The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-10
NO SIGN OF PROSPERITY
CAN BE SEEN IN MEXICO
South of Saltillo Desolation Marks Once Prosperous
Country-Railroads in Terrible Con-
dition, Says Writer.

The third OF the Interesting articles
on conditions in McTico rs seen BY
Mark s. Watson, special Investigator
OF THE Sun. foiio,cs. The tcrtter finds
conditions far from the accounts Dircn
at Washington:
~ MARX y. WATSON.
South from Saltillo. on the main line
Of the National Railways. over which
formerly ran through ain from st
Louis to Mexico city. there is resumed
the picture Of ruin which was painted
over the long stretch north to the Texas
border.
One difference exists between this
road and the line from Piedras Nesras
\ dilapidated Pullman is found on the
first train to pass In two days. ana al
though the single seats are sold to two
persons instead of one. so that space TO-
ones feet is not overplentiful. II seems
a gift from above after the previous
experiences.
Aboard are several Americans return
ing To Mexico city. where the heads OF
their families were forced to remain to
protect their interests from the %brigands.
one entertaining companion Is a big
Scotchman who In spite OF thirty years
| residence in the United States and sew
eral in Mexico retains a burr rough
enough to scratch his teeth. II was his
fourth return after withdrawal by his
mpan influenced by the advlces OF
the state Department. He confided that
IL Washington drew him across the Dor
der AGAIN he would stay across.
A companion told OF Cameron's last
departure when the Mexican soldiers
! demanded his nationality and when his
claim OF British citizenship. which surely
had some basis. would have brought him
fairly good treatment. Instead. I'm a
naturalized American he said. and
what are you going to do about II
whelps?" And so he was showed into
the worst possible accommodations
along with other Americans.
Forced to Deny America.
II is a sorry fact that many Amc-i'
cans. born in the United states after
many generations. have been forced &c
DENY IL and claim a purely mythical
. british citizenship. The sight OF a
Mauscr in the hands Of a drunken peof
is no small damper to patriotism.
Wrecks continue numerous. We learf
that Carranza's train. which We LETT ai
to the north. was delayed by a f-esr
wreck. and II causes something or q
malicious grin.
. ,rtf,1t IN fhf
old DAYS had been about as bustlins IA
any small Mexican town a be. Tner'
was not a house standing. and even th'
stone from the burned station had beer
removed. Out OF q quondam popula
ton OF 1000 or more we saw just clever
nereons. four Of them railroad hands
and the other seven their women ano
children.
A Ane steel bridge we And dynamitet
and in the river. our train passing Owe
one Of 'shoofy" construction. In on
ward we find no less h three freigh'
trains now only Junk. III. boxes burned
tn. s.ee, frames twisted by the fierce
heat. 4 truck We examined had peer
subjected to q fire SO furious that I'M
iron of the wheels had fused with tina
of the rails. Memory slips, but the fus
ing point Of iron is rather warm.
we passed a station where the wate
tank. fully twenty feet across. had peel
blown some zoo feet by a terrific bias
of dynamite. Across the way were wv
sidetracks where two burned tram
stood. and looking mn ana down TN
track one could see two more purhe'
ain -
fora the ewes of the man who has to re
buiId the great railroad system hefor
Naxt,o con eyen hone for prosperity