Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29
Los ANGELES HAS
FINE OPPORTUNITY
RICH TRADE WITH MEXICO CAN
BE ACQUIRED
Local Man Who Has just Returned
From Extensive Tour Gives Glow
Ing Account Of Conditions
In Sister Republic

"I found the people anxious for
Americans to come in there and de-
velop the country, and the educated,
progressive class of Mexlcans are rap
idly adopting American ways.
81 think IL Los Angeles will wake
up and put on some steamers to the
ports of the west coast of Mexico from
Los Angeles 1t would be q good stroke
of business policy.
"If Los Angeles merchants, whole
sa1ers and manufacturers would go
right after that business 1t would put
this town in a position to aspire to
the million mark in population within
reasonable time"
So declared T. s. Brockenbrow of
Los Angeles to The Herald yesterday.
Mr.. Brockenbrow has Just returned
from trip to occidental Mexico by
the steamer route around the southern
point of Lower California, after visit
ing Mazatlan, Altata, Culiacan and the
mines in the eastern part of the state
of Sinaloa.
"The mines I am interested in are
about sixty-five miles northeast from
Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, in the
main Sierras," he continued. The
country about Dulce Nombres. our
mine, is extremely rugged and broken,
which Is the usual feature of the west
ern Sierras of Mexico. 1t is a precipi-
tous. craggy country well watered,
with hundreds of streams of gushing,
pure water flowing everywhere. The
higher mountain tops of the main Sier-
ras reach about 5000 or 1000 feet above
the sea level.
Mrs Brockenbrow accompanied me
throughout the journey, which was
made by steamer to Altata and rail
from Altata forty-five miles to Culia-
can, the capital of Sinaloa, and thence
by four-mule ambulance to the mines.
1.-The mining industry is practically
in it's infancy in Sinaloa, but the min
ing interest is increasing very rapid
ly on account of the coming of the new
Sinaloa line of the Southern Pacific
railway, which is now under active
construction for $50 miles, throughout
the length of Sinaloa. Four thousand
men are at work on the line, and seven
or eight parties of civil engineers are
at work making survey for the perma-
nent location throughout the state.
California people are largely interested
in the Sinaloa mines, mostly from San
Francisco and Los Angeles
Pushing Development Work
"The Sfnaloa mines are both gold
and silver, which is found not only in
extensive persistent lodes, but also in
large pocket formations. The vein of
the Dulce Nombres mine is twelve to
fifteen feet wide. My associates and
myself are rapidly pushing develop
ment work, having lately installed
hoisting machinery. We are finding
assay values of from $1OO to $1,000 in
silver.
"From Altata to Culiacan we passed
through some very fine lands. Sugar
cane and semi-tropical fruits were
| growing everywhere on either side of
the track. There are many thousands
of acres there that can be brought into
cultivation.
"Then we continued our journey
from Culiacan north and east for
about twenty miles, and found the land
about the same, very fertile, and
everything grows luxuriantly. OF
course, there are seasons for planting,
but outside of the regular season they
have to depend on irrigation, for
which there is plenty of water. Dur
ing the whole ride Of sixty-fiVe miles
from Culiacan we did not need can
teen, as we crossed small and large
streams every little while
"There are some beautiful and val
liable cabinet woods, such as mahog-
any, ebony, rosewood lignum vitae
and venadillo. 1 saw there in front of
Mexican Indians house three logs
which were about fourteen inches
square and twelve to fourteen feet
long of mahogany. and they were used
for benches for the Mexicans to sit
upon under the remada. They We're
sitting on benches worth thousands of
dollars if worked up.
People Are Friendly
1--WE found the people kind and hos
pitable and very friendly and anxious
to help us along in any way they
4 VII nf he YNl a q a
features of our trip to Mexico. They
all turned out as we passed through
the different pueblos to see US In the
ambulance, which was a great sight
| in that country.
I'm Sinaloa (the part Of it I was in)
| everybody seemed to be doing very
we'll; they were prosperous and con-
tented, OF course, in their Mexican
way, / found the people anxious for
| Americans to come in there and de-
velop the country, and the educated,
progressive class of MeXicans are rap
idly adopting American ideas.
"I called on many of the principal
citizens in Culiacan and found them
very friendly towards Americans go
| ing there to settle. think if Los An
geles will wake up and put on some
| steamers to the ports of the west coast
of Mexico from Los Angeles 1t would
be good stroke of business policy.
heard that in Culiacan and several
other places. They need more frequent
intercourse with the outside world;
this would induce them to have good
wharf facilities for landing their
goods and passengers.
Possibilities Are Great
IT think there is a great opening
down there for doing business with
those people. all down the west coast,
as the field is already large and future
prospects are that it will be much bet
ter and quicker than 1t has been in
the past, because we are now waking
up to the fact that there are great
possibilities. especially for young men
with little means to go there and build
themselves up rapidly.
zone reason why Germany has ac-
quired such a strong hold on the COM
merce of west Mexico is that young
Germans are established in business
there and are extended credit by Ger
man manufacturers and wholesale
houses, to the immense profit OF both
the German manufacturers and to
those in business there, / met many
young Germans who were backed
| Lxr