Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-10

1
bred thousand inhabitants In that local
tty access to both oceans: but it would
scarcely be worth while for the government
to expend forty millions of dollars for sucn
purposes The project has broader and
an International significance, for 1t is In
tended to furnish another highway across
| the American continent for the shipping in
| terests of all nations.
The share of the cost of rebuilding the
| railway chargeable to the Mexican govern
| ment will be about S5,00o,000; the enor-
nous sum of twenty-four millions in gold
| Is being expended in the construction of an
| entirely artificial harbor here at Salina
| Cruz, including what Is probably the finest
| drydock in America. At Coatzacoalcos the
| terminus of the railway TIE gulf, SILL
| 100000 is being expended In making the
river of that name permanently navigabe.
and in erecting a group of warehouses,
| wharves and facilities for handling cargoes
| that surpass anything that l have ever
seen. The money to pay for these extraor-
! binary improvements was procured by
| loan of S40,O00,00o made in New York
| through Speyer & Co. In 1903
Salina Cruz an Old Place.
AS I have indicated, the most expensive
and important operations are at Salina
Cruz the Pacific terminus of the Tehuan-
tepec railway. within little amphithea-
ter three or four miles in diameter, part
water and part sand. and half inclosed by
a low range of foothills four or FIVE hundred
feet high. Two or three little salt lakes
or lagoons caught the drainage before the
work was begun, but they have now dis
appeared: have been filed and utilized in
| the improvements There was no harbor
here. only an open roadstead, and the surf
| rolls up In monstrous pillows as big as
you nave ever seen anywhere In calm
weather, roaring and leaping where they
strike steep wall of sand. For ages this
| has been stopping place for coasting yes
sels. because the town of Tehuantepec, the
metropolis and political capital of The 18TH
mus and southern Mexico, lies hidden
few miles behind the hills. For fifty years
| or more there has been a lighthouse at
| one end of the crescent and few houses
| a palm-thatched posada, or inn-a few
| shaeks occupied by beach combers who
landed passengers and freight with surf
boats, and plundered wrecked vessels The
German consul at Tehuantepec. Mr.. San
| ger. has conducted sort of shipping
| agency. but his cargoes have been few
| and far between
Nobody is able to tell how the place got
| its name, THE Salt Cross" Father La
cane, the genial priest of Tehuantepec,
thinks that perhaps al some time or other
somebody erected a cross on the beach and
| somebody else found 1t encrusted with salt
| from the spray of the ocean but that is
| only a conjecture. In the same neighbor-
mood are towns named High Cross"
Holy Cross" True Cross" Such titles
are frequent.
Work on the Harbor and CITY.
work was begun in 1901. Sir weetman
Pearson, the head of great firm of Eng
lish contractors. laid 1t all out personally.
| Mr.. ]. B. Body. resident director of the
Pearson Company In Mexico. has had gem
| eral oversight: Robert Adam Is the con-
snltins engineer; Fred Adams is chief en-
| gineer-all Englishmen--and j. f. McNab
a Scotch American, formerly of Milwau-
| kee, has been in immediate control These
gentlemen have had great advantage
| over the engineers at Panama, because
everything is entirely new. When they
| began they had nothing here but barren
waste of sand. They have not only been
| building u harbor, but city also and
/ now have a town of about 1000 inhabi-
/ tants with all modern improvements such
! as waterworks. sewerage electric lights
and 9th avenues The street Of that
| however, from the one in New York. still,
| the latter might have looked as this does
1 when 1t was older than Safina Cruz.
1 There is hotel that cost $4,000 kept by an
American and two smaller ones which are
patronized by the natives. The company
/ has done everything possible for the COM
/ fort and health Of Its employees. There is
4 a hospital, clubhouse. a mess for bach
! eiors, cottages for married officials and em-
/ ployes and stores at which they can obtain
| whatever supplies they need at cost prices.
4 II Is operating on the theory that contented
men will do better work than those who
have something to complain Of
A Busy Scene Presented.
/ The town furnishes busy scene. Thou
sands Of men are hustling around doing all
kinds OF things: there are shops IN every
direction: railways reach everywhere; and
| conceited little locomotives go putting
around as IL they felt very Important. At
one place We saw long tiers Of concrete
| blocks half as big as a freight ear and
! weighing sixty tons. and on tho other side