The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-23

l lected by the Mexican govern ment as the site for the huge cartridge making plant now in course of lnstaila7 tion, according to a bulletin given out here today by the National Geographic society. which says of this San Francisco of Mexico:
 This is one of the oldest ports in Mex leo. only recently modernzed During the first quarter of the fifteenth century Emperor Charles V expressed great ln- terest in projects opened by the discoy- 1 cry of the South sea, beyond New Spain, as Mexico was then known, and in the exploration of the then uncharted Pacl- fic, and by cedula he enjoined fernando Cortes to undertake the task. It was al ships for the work, which appears not to have been consummated by him. For many years this was favorite resort of buccaneers who sailed out of the port to prey upon the rich laden merchantmen returning from the Philippine Islands and the Orient, and Manzanillo and it's sur rounding province, Colima, witnessed the Spanish subjugation of the Aztecs who had sought in that province to establish an empire In 1865 Admiral Miguel Lopez Legaspi built in this harbor some of the ships destined for the conquest of the Philippine Islands
 Had any such alliance taken place as that which was reported to have been frustrated sometime ago, the strategic l importance of this west coast port would have given to the power holding it as a base of opera tions a wonderful advan- ltage. It is the halfway station between San Francisco and Panuma, in direct touch with the "granary of Mexico" the populous and fertile state of Jalisco, and as the terminal of the Mexican Central railroad, which connects with the entire and extensive railroad spstem of the
 southern republic, it taps the great re- isources of that country. Its harbor will accommodate the biggest battleshiips afloat. Ores. timber, cattle, and agricul- Hand, and while in normal times the four | lother Pacific ports of Mexico-Buaymas, Mazatlan, Acapulco, and Santa Cruz will play some part in the future devel- |opment of the country, through Manza-
 nillo will pass the bulk of Mexico's trade
 with the Pacific ports of the United States, British Columbia, Central and South America, and the far east. The lPan-American union, in 1914, reported that
 a group of Mexican capitalists had made preliminary arrangements for the exploi-
 tation of the rich iron mines of Colima, to be connected with Manzanillo by a
 narrow-gauge road-about 60 miles-and
 in the town of Colima has been installed the plant of the Hydro-Electric company l-German-M Mexican.
 "The potentialities of this port made a I profound impression on the mind of Por- firio Diaz, who,' throughout his long ad- lministration, maintained a vigorous pol Hey relative to port improvements. Here was a great natural harbor needing cer- tain changes to render it haven. While the mind of Diaz conceived it was the hand of an American-Edgar K. Scoot builder of the Galveston jetties-that
 wrought out of the solid rock quiet anchorage for the shuttle-cocks of trade. The Manzanillo breakwater is cyclopean ldeeper and wider than the famous sea
 walls of Plymouth and Cherbourg. Work
 began on it in March, 1900. Thousands
 upon thousands of tons of blue granite were hewn and transported by rail from
 the Colima quarries about six miles dis |tant, and piece by piece there arose from , Ithe waters of the Pacific an elongated pyramid of rock extending 1450 feet inte the sea, S7 feet in height, resting on g base 315 feet in width, and crowned its entire length with solid deposit of con. , crete 13 feet thick and 26 feet in width Y The most ponderous blocks of granit,
 ever placed by the hand of man were
 brought from the Colima quarries and de 1 posted in this breakwater, those cappine , the outer surface weighing from 30 to 6 tons. Concrete monoliths weighing 8 tons were used to reinforce the outer , slope. Following this work came tn, construction of sea walls for the towr
 having an extension of over mile. Int
 work called for protected area of 3f
 acres to accommodate nearly 200 of tn,
 deepest draft ships. The general deptl
 of the harbor is 50 feet, alongside tn, , lwharves, 28 feet.
 'Industrally, Manzanillo has suffered