The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-09

(Copvright, 1913, ny Frank G. carpen-
ter Monterey, N1exieo)
~ TAND with me ON one of Monte
rey's three-story skyscrapers
~ and take look at the Pitts
burg of the Mexican republic. That
mighty stack off a the right belongs
70 the biggest steel plant south of the
United States boundary. 1t has a cap
itaI OF $4,000, 1000 ard is now turning
cut steel rails for The new roads which
are building. In another direction are
the huge smelters, controlled by the
Guegenheims, which represent a capital
OF millions, and still farther over is a
great brewery which looks as though
it might have been lifted bodily up
from Milwaukee or ST. Louis ana
dropped down here on this Mexican
plateau.
Monterey lies in a rich mineral coun-
try The mountains about it yield sill
yer and gold and its railroad facilities
are such that il has GOAL and iron me
most of its Industries are highly pro-
teeted. and the steel il makes costs
almost double what the price would be
ie no duty were paid
The Metropolis of Northern Mexico
Now take a look at the city itself
Monterey is the metropolis of northern
Mexico, and it is a fair sample of an
up-to-date city this side of tho line. It
lies six hours by train from the United
States boundary. in a beautiful valley.
which is as high above the sea as the
top of the Blue Ridge
The valley is surrounded by noun
tains as ragged as those of the Rockies,
which now shine in opalescent hues'
under tho rays Of the semi-tropical
sun. One OF the peaks looks just like
the hump of gigantic camel and an
other has head like bishops miter.
The Sierra Madre, or Mother range, in
this clear air, seems to be great etch-
ing cut by the stencils of the gods.
The slopes of these mountains are
thirsty and dry, but the valley is green
and the Santa Catarina river. which runs
through it, gives it irrigated fields. 1t
also brings floods which, at times, carry
away buildings and drown hundreds of
people. This river flows right through
the town. Only about three years ago
II swept away hundreds of houses ard
destroyed over 5000 people.
Monterey lies on both sides of the river
Es is q nat city of perhaps 90,0o0, mostly
made up of one or two story buildings,
built close TO the streets, the rooms lun-
ming around courts or patios, in wricn
are all sorts of vegetation. A little
American boy here. in writing back home
aDouI meX1COS bullulnBS, SAID.
In the United States we put a yard
around The house. Here in Monterey the
people build the house around the yard
This well expresses the sight we have
= from the house top. Every building in
closes a yard. and we can see banana
trees, bushes and other vegetation grow
ing out of the houses. The roofs are all
lat. and the city is more like one oil the
orient than of the North American con-
ftxA fsrut effer 1fy11- f<n
The Spain of an hundred years ago. but
lhis impression fades as you see not far
Srom the principal plaza a million dollar
hotel of reinforced concrete and some big
business blocks of the same material.
while further out are many new villas of
American style.
Now turn your eyes to the streets They
are narrow, and they cross each other
at right angles. with plazas or parks here
and there. The town Is paved with brick,
and it has a brick factory, which is .urn-
ing out tens of millions of brick every
year. In some sections American build
ings are going up made of brick, and the
age of brick and concrete seems to be
crowding that of adobe and stucco. The
concrete construction is largely the work
of an American architectural engineer,
MIR. J. f. woodward, who has been in
stalling such buildings all over Mexico.
A Fat Investment for Canadians
As we look at the streets we can see the
electric cars flying through them, and
this reminds me of the fat contract which
Mckenzie & Mann, the Toronto capital
lists, have cotton out of this town. They
came here four or five years ago and OBJ
tained a concession for putting in water
works. sewers, electric light and the
street railways. and in payment made Il
contract with the government for bonds
equal TO the amount invested at 10 per
cent interest for 80 years. The contract