El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-08


MI Stand with me on one Of Mon
- tereys three-story skyscrapers
and take a look at the Pittsburg of the
Mexican republic. That mighty stack
off at the right belongs to the biggest
steel plant south Of the United states
boundary. 1t has a capital OF $lU,UUU,
600 and is now turning out steel ralls
for the new roads which are bulldlnS-
In another direction are the nuSe Sllel-
tiers. controlled by the Guggcnhelmsi
which represent a capital OF ml!llonsi
and still farther over is a great prev
cry which looks as though II might
have been lifted bodily up from MIL
Waukee or St. Louis and dropped down
here on this Mexican plateau
Monterey lies in a rich mineral coun-
Try. The mountains about 1t yield silver
and gold and its railroad facilities are
such that il has coal and iron me most
Of its industries are highly protected,
and the steel 1t makes costs Amos {
double what the price would be II no
duty were paid
Metropolis Of Northern Mexico.
Now take a look at the city ITSELF
Monterey is the metropolis OF northern
Mexico and IL is a fair sample OF an
up to date city this side OF the me IL
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 IN
der the rays of the semi tropical sun
one Of the peaks looks just like the
hump OF a. gigantic camel and another
has a head like a bishops inter Inc
Sierra Madre. or Mother range IN TINS
clear air, seems to be 3 great elcnln5
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, when
runs through it, gives it irrigated
fields It also brings floods which, at
times. carry away buildings and drown
hundreds of people This river IlOWS
right through the town. Only about
/ three years ago II swept away nun nun
dreds of houses and destroyed over
Monferey lies on both sides Of the
river. 1t is a fiat city Of perhaps go
OOO mostly made UP of one or Two
; story buildings, built close TO the
fStreetss the rooms running AROUND
courts or patiOs, IN which are all Sorts
of vegetation. A little American Doy
here in writing back home about Mex
ico's buildings, said
IN the United States we put yard
around the house Here IN monterey me
people build the house around the
yard"
This well expresses the sight we have
: from the house top Every building m
closes a yard, and We can see banana
trees bushes and other vegetation
growing out of the houses The roofs
are all lat, and the city is more like
one Of the orient than OF the NorIn
. American continent At first sight it
reminds one of the Spain of an nun
bred years ago, but this impression
fades as YOU see not lar from the prln-
ciDaI plaza a million dollar hotel OF
2 reinforced concrete and some big bust
Iiess blocks OF the same material, Wnlle
further out are many new villas OF
Fat Investment for Canadians.
Ae we look at the streets We can see
the electric cars flying through them
and this reminds me of the fat con-
TrE 1vrn &
rontO capitalists, have got cut OF
this town. They came here four or
five years ago and obtained a conces-
sion Tor putting IN water works, sew
ers- electric lights and the street rail-
ways. and in payment made a contract
with the government for bonds equal
TO the amount invested at 10 percent
interest for 90 years The contract was
so WOrded that the more money they
spent the better the bargain, ard / am
told that the Improvements We're made
regardless Of cost The money was
borrowed IN England at low rates or
interest and remittance men and other
second sons of the lenders were sent
over and given fat jobs Not a few of
these hired men lived in state, having
their own saddle horses, and among
the crowd recommending the plaza at
night could be seen these men strlding
about in their riding clothes and put
Mckenzie & Mann also planned the
building of a big hotel at the TOpO
Chico springs near mere and they nave
also a farm Of over a thousand acres
which they are fertiliZing with the city
sewage I understand that they are eX-
perimentlnE with Egyptian cotton, and
that the estate promises to be a Talu-
able one.
As to the debt incurred for these pub
lie works. Monterey viii be loaded with
this interest for a long time to come,
and whether 1t viii be able to pay the
principal remains to be seen
Americans In Mexico.
There are several thousand Ameri-
cans here in Monterey. They are in
terested in the stores, in plantations
and in other businesses. There is a
newspaper published in English and
Spanish, and a number Of our citizens
have bought lands along the road from
here TO TamDicO. L had a talk with
consul general Philip c. Hanna who has
had charge Of our foreign business in
northern Mexico for the past Is years
He has his office in this city and has
u cOnsuls under him. sta toned in diff
fereut parts of the northern half of
the republic from whom he receives
frequent reports He tells me that
Mexico was on the edge of a boom at
the time the revolution broke out, and
that the republic had then at least
$4,000 Americans who were engaged in
business OF one kind or another There
were 10000 or 10000 in northern Mex
leo and little colonies in every city Of
size. Since the revolution some of these
people have left, but the exodus was
composed chiefly Of the wives and
children OF those Americans who lived
in out Of the way districts and of