Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-15
Americans in Mexico

They have already demonstrated that
an acre Of para grass will raise, fat
ten and put steer on the market and
they have at present two hundred
acres Of this grass in fine condition.
Messrs French and Ryan state that
Davenport people became interested in
this property about four years ago and
that the resident managers on
the property are practical hard
wood men who have been in
Guatemala for many years. While the
investment is already large, and will
probably be increased as the proper
ty is developed, the prospect for splen-
did returns is very fine indeed The
country is a healthy one, and the at
titude Of the Mexican government
toward American investors who come
into the country for the purpose of de-
veloping properties is favorable. The
country in which this tract is located
is guarded by the Mexican Rurales,
and life and property are as safe
there as in any portion of the repub-
lie. The enormous size of this tract Of
land, owned almost entirely by DAY.
export capital, will be best compre-
hended when we state that it COM
prises two thousand sections of land
or more, as land is measured in Iowa.
Messrs French and Ryan left Mexico
City last week to personally inspect
the property.
Propositions of this size and char
acter can only be handled by corpor-
atoms that are able to command large
sums of ready capital. They must nee
essarily be conducted on big scale.
In contra-distinction to enterprises Of
this kind, it is interesting to
note also the success in
this country of an individual
enterprise, owned and operated by a
former Muscatine boy, Isaac Mathew
son, to whom l have already referred
in a previous letter from Mexico.
A Muscatine Boys Success.
Some twenty-five years ago, among
the students of the Muscatine high
school, contemporaneous with w. M.
Roach, s. G. Stein, j. Risley Reuling
and some bright girls whom | could
name, but won't, because they might
not care to be associated with events
nearly quarter of a century old. was
modest and unassuming boy who
bore the good old Scriptural name Of
Isaac. His last name was Mathewson
and his father was John Mathewson,
for many years county surveyor of
Muscatine county. This boy had GER
tain distinguishing characteristics.
They were thoroughness and straight
forward integrity and industry. What
ever he did, he did we'll, and he was
always at work. Often do remember
seeing him after school hours and on
Saturdays carrying a surveyors chain
and otherwise assisting his father in
his official duties. Owing to an Attic
ton of the eyes, this hoy was unable to
this ia course in a technical engineer
raRschool. 1t was the sorrow Of his
4 e, but he struck bravely out into the
practical work and for the past twenty
years has been on the great southwest
ern frontier. Mr.. Mathewson would
doubtless be embarrassed if should
write that he has accomplished any
thing wonderful, for as a man he is
the same modest and unassuming per-
son, that he was as boy. But person
ally I think he has done remarkable
things, for during these twenty years
he has steadfastly worked himself to
the top of his profession, notwith-
standing the handicap of the lack of
a technical college education, so that
when he retired two years
ago from active professional
engineering work, he was as
sistant chief engineer Of the Great
Mexican Central system and had pre-
viously been chief engineer of the
Cuernavaca Pacific railroad. He To-
Gated the line of this latter road which
is now being built from Rio Ralsas to
the Pacific ocean, and which passes
through some of the most difficult
country for railway construction in
Mexico. Indeed, in making the prelim-
mary survey, Mr.. Mathewson twice
nearly lost his life in some of the
gorges through which the road will be
built.
During these years the same quail
ties of thoroughness, industry and in
tegrity, which distinguished the boy at
school, have been inherent qualities of
his daily life and of everything that
he undertook Those who know him
tell me that the lack of college edu-
cation was made up by Mr. Mathewson
by many, many days and nights of
excessively hard study, when the mid
night oil was burned far into the
morning hours. He is one of that
splendid galaxy of Muscatine boys who
in the past twenty years have gone
forth into the world of business and