The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-05-22
\ UT Of the land Of the "Creaser''
and into the domain Of the de.
scendants Of Montezuma rode
4 a party Of American civil and
mining engineers one dav in

SCeuQautS OF MOnteZuma rO0(
~ party Of American civil ant
mining engineers one day II
December.
From the Texas border the party
went by rail to Mexico City where 9
week was spent in seeing the sights Of
the Mexican capital.
When the outfit Of the party had
been assembled, and servants hired,
preparations we're made to leave the
capital over narrow gauge railroad
to Puebla, in the state of the same
name.
Like many Of the prosperous Mexi.
can mining towns tucked away In the
mountains, the general public has
heard very little of Puebla except
through the dispatches OF the war
correspondents" 1t is city Of $4,000
inhabitants. The shops cater to the
love Of tinery which has descended to
the natives from the Spanish don. Ev.
erywhere can be seen Americans,
most Of whom are interested in some
mining venture in the nearby noun
tainS.
On the way to Puebla the famous
Tehuacan Springs are passed and the
drinking water furnished tourists for
a hundred miles along the railroad is
from the springs. No one seems to
know just why the water is healthful
but popular opinion says 1t is.
After leaving Puebla the party con.
tinued along the railroad to Ella.
Once the center of onyx mining, this
little village has lost much of the snap
and enterprise that foreign adven.
turers gave It In the past. It Is q
sleepy town now.
Oaxaca, home OF the Diaz family
and center Of innumerabls revolutions,
was reached early one morning. When
within 10 miles or so Of the city, run.
ners from all Of the hotels in Oaxaca
came on board and tried to book the
party for their respective houses.
At the train muscular poems took
charge Of luggage which was heavy
and numerous. These short, sturdy
natives had no difficulty In singing
a trunk weighing ITS pounds onto a
strap which they supported by a band
around their foreheads. They carried
the trunks up the rough mountain trail
to the hotel which was perched on q
small peak overlooking the lowland.
They didn't stop when they had reach.
ed the crest, but continued to the sec.
ond floor Of the hotel before taking the
trunks from their straps.
Oaxaea and Vicinity.
Oaxaca Is the chief town Of the state
Of Oaxaca. 1t is now a city of $4,000
persons. Juarez, revolutionist or saw.
ior-it depends upon your politics in
MeAico-lived there. 1t is about z.
900 feet above sea level. Americans
are numerous. as there are many silver
and gold mines In the vicinity. Just
south OF Oaxaca are many plantations
that raise cotton, sugar cane and cot.
fee.
At Oaxaca the travellers left the rail.
road and climbed the mountain trail
to Manhattan. This town, situated
about 70 miles from Oaxaca, has an
electric lighting system.
The road kept getting rougher. Fl.
nally 1t was necessary to forsake the
horses and hire OK carts. This plan
worked fine until. thoughtlessly, the
drivers were given some advance
wages. Too much pulque left the
party without drivers, so an engineer
was drafted as OK driver. The next
day all Of the drivers returned for
their jobs, and were hired Of course.
The engineer crawled 40 miles up
the mountains to the crest where
fine piece Of timber land. $4,000 acres,
was situated. Part Of this timber.
which was all white pine, had been
operated for turpentine. The forsak.
en- still Of the operators was found
and later 1t was learned that the ven.
ture had been failure. There was
no way to get the turpentine to mar.
ket-
Several days were spent in this
place Of timber and during the time
villagers made life unpleasant for the
men who were surveying the tract
They insisted. begged and threatened
the engineers to give them the better
Of the deal. Disputes became frequent
till finally a magistrate was found to
settle them. Ambrosio Cortez. over