Evening star., 1906-03-24

Special Correspondence Of The Star and Chicago
Record Herald.
CITY OF MEXICO, March 90, 1905.
There have been many notable changes
and Improvements at the capital of Mexico
during the last ten years. and it Is rapidly
growing to BE one of the finest cities of the
continent To the casual visitor the most
gratifying change is in the pavements in
the central part Of the city. The cobble-
stones have been torn up and replaced with
asphaltum and network of bouevards,
laid with macadam, furnish some of the
most beautiful drives that one can imagine.
The city government has expended about
S.,0G0Go8 in pavements alone, and is-pro
posing to extend the boulevard system
throughout the federal district for the en-
joyment of the people.
a large portion Of the city has been sew
cred and the horrible surface drainage has
been replaced by underground pipes. which
conduct the sewage to reservoirs outside of
the city limits. This has been a very serious
and expensive problem. because OF the
topography. The site of the city, you
viii remember was originally swamp and
d series Of lagoOns, confined by causeways
and dykes, like those OF Holland to protect
the houses and gardens, which in many
places We're at a lower level than the waters
around them. The great drainage canal,
called ''Tajo de Nochistengo' which was
built in the seventeenth century. at a cost
Of $50 0iU On0 drained the greater part of
the water off and relieved the inhabitants
from the destructive floods that occurred
annually during the rainy season. This
canal was the most ambitious and costly
engineering feat ever undertaken up to that
date. and il Is stii one Of the wonders of
the world. II is nearly thirteen miles long,
~ feet wide at the top and sloping to q
few feet at the bottom, and the perpen-
CIculaT depth Is from 100 to go feet. The
track OF the Mexican Central railway lies
tE IE On q en-
o. the cathedral in this city Is a monument
erected 10 the memory of Don EnriCo Mar
tinez. the great engineer who carried the
work TO completion The canal lost its
Importance for drainage purposes by the
construction of a tunnel through the noun
tains on the eastern side of the city. but
1t will always be an object of great in
tCreSt.
Burying the Wires.
The telephone and telegraph wires in the
City Of Mexico are ali being put under
ground and the work is being done with a
view 10 future requirements which can be
commended to municipal authorities in the
United states. Large clay pipes, two and
three feet In diameter and honeycombed
with twenty or thirty holes each. so as to
accommodate all the wires that may pos
sib}y be needed in the future are being
laid in the principal streets with arrange
ments for reaching and opening them up
for repairs or for stringing additional wires
when il may he necessary,
The street car system has been "electTi-
fied The quaint little bob-tailed vehicles
o. four wheels which We're slowly dragged
along by hungry and forlOrn-looking mules
have disappeared and have given place TO
large, first-class trolley cars made in Phila-
delphia which go whizzing through the
stree Is at the rate of eight and ten miles
an hour the very symbols of modern enter
prise and energy On most of the lines
trains Of two cars are run; one for first
and the other for second-class passengers,
the fares for the latter being about one
third less than those for the former class.
This IS a practical and satisfactory reform
for several rea sons. In the first place per-
sons of limited means can get cheap rides,
while people who are willing TO pay little
mere are not crowded and are not com
PEELED to rub up against greasy clothing or
dripping dinner pals. There is very little
difference in the appearance of the cars.
Both are the same size. The frst-class car
has wicker seats holding two persons fac
ing the motorman, while the second-class
cars have single wooden seats along the
sides like those we are accustomed to in
tn" United States.
The funeral ears have still been retained.
Sidetracks are placed in front of nearly all
the churches and q funeral car or hearse
car draped in black, for the coffin, and as
many other ordinary cars as may be needed
can be hired to carry the mourners and
the friends of the dead TO the cemetaries,
which lie outside the city. The economy
Of this arrangement is very important and
the cost of funerals has been very much
reduced thereby.
Lighted With Electricity.
The entire city is now brilliantly lighted
with electricity. I do not know any city
that is so well supplied with electric street
lamps although the policemen or "sere-
nos" still carry little lanterns, as they did
long before gas or electric lamps were
dreamed Of, and put them down at the in
tersectlon OF the streets as warning to
knaves who may thereby know the where
abouts Of the officer and avoid arrest. The
electricity for the street cars and the lights
is brought from the Nexaca waterfall in
the state of Hidalgo, about 100 miles dis
tant, where a Canadian company is now
producing about 5000 horsepower and ex-
poets to increase the supply TO 10000 as fast
as there is demand for It. The plant is
being constructed with a view to enlarge
ment TO maximum of $1,000 horsepower
eventually. The company has already in
vested about 81 .oU0,OOo gold and expects to
invest at least $l2O00OO0 before II has COM
pleted its plans.
The district government is utilizing the
ancient causeways for a series OF boule-
wards throughout the entire valley of Mex
leo: it is reconstructing the old parks, lay
ing out new ones and planting thousands of
trees along the roadside The ancient
grove OF cypress trees around the cas-
tie of Chapultepec, which has been the
pleasure ground Of several successive civ
ilizations, and is one of the most attractive
parks in the world. is now being extended
by the addition Of 500 acres, including the
farm upon which the battle OF Chapuitepec
was fought between the United States
troops under Scott and the Mexicans
September 2S, 1877 Upon this property
stands the historic old building known as
''MOlino del Rey," which is still in a good
state OF preservation and a conspicuous
landmark. The cost of farm and the i'm
provements contemplated will be about
kl0ooO.0oo.
Improvement in Dwellings
The governments is encouraging the peo-
pie 10 build pretentious residences. and the
Improvement in this respect is perhaps as
noticeable any other change that has
taken place at the Mexican capital A row
of magnificent palaces has been erected IN
the western part OF the city along the ia
"a "a d. u.