of curling III, its twigs
ana Selling birds and animals which are
unfortunate enough to select it as n roost
WIN cruel grasp like that of the devil
hsh? Most birds know the tree and keen
away from the danger; only now and then
some inexperienced or reckless warbler
VIII get caught and perish. The gentleman
who told me about it called on several
saints as witnesses to his veracity. He in
slstS that the government botanists at the
City OF Mexico know all about it and that
any experienced timber-cruiser or railway
tie cutter down in this country will not only
testify to the fact but can describe even
more extraordinary phenomena that occur
IN the forests of this tropical zone
The Arbor Diaboli (Which is the botanical
name for the devil-tree) grows to a height
OF thirty or forty feet and has long droop-
ing slender limbs similar to those of n
weeping willow and. small oblong leaves of
light green. These limbs, which spring
from solid branches, seem to be possessed
of nerves, for whenever a bird or an ami
NAL lights upon branch the limbs will
curl up as suddenly as the leaves of the
sensitive plant and wrap themselves around
IT, They seem to respond in this manner to
any unusual pressure. stone or a piece
OF wood or any other object of bulk or
weight laid upon one of the branches will
be seized In the same way, and the limbs
'heil tWiHc tlJoul IL VIII 1t there in
definitely. The gentleman who told me
this story says that having become very
much interested in the tales that he heard
from the natives, he went out one day into
the WOODS with them, carrying half dozen
chickens with which experiments were
successfully made No man can climb the
tree without becoming fatally entangled In
the branches.
Ordered a Car Load of Monkeys.
You can't see any monkeys from the
train because they have been frightened
away but thousands of them can be found
a few miles back In the jungIes and for
ests. The natives down here do not keen
them for pets bur kill them for food like
squirrels or rabbits, and monkey meat is
said to make very good stew Mr. Mi
Ian, president of the Vera Cruz and Pacific
railway, says that he would just as soon
nave monkey stew as fricaSseed chicken
and. when properly cooked with dumplings
and weM-seasoned gravy, it is delicious Il
MI. Galbraith, general manager of the
Iehuantepec railroad, was going down the
line the other day, when native APP
preached him at one of the stations with
a monkey in his arms and inquired what
ne would give FOR IT., Mr. Galbraith ex
planned that one monkey was of no par
ticular use to him, but If the man would
fetch him a carload he would be willing
to pay him fifty. pesos. The native replied
Isl, Senor," and VANISHED. Mr. GaIbraith
has naturally been uneasy ever since The
Tehuantepeckers are literal people and he
is fearful lest the gentleman has taken him |
at his word and soma fine morning will |
show up with carload of monkeys, which |
would be difficult to dispose of down here |
Mr.. Galbraith, however is very beneyo- |
lent, public-spirited philanthropist, and IL
such a situation should arise he intends to |
contribute the animals in small punches to |
different geological gardens.
Parrots Used for Food
The woods are full of parrots as well as |
monkeys, and the birds are used for food,
being considered quite as much of a deli |
cacy on the isthmus as canvasbaek duck |
are with us Mr.. Cox. general manager of |
tho Pan-American railroad, which runs |
along the Pacific coast of southern Mexico |
to Guatemala, is famous hon vivant and |
is particularly fond of native dishes. He |
has made a study of them, and for the |
benefit OF people who would like to try a |