The border vidette., 1933-01-07
MEXICAN LINK ON lNTERNA-
TIONAL HIGHWAY

The commencement of the ex
ploration southwark for q route
for the international Pacific
Highway was on March Is. 1929,
from Nogales, Arizona, to Mex
leo City, Mexico. Since that
time q considerable amount OF
work has been done between
Guaymas and Mexico City, and
the first link south ward from No
gales, Arizona, to Magdalena. in
the State of Sonora. Mexico, sign
alizes the first construction south
of the United States line.
The State of Sonora some time
since made an estimate of four
hundred and sixty miles of its
portion of the International Pa
citlc Highway. Three hundred
miles of this was to be surfaced
with gravel. the rest of it being
of such q nature that no gravel
surface was considered neces
sary. The section between the
points last named was 81 / miles.
1t is graded to width of thirty
feet. and has been surfaced with
either gravel or disintegrated
granite, this being made avail
able from the locality through
which the read extended, and
the surface thus put down was
! approximately one foot in depth.
It is IN general safe, fast
road. Caution is, of course,
necessary in driving some of the
more abrupt curves, but the trip
from Nogales to Magdalena can
be made ia comfort in two hours
Of easy driving.
A celebration was held in Mag
dalena on September ri aud 25.
1882. together with an elaborate
barbecue and 8 polo game. More
than thousand people were pre-
sent. Among those present as
representing the state of Sonora
was Governor Rodolpho Elias
Gales, Governor of Sonora; Fran
cisco S. Elias, now Minister Of
Agriculture, and formerly Gov
ernor of the State of Sonora;
General Manuel Acosta, Minister
of Communications; Jose L. Gou
zalez. Technical Director of High
ways for the State of Sonora and
Engineer in charge of the con
struction; Jacob Barth, Highway
Commissioner. and personal re
preventative of Governor Hunt
of Arizona; Thomas O'Connell,
State Highway Engineer of Ari
zona; q F. Holley, Assistant
Chief Engineer of the Automo
bile Club of Southern California,
Morris Nj. RAthbun, of the same
| organization, and other Mexican
and American officials.
The road construction, accord.
ing to Governor Gales, will be
continued on south through Her
mosillo, Guaymas, to the south
ernmost boundary of the State
of Sonora This portion of the
highway will be completed. it Is
estimated, clear through to the
southern boundary of Sonora by
the middle or the last of next
summer.
The working force now on the
project is altogether two bun
dred end thirty soldiers. Six
sixty horsepower caterpillar out.
fits are being used on the work.
Approximately $4,000 has al
ready been expended on about
40 3 miles of the highway.
The completion of the highway
through Sonora is expected to
attract considerable volume of
travel on the motorists from the
mid western states, who will
pass through Arizona this winter
and rext spring. It will, indeed,
not be very long before motorists
from all over the United States
will be able to journey by motor
car clear through the Mexican
Republic from the Mexican
border direct to the Mexican
capital. This will open q magni
ficient panorama of tropical seen
cry, as we'll as a keenly interest
ing area of country over which
no automobile has yet travelled.
T he Touring Information
Bureau Of the Automobile Club
OF Southern California will be
able at al! times to give tourists
from any portion of the United
States full information concern
ing the state of the highway, on