El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-20


MI The railway development of
- Mexico has had more to do with
the present prosperity of the country
than any other one thing, except the
guarantee of peace which the firm
hand of Porfirio Diaz has given the
world. Prior to the rise of Diaz to
power, the policy of the government
was in the main hostile to highway de-
velopment. President Tejada strongly
opposed the building of any railroad
lines which would connect Mexico with
the United States. He declared that the
best defence of a weak nation against
a powerful neighbor. is an intervening
desert and that he was thankful that
the great desert region of Mexico in
terposed itself between the Texas from
tier and the capital.
MexicO's First Railroad.
The first railroad built in Mexico
was the line of the Mexican railway
extending from Mexico City to Vera
Cruz. A concession for the building Of
this line was granted in 1897. In 1854
a few miles of line outside of Vera
Cruz were built. In the succeeding year
the first section of the line out Of Mex
leo City was completed, extending be-
tween the capital and Guadalupe-Hi-
dalgo. When the builders came to con-
struct the road, the government insist
ed upon a literal fulfillment of the con-
ditions of the concession. This called
for the construction Of the line from
Mexico City to Vera Cruz. The result
was that the railroad company was
compelled to transport the supply of
rails. bridge material, and other equip
ment from Vera Cruz to Mexico City by
mule and OK team. When it is remem-
bered that the Mexican plateau is over
1000 feet higher than the city of Vera
Cruz, the heavy burden entailed upon
the railroad company by this provision
Will appear The grounds upon which
the Mexican government based their
insistence was that if the road should
be built in from Vera Cruz instead Of
out from. Mexico City it would give
vast advantage to any foreign power
in case of war.
Politics Retard Work.
road was begun at a very early stage
in E1exican railway history. When
the Macmillan government was in
power. the Mexican railway favored
it's maintenance, and found itself in
bad odor with the Republican gov
eminent which succeeded the reign Of
Macmillan. But in spite Of this, the
Mexican railway was fairly treated,
and the through lire TO Vera Cruz was
today by English interests and its
service is as modern as that OF the
majority of American railroads.
1t also operates. in conjunction
with the government-owned Vera
Cruz and Isthmus and the Tehaunte-
pee routes. a through sleeping car
service between Mexico City and Sa-
lima Cruz, the principal Pacific coast
port. This service affords one Of the
Ii in, Il
world. Leaving Salina Cruz in the
heart of the semi-arid region OF
southern Mexico. at 4 o'clock in the
evening. by midnight the traveller
finds himself on the Mexican plateau.
where heavy spring clothing is com
Portable. BY dawn he is in the very
heart of the tropics. where rainfall
is abundant and vegetation dense
beyond description. At nightfau he
begins to climb up from the hot
lowlands, and by morning he will find
a heavy winter suit necessary for
comfort During this trip. comparable
to ore from New York to st. Louis
in duration the traveller encounters
almost every sort of weather the
world has to offer.
Roads Mostly American Built.
There are approximately so differ
ent steam railways in the republic.
having a total Of some fifteen thou
sand miles of line. There is almost
a mile Of railroad to each SO square
miles Of land and a thousand peo-
pie to each mile of railway line
The bulk of the railway mileage OF
Mexico has been built under Amer
lean auspices and by American cap
ital A prominent American railroad
man in Mexico furnished a statement
in which he estimated that Sc percent
of the mileage of Mexican railroads
has been built under American d.
rection He figures that approximate
ly 10000 miles owes its existence to
American enterprise. 1t is also es-
timated that 20 percent Of the rail-
way lines were built by English and
other foreign interests while Il per
cent comes under the head of Mexi-
can development. The total invest
ment in railway property in Mexico
is estimated at about a billion dollars,
United States currency. Approximate
" SO percent OF the railroads Of the
republic are controlled by the Mex
lean. government. through the owner
ship of a majority OF the stock of
the national lines Of Mexico. The re-