New Britain herald., 1924-04-04
ICE FROM LEAVES
 IN THE HOT ZONE
Durango Has Peculiar Artificial
 Relriseratins' Plant

RelrlSeratlnS' Plant
 Washington, D. C., April A.
 Durango City, the capital of th'
 state ot the same name in Mexico
 which hovers on the borderlinc of tn,
 Torrid Zone. provides itself with on'
 of the most peculiarly manufactured
 ice supplies in the world,'' reports {
 bulletin from the Washington, D. C.
 headquarters of the National Geo,
 graphic society.
 When the magucy or centur,
 plant, has had the seven years ot
 growth necessary to blooming and its
 bud has been tapped for pulque. ir
 most places it is destroyed Al
 Durango, however, all the plants arc assembled in one place, usually in the
 gardens in the eastern part of the city, where the leaves are laid out on the ground. which has been covered with straw for the sake of cleanliness.
 Freezes in MaSuey Leaves
 Into each leaf is poured about two quarts of water. Although the tenn perature is not low enough to freeze water in the canals or when it is placed in some domestic utensil, it does freeze in the maguey leaves. The ice is gathered in the early morn ing and put into the ice houses
 which are built of adobe and are about twenty feet square, and twenty feet deep. The ice is thrown in through an opening in the roof and the slivers melt together and form solid mass. l.ater on it is cut out and sold to the cheaper trade in com petition with that from the city's ice factory as long as it lasts, which is usually until about the middle of July or the first of August of the year.
 No explanation has been offered as to why this peculiar method is used, but scientists are surmising that 1t is because the leaves. being shall low, give a broader surface exposed to the excessive evaporation and con sequent cooling which naturally occur in such high attitudes, for Du- rango lies more than 5000 feet above sea level. s
 Tin Protrudcs Prom E1acStones.
 Some Of the streets Of this city, often called the town of sunshine because of its wonderful climate. are paved with flagstones measuring about + by 80 inches in size, which contain large quantities of almost rtre tin in kidney ore. some of the sinGe stones having as much as three or four pounds of tin in them, l Where the softer stone has worn away. the metal protrudes in n man l nf" painful to the feet as one gets the sensation of walking over marbles l scattered on the pavement.
 "1he region around this state eapi- | tai of 30.000 inhabitants is said to be | veritablc hunters and iisherman's paradise, with its duck and large game shooting and the abundant fish life in its streams, but the fly in this ! blissful ointment is a poison scorpion whose bite causes from 50 10 40 deaths each year.
 The Spanish Conquistadores found i tho site pleasing. Alonso pacheeo in | 1863 laid the foundations for the f prerent-day city under the direction of Governor Francisco de Ibarrs, who \ named ii for a city of his native \ province in Spain.
 The history and development Of Durango are irrcyocabiy linked Tn With the ccrro del Mercado, a hill of N high grade ore estimated to contain 4oo, 100000 tons Of metal. assaying From 70 to 75 per cent Of pure iron, which was discovered in 1852
 Hillsidcs Bursting WitI, Metals
 ''The hillsdes of the state of Dur III sngo are fairly bursting with metals. lI They have been famed since colonl- al times for their output of silver and gold. The city Of Durango formerly was the scat Of Mexican mint. built in 1911. which coined more than million dollars worth Of silver and gold each year. The silver and gold outputs today are valued at several million dollars. Mines in the state also yield quantities or copper iron, oinnabar. zinc. and lead.
 The Ayino mine opens it's rich vein or silver grey ore and pours it out in an open quarry which is still yielding the precious metal. though it has been mined for $50 years, since tho lime when the owner decdcd if to those white inhabitants living near 1t, who would build their houans close enough together to protect them from the raids Of tho savage Indians. The cathedral which now starts in the ely of Durango owes its very esist- ence to the Avino mine. The taxes placed upon it's output built the church. II has been told also that several of the mines In the vicinity permitted the miners to carry out 4 piece of rich silver ore. which tSny K as an offering to the priest. who sold it Tor buiiding materials.
 The engineers of uid Durango built well. for tLc water works Of tl,. rity. which were dedicated in I7sy. sre still intac' and tac canals built ai he same time still traverse all the streets. from which fhr -outt yards 0f the houses obtain water | Tor irrigation. Though modern [ 'ystem of water works has been ip- ] 'taiicd in later years. thc old wafer works are sin in uso and alone serve f Inc outlying districts"
 Civ Horne