The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-07-05
A Story
of Mexico
IL Years Ago

Two Thieves were a bit pale about
the gills. but all right, and the lat
terS jaws were soon working as
though to make up for lost time. The
ladies that had spent the night in the
deck house showed the strain more.
The babies were as hungry as lot Of
little pigs. But my friend from Arkan-
sas had Jared worst of all. The filthy
water soaked duck chung to his lean
frame, his eyes were sunken, and his
complexion was a pasty yellow:
He was a real Arkansan again-the
kind that live in the bottom LANDS, on
chills and fever, wild-hog and Gallo
mel.
Outwardly was shocked at the
transformation; inwardly I was de-
lighted.
We parted with most Of our passen-
gers here. A stranger would have
thought we had been shipmates for a
month from the Handwriting that we
did while the ship was warp1ng into
the river bank. Poor Prince Jag was
not in on this. Two cargodores car
ried him ashore in a blanket.
AS they were making Prince jag
portable, the old G. A. r. man gave
him about the best temperance lee
ture ever heard. With his long fore
finger (and long whiskers} shaking
impressively, he said:
Young Teller, We haint got hsf tn
sense of boss. A hoss-a dad burned
plug-hoss-knows when he's got
enough, and we can't make him take
another drop, t save ~ dad-ourneo
life. Young Teller, We been HOG, an
dad-burn ye!"
We commenced discharging cargo
about nine o'clock. There is 80 tons
to come out here, then we go to From
terra, about one hundred miles TO the
eastward, where I leave the ship and
go aboard q hope) my own.
vi ~
is the terminus of the Tehauntepec
railroad. The railroad is about 200
miles long and crosses the Isthmus to
the Pacific ocean at Salina Cruz.
The railroad was built by Captain
Eads who built the Mississippi river
was to build a ship railway that would
pick up a ship here, carry 1t across
the isthmus and put 1t in the PACING
ocean. Or vice versa.
I guess Captain Eads didn't look in
to the scheme for himself. Or maybe
he spoke hastily,-without thinking.
Or perhaps 1t was April 1st. For up to
date they have spent forty-five million
dollars building an ordinary railroad,
and have one that cannot run a sched-
ule.
Pearsons," are commencing to build a
harbor. The plan is to build stone
jetty that will act as the mississippi
jetties do in blowing out the bar.
With a good harbor here and at Sa-
lima Cruz, the Tehauntepec railroad
should handle great deal Of the Uni
ted States transcontinental freight
business, until the Panama Canal,
which we are now starting, is compile
ted, and then 1t will be all-off with the
Tehauntepec railroad.
Another proposed improvement here
is to change the name of the place. In
stead of Coatazacoalcos (requiring a
nimble tongue to pronounce, and an
atlas to spelD it is to be Puerta Mex
leo.
have made a new acquaintance to-
day. He Is a dapper little Spaniard,
and is selling queensware in Mexico
for Liverpool house. He speaks Eng
lish very slowly and painfully. He
says-"I speakee suuch egg-se-lant
Ang-lesh why-because my grand
motharr ees an Irish man.
He speaks as contemptuously OF
Mexico and Mexicans as do most Of my
fellow Americans.
We sail at five O'Clock this evening
for Frontera- The captain himself, so
informs me.
Weather prospects fine.
Continued Next Sunday