Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-05
RAIL WAYS IN MEXICO.
The Line From Vera Cruz to the
Pacific.
CONNECTING THE SYSTEMS
Building of the Road Was Done in an
Unskillful Manner.
ALL TO BE RECONSTRUCTED
Company Transferred the Project to
the Government Work Now
Going Steadily Forward.
ILL TO BE RECONSTRUCTED
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence CT The Star and Chicago
Record Herald.

Special Correspondence CT The Star and Chicago
Record Herald.
SANTA I.UCRETIA, Mexico.
March III. 1895.
The Vera Cruz and Pacific railway is a
connecting link between the general trans
portation system OF northern and central
Mexico and the new road recently con-
structed across the Isthmus OF Tehuante-
pee. 1t VIII also be an import ant Ink in
the great Intercontinental railway that is
being gradually constructed along the
spinal column of the American cont'n
from the frosty gold-felds of the Klondike
to the plains OF Patagonia and the Straits Of
Magellan. Mr.. Carnegie recently remarked
to ex-senator Davis of West Virginia that
he expected to live long enough to make an
all-rail journey from New Yo.k to Buenos
Ayres, and inv ted TIE late can iidate for
Vice President on the democratic ticket to
be his guest on the Journey Both these
gentlemen have been deeply interested in
the extension OF railway connections be-
tween the American republics, and al
though there have been many discourage
ments, and some Of the countries in Cen
trail and South America do not seem to be
very much in earnest about doing Their
snare, actual progress is being made an
nually, SO that Mr. Carnegie and Mr.. Davis.
the latter eighty years OF age, may be able
to realize their anticipatfons.
Mr.. Carnegie once proposed to the first
international American conference when
this subject was, under discussion that the
government Of the United States offer to
furnish the rails for a track between the
termini of the Mexican and Argentine sys-
TENS If the several governments along the
line would build the road. 1t was hard
times with us then, and he thought the Of
fer might serve double purpose. 1t would
keep our mills IN mot on and our miners
busy and would give substantial encour-
agement to the other countries. The Mexi-
can government has constructed a railway
southwark from it's capital to Oaxaca, the
metropolis of the coffee country and the
most important city In southern Mexico
where Juarez, Dfaz, the late Matias Ro-
nero and other famous leaders were born
And a concession has been granted for the
extension OF the line to the Isthmus OF Te-
huantepeC Construction will be very eN-
pensive. however, and, owing to the noun
tains, the route will be much longer than
the railway which has already been built.
The latter, the Vera Cruz and Pacific, fills
all present requirements. 1t furnishes
connection between the northern ana
southern systems OF the republic sufficient
for commercial purposes; 1t is of great i'm
portance from military standpoint ard
opens up a new country that is very rich
in agricultural and pastoral resources
A. B. Mason's Project
Alfred Bishop Mason. son of the late
r. 3. Mason, once mayor of Chicago and
associated in the building of the Illinois
Central railroad. seems to have proposed
and promoted the Vera Cruz and Pacific.
He a brother of the late Edward q.
Mason. who in his time was the most popu-
lar man in Chicago Alfred Bishop Mason
is a versatile gentleman with rather ec-
centric career. He Is generally regarded
more as a theoriSt than practical bust
ness man. He has written books on
finance, has been newspaper reporter and
editor, and has done various other things.
[ have not been able to discover how Mr..
Mason's genius was brought to bear upon
the Transportation problem of the Mexican
tropics, but he succeeded in getting a sub
sidy OF s5.500,0cO from the government and
between S0.0to,UtU and $4,000 coo from the
Maryland Trust Company of Baltimore
In this enterprise he seems to have been
more theoretical than practical and to
have shown the traits of an amateur. both
as a financier and as a railway builder.
He laid % miles of good steel rails upon
the soft soil of Mexico. but his grades were
SO low that the track was usually under
water during most of the rainy season and
during the dry season the wind blew his
embankments away. Old railway men down
here declare that it was the worst piece of
track they ever saw. The work was done by
contract in peculiar way. The company fur
nished all the rolling stock, locomotives and
machinery, paid the skilled mechanics to
handle it and everything in repair, while
the contractor merely bossed and paid the
assuming any responsibility This made
construction very slow and expensive with
out producing corresponding results. The
government had similar experience with
the Tehuantepec railroad, which was orig
inally built in the same way at enor-
nous cost and every foot of the track had
to be relaid before a heavy engine or a
train could pass over it.
Too Much Water
The Vera Cruz and Pacific people also
met with r1any physical difficulties similar
to those encountered by our people at
Panama. The greatest was due to the
abundance of water. 1t is pity that this
essential element of nature cannot be more
equally distributed. There are lots of
places where small portion of the rain
that falls on the gulf coast of Mexico would
be highly appreciated l believe it was a
Scotchman who said that II he had a GER
tain obstreperous stream in the Internal
regions he could sell the water for shilling
a quart. and the same could be done with
the rainfall along the Vera Cruz and Pacific
railroad IL suitable arrangements could be
made. But down here rain has no value
The water Is not only superfiuous, but Is
the cause OF great anxiety. labor and ex-
pense. The precipitation is often as much
as $50 inches year, while thirty inches Is
considered sufficient for good corn crop
And the doctrine of the total deprayity of
nature Is further illustrated by the fact
that the heaviest rains come when they are
needed the least.
The road crosses twenty-one large
streams, including the Paloapam and Tese-
choacan rivers, which are the largest In
the republic, and the Rio Blanco, which is
esteemed the most beautiful. The latter is
crossed twice. These rivers are navigable
for a hundred miles above the railway, and
the bridges are provided with draws to let
the boats go through. During the rainy
season they spread over a good deal of ter
ritory. Floods are frequent The water
often rises twenty-four feet in twenty-fotrr
hours, and that is not conducive to the
happiness of men who are running railways
in low country.
The Road Rebuilt.