the isthmus of tehuantepec
a trip from vera cruz to the isthmus of tehuantepec takes the traveller into the very centre of the tropics in mexico. it is a most interesting ride. the entire journey is within the tierra caliente region and throughout the whole distance of two hundred and fifty miles there are only slight undulations that could hardly be truthfully called hills. it is not all jungle for there are plains that are sometimes several miles in width which furnish rich pasture for great herds of cattle. here again is seen the picturesque mexican cowboy riding his pony and carrying the ever-present lasso. the heavy saddles in this hot climate and especially the twisted bits which are universally used upon the horses in mexico seem like a cruel imposition upon their faithful steeds. with this combination of rings and bars a rider could almost break the jaw of a horse.[129] it is absolutely impossible for an animal to drink with this bit in his mouth.
this leads me to remark that the finer sensibilities with regard to the treatment of domesticated animals and fowls are generally absent among mexicans. the poor burros which are obliged to travel day after day with great sores on their backs that are continually chafed by the loads they are carrying, and saddle mules with similar sores, excite no compassion from the average mexican. no doubt many of these animals are obliged to work for months and possibly years, when every step under a load or the weight of a man must cause them suffering. they are seldom shod, and many an animal is obliged to travel over the rough trails until his hoofs are worn down to the sensitive part. cruel spurs are jabbed into his sides until they are raw. i have already spoken of the bull-fight and cock-fighting. from a book “on the mexican highlands” i quote another form of cruelty:—“the stocky, swarthy indian woman calmly broke the thigh bone of each leg and the chief bone of each wing, so that escape might be impossible, and proceeded right then and there to pick the chicken alive. she was evidently unconscious of any thought of cruelty. the[130] legs and wings were broken in order that the bird might not run or fly away. the sentiment of pity and tenderness for dumb things had not yet dawned upon her mind, and the fowl destined for the pot received no consideration at her hands.”
there are many villages along this route but no cities. several broad rivers and innumerable small streams are crossed. the engines burn wood, and it is necessary to stop on several occasions and load up the tender with fuel. at tierra blanca are located the shops and division headquarters of the road. as the isthmus is approached the tropical swamps become more frequent and the train passes through miles of territory where “still stands the forest primeval,” a jungle of trees and shrubs intermingled with countless varieties of palms; impenetrable forests with creepers and parasites hanging from the boughs of trees, and replanting themselves in the moist earth. within these jungles the “tigre” roams and beneath the heavy undergrowth, horrid, venomous snakes crawl. overhead fly noisy parrots and paroquets in couples and flocks with all of the colours of the rainbow reflected from their gaudy feathers. then in[131] the waters of these streams live hundreds of repulsive alligators.
at certain seasons of the year the indians live almost entirely upon the wild products of the forest. nature furnishes fruits, and with the blow-gun or other weapon enough game can be killed to fill the larder. with a natural laziness and in an enervating climate the natives prefer existence of this kind to the more artificial one made necessary by labour.
the vera cruz and pacific railway connects with the tehuantepec railway at santa lucrecia, a small village with a poor hotel. here it was my lot to be obliged to spend christmas eve and the greater part of christmas day. my companions were an englishman and a scotchman. the englishman rummaged around in the little store and found a canned plum pudding, which rather cheered him and his compatriot and i was invited to share in their good fortune. however the heavens seemed to open up and let the water pour down in torrents and the mud was apparently bottomless so that our explorations were confined to the hotel porch. in spite of the plum pudding my spirits were rather low and i was reminded of touchstone wandering in the forest of arden, when he says:—
[132]
“when i was at home i was in a better place,
but travellers must be content.”
it was a real pleasure to step into a fine american coach drawn by an american engine and run by an american crew bound for the chief town of the isthmus and the one that gave it its name.
the market, tehuantepec
tehuantepec is a place where some twenty thousand souls are trying to solve the problem of existence under favourable skies. in this city of a hot midday sun and little rain the strenuous life has few disciples. it is situated on the pacific slope of the cordillera on both banks of a broad river and only a few miles from the ocean. it is composed of low, one-storied buildings, many of which show cracks that are the result of the earthquake shocks which sometimes visit here. the streets are narrow and the centre of the town is the market plaza. until the opening of the railroad, which runs through the centre of the town, strangers were almost unknown and the quaint customs, costumes and habits still remain. the market and the river furnish the only life. the latter is always made lively and interesting to the stranger because of the crowds of bathers in the stream and washerwomen on the banks. it is an animated scene and has an air[133] of naturalness devoid of any false ideas of modesty. these indians belong to the zapotec tribe and they are among the cleanest people in the world, as a race, as the long lines of bathers of both sexes from early dawn until nightfall attest. woman’s rights are recognized and undisputed among these people. the women run the place and do ninety per cent. of the business. the wife must vouch for the husband before he can obtain credit. in the market place where most of the bartering is done she reigns supreme.
