The Washington herald., 1916-04-16
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER
tcosrtsht. 1914 by the Mcclure Nswpapr
Special Correspondent Of re wash-
fngton Herald.
,covrisAt. ma,

i.stcn Herald.
tcopyrieht. MAJ
Mexico City. April 5.-Gcing north In a
train the other day. got into conversa-
ton with tall. rawboned virginian who
has been living in Mexico for more than
twenty years. Hia name is Albert Davis,
and he is q railroad engineer. Ever
since he came here. he has been run
ming locomotives on Mexican railways.
Naturally the revolution upset his ena-
ployment.
asked him II there were many Araeri-
cans running engines here now.
"No" he replied. II think am about
the only one left and 1 haven't been In
a cab for some time. So far as know,
the engineers now are all natives. And
they are pretty good ones. too"
Didn't Leave Him a Pair Of Pants.
What have you been doing--loafing
TIL things get settled?'
1T amounts to about that I've been
on ranch In the Southwest Just sort
of fooling around, but / had to get out
OF 1t. The Zapatstas got too hot for
me. They kept raiding around and taking
everything they could find. Why, dog
gone 'eni. they didn't even leave me a
pair Of pants! So quit. I reckoned the
next time they wouldn't leave me my
hands or feet. That's favortte sport
of theirs. They tie up peon they don't
think friendly or who opposes them or
whom they have a grudge against and
then cut off his hands or feet and leave
him there in the field to die. I've seen
a number OF bodies Ike that scattered
around. It's Mexicans they do It to.
not foreigners. They seem to hate ma
tiyes the most. have never seen q for
eigner they have killed or committed
an atrocity against. Maybe It's because
the foreigners are not so plentiful They
sure are an awfully brutal lot those
Zapatistas."
"Are you going back to rsiiroadins
now7"
Yes, that's why I'm on my way to
Texas. II looks like good idea. Maybe
you have heard about 1.-THE Oliver COM
pany?"
l assured him had not
Special Trains for Imports.
We'll, it's like this: This Oliver COM
pany is arranging to import all sorts or
merchandise into Mexico from the States.
food and drygoods and hardware and
everything else they are short Of here.
They are going to run II down in spe-
cial trains from the border to Mexico
City. which win be the distributing point.
These fast freights will be made up at
Eagle Pass. I'm to run the first one down
and have charge of the running of the
rest
How often are they to run?''
''The idea is to start with sending
down one a week, and then oftener as
soon as the business gets big enough" "
Where win the trains be made up
at Eagle Pass, Laredo or San Antonio?''
Il don't know about that. They will
be gathered from various parts Of the
States and assembled somewhere along
the border. They will be American cars,
OF course. and the engines win be Amer
lean also, rented for the purpose. You
see. there Is mighty little rolling stock
left in Mexico in comparison to what
they need. and SO these American cars
viii be q godsend to them. as on the re-
turn trip they will take out Mexican
goods"
How long Will II take to make the
run from the border to Mexico City
week2'
IT think we can do It In better time
than that. -Four or I'VE days, should
say. That Is II the road is kept clear
and there Is no interference by bandits
or any of that sort of nonsense"
do you anticipate anything of that
sort?'
mo. don't. The line is perfectly clear
now, just as clear as 1t is between New
Orleans and st. Louis. don't see any
reason why II won't be kept so. This
Villa, business Is about over with, and
in a little while the whole north of Mex
leo ought to be as peaceful as a grave
yard. That's about what 1t Is, too-a
graveyard"
How about the roadbed2 Is It in any
decent condition."
Hoadbeds I'm Good shape.
yes, II is. It's In first-class condition.
This government has been doing a lot OF
work on it, and they have got It back
now into just as good condition as II
ever was. Folks up home have an idea
that the railroads are all torn up and
In an awful state. They are nothing OF
the kind. They are In frst-class shape.
must take OF my hat 10 the Carranza
government for that They have worked
marvels in the last few months. or
course. lots OF cars and engines have
been burned up and destroyed in other
ways, so that they are very short of
rolling stock. Those that are in use
need repairs badly. Shops have been
destroyed, 50 that they lack the facili-
ties for overhauiing them. and on top of
that they can't spare them to be fixed
up. Every engine and car that viii hold
together to make trip they keep work.
ing all the time"
The shortage Of cars and engines is
very obvious. In the big. railroad yards
at orizabs, I saw twenty or thirty wrecks
of locomotives that had been put out of
commission by being burned. On the sid
fngs at every station almost, the trucks
and framework Of burned cars stand as
ugly monuments to the operations of
the contending armies. The freight cars
IN use are mostly pretty well battered up.
The sides OF some of them are half de-
molished while none of them looks IN
shipshape condition. OF passenger cars
there Is almost a dearth. Every car on
every train is crowded to the utmost
and they are very dirty and Ill kept, as
there has been little chance and less in
clination to keep them clean. One Pull