the isthmus of tehuantepec is the narrowest neck of land in mexico between the two great oceans and, with the exception of the isthmus of panama, is the narrowest point on the continent. the soil is extremely rich and the natural products and resources of the isthmus are numerous and varied. all products indigenous to the tropics grow here. different sections, according to elevation, are especially adapted to the cultivation of corn, cacao, tobacco, rice and sugar cane. medicinal plants, spices, all tropical fruits, vanilla, indigo and cotton also will grow profitably in this climate. cochineal dye has for a long time come from the tehuantepec region, but this industry has[134] been displaced by the more recent chemical dyes.
the forests abound in game and the rivers and lagoons in fish. the forests yield useful timbers, such as mahogany, also dyewoods and trees producing gums and balsams. oil in paying quantities has been discovered in several places and the tehuantepec national railway, which crosses the isthmus, is one of the few roads in the world that uses oil for fuel. there are also profitable salt deposits. a great deal of american and european capital has been sunk in unsuccessful plantations along this route. this has been due to illogical and dishonest promotion. the fertile soil will produce immense crops of the things adapted for cultivation. with this fact in view it seems strange to see one abandoned plantation after another as you journey over the two hundred miles separating coatzacoalcos and salina cruz, the two termini of the isthmus of tehuantepec trans-continental and inter-oceanic railroad route. in the matter of climate the mexicans claim a great superiority for tehuantepec over panama, because of the strong winds that blow constantly from ocean to ocean.
for centuries this isthmus has attracted a[135] great deal of attention from explorers and engineers in the effort to discover or provide the most convenient and economical route between the atlantic and pacific oceans. cortez first realized the necessity of such a route and explored this whole section in the hope of finding a natural strait. it is even claimed that he conceived the idea of a canal across this narrow strip of land. failing in these projects he planned a carriage road from coast to coast, which was finally constructed by the spaniards. many of the miners who flocked to california during the gold excitement went by this highway. later civil engineers proposed and advocated a canal by this route even before the panama route was seriously considered. the distance from ocean to ocean is only one hundred and twenty-five miles in a bee line. the land is comparatively level and the rise on the atlantic side is very gradual culminating in the chivela pass at a height of seven hundred and thirty feet. from here to the pacific the descent is more abrupt. a ship railway was at one time seriously considered and liberal concessions were granted by the mexican government to the american engineer james b. eads and his associates. this project although considered feasible by engineers[136] has never been able to enlist capital for its construction.
the panama canal under french control was a colossal failure. a project which for a time seemed to promise a solution of the problem for a quick and economical route between the east and west ended in lamentable disgrace and for a long time remained in what one of our former presidents would have called, a condition of “innocuous desuetude.” when the united states undertook this great enterprise, the completion of this desirable waterway was placed at ten years or even less. now at the end of four years we are credibly informed that little has been done except the completion of plans, surveys, purchase of machinery and necessary sanitation. all of these preliminaries were essential and will greatly facilitate the real work when once started. all loyal americans believe in the ultimate successful completion of this great undertaking. yet, instead of ten years, we can see that fifteen years, or even twenty years would be a more accurate statement of the time necessary to complete the severing of the two continents. in the meantime, what?
while other countries have been planning, the mexican government with the characteristic[137] foresight shown by president diaz has been quietly preparing to meet the problem of a short and economical route between the two oceans. this has been done without the blowing of horns and few people were aware until recently of what was being done and what had really been accomplished. the government of mexico decided upon the plan of constructing a railway across the isthmus from coatzacoalcos, on the gulf of mexico, to salina cruz, on the pacific ocean, a distance of one hundred and ninety-four miles. most railroads in tropical lands are narrow gauge but this line is constructed of standard width and was completed in 1895. when first opened to traffic the road was in a very imperfect condition. in 1899 a contract was entered into between the government and the english house of pearson and sons whereby the two parties became joint owners of the road for a period of fifty years and the net earnings should be shared on an equitable basis.
the construction was of a difficult character because the route passed through some ca?ons, rocky cuts and a great deal of swampy soil. the work has been well done and it is one of the best roads in mexico to-day, with good equipment and traffic managed in an up-to-date[138] and business-like manner. already large orders for equipment have been placed and plans for double-tracking the entire road have been drawn. the headquarters and general offices are at rincon antonio, which is at the highest point and has the appearance of a typical new english town with its red brick terraces. this town receives the full benefit of the winds constantly blowing across the isthmus and enjoys a pleasant and salubrious climate. the shops and roundhouse for the railroad have been built at this place also and the employees are all comfortably housed. some of the officers have built very commodious homes of their own, with every possible convenience. this town is in marked contrast with the old mexican towns and villages along the route.
the general officers of the road and head men in the port works at both termini are all english and americans. formerly they were english, but in recent years the americans have been replacing the english, as they have been found more satisfactory and better adapted for the work.
the government soon learned that the railway without good harbours was a poor proposition. the plans of the government were[139] then made to include immense port works and safe, commodious harbours at coatzacoalcos and salina cruz. at the former place the river forms a natural harbour of an average depth of fifty feet at low water. the only problem here was to remove a sand bar and construct piers. the work of removing the bar has been completed and several large steel wharves and warehouses have already been constructed and others are in course of construction. the total frontage of the wharves when completed will be over three thousand feet. it is intended to have a minimum depth of thirty-three feet alongside of the wharves which will be equipped with every modern contrivance for unloading cargo quickly and economically from ships, and transferring to the railroad and vice versa.
the work at salina cruz presented far greater problems. it has demanded the maximum of engineering skill and an immense sum of money. here nature had aided in no way and everything had to be done by human effort. on account of severe wind storms it was deemed necessary to construct both an outer and an inner harbour in order to make a perfectly safe anchorage at all times and the work was begun in 1900. the outer harbour is being[140] formed by thrusting two massive breakwaters like immense arms out into the bay with an entrance six hundred feet wide. the longest of these breakwaters will be three thousand feet, consisting of three sections, of different angles, with the convex sides toward the sea. the other is only one-half as extensive. the foundation for these breakwaters is started thirty feet below low water mark and in some places is two hundred feet in width. upon a rubble foundation immense blocks of concrete and natural rock are placed at random. then on top are placed regular rows of forty-ton concrete blocks. the amount of material already used and needed to complete this work is almost inconceivable. more than three-fourths of the largest breakwater is already completed. the inner basin will be wholly artificial and will occupy in part the site of the old town of salina cruz with an entrance ninety feet wide. immense dredges are now at work on this basin which will be large enough to accommodate whole fleets of the largest vessels afloat. from two thousand to four thousand men have been and are still employed, the majority being natives.
although the harbour at salina cruz is still incomplete, this route was formally opened on[141] january 23rd, 1907. in the presence of a great throng of notables, including the representatives of twenty nations, president diaz touched a lever which set in motion a steam winch that was used to carry the first load of cargo from a steamer to a freight car. after this car had been loaded it was transferred to coatzacoalcos and the president touched another lever that set in motion the machinery for unloading the car and transferring the freight to a waiting steamer. in this manner was opened a route that is destined to take a prominent part in the handling of the world’s commerce, and which has cost the mexican government more than $25,000,000 in gold, and the end is not yet. after four hundred years the dream of cortez has come true and the isthmian highway is open to the world.
what advantages are claimed for this route? the benefit to mexico is self-evident. it will greatly facilitate the commerce between the two long coast lines of the republic. this great undertaking was not begun for the national trade alone. it is intended to compete for all that traffic which has heretofore gone around cape horn, through the straits of magellan, or across the panama railroad. the tehuantepec route is one thousand, two hundred[142] and fifty miles shorter between new york and san francisco than the panama route. the average freight steamer would require from four to five days to cover this distance. the managers of the tehuantepec national railroad propose to unload a cargo, carry it across the isthmus and reload it in two days. it will probably require one day for a vessel to pass through the panama canal. this would make a net saving of from three to four days for the tehuantepec route. the extra cost of loading and unloading would be made up by the saving of canal dues and expenses of the ship for that period. thus there will be a net saving of three to four days in shipment, which might be quite a feature with many classes of freight. in cheapness of transportation, the continental railroads of the united states could not compete. already contracts have been made with a line of steamers which have heretofore run between san francisco, hawaii and new york via cape horn to transfer their freight by this route. the government claims to have more freight in sight for 1907 than the panama railroad has ever carried in a single year.
this route has been lost sight of in the enthusiasm over the panama canal. it will be[143] completed several years before the canal, and will during that interim, at least, have a great advantage over the present panama railroad route. the same necessity of transhipment exists there, but without the fine, safe harbours, modern and commodious docks, and the quick loading and unloading machinery with which the tehuantepec route is equipped.
note to revised edition. the success of the tehuantepec national railroad has greatly exceeded expectations, and it was found necessary to double track the entire length of the road. the improvements at salina cruz and coatzacoalcos (now officially called puerto mexico) have been completed. both cities have been made ports of call for all lines of steamers passing near. through pullman service is now maintained between the city of mexico and salina cruz. since writing the original edition of this book the writer has visited panama and gone over the canal route with colonel goethals, the engineer in charge. it is a pleasure to record an appreciation of this great work, and to know that it will be ready for the world’s fleets by 1915, and probably a year earlier. there will still be a wide field of usefulness, however, for the tehuantepec national.
