RAILWAYS AND THEIR INFLUENCE
A work upon Mexico would be incomplete without a description of the
railways and the present progressive railway movement. Nothing has
contributed in such a degree to the great progress that has been made
in the last quarter of a century in Mexico, as the rapidly increasing
railway lines. This is true not only of the influence these advance
agents of progressiveness have had upon commerce, but they have enlarged
the intercourse with other nations, especially with the United States.
Through this means the dormant energies and ambitions of the Mexican
people have been awakened, and a new era has dawned in our Latin
neighbour.
The centres of population in Mexico have always been situated in the
great central plateaus in the interior. Only a very small proportion of
the population live on, or near the coast. Communication with the ports
was over long, narrow and rough trails. The transportation of commerce
was slow and expensive, and required great droves of slow-moving pack
mules and patient burros, and whole armies of cargadors. Furthermore,
the very isolation of the people and difficulty of communication kept
them aloof from modern progress, and left them content with things as
they were, with no ambition for anything more advanced or better than
had been enjoyed by their forefathers. It also prevented the development
of a real, national spirit, because one community was, in a true
sense, not familiar with the neighbouring cities, and took a special
pride in its local interests rather than in the idea of a homogeneous,
strongly-centred whole.
So jealous were those employed in the business of transportation in the
old crude way, that, in order to placate them, some of the earlier roads
were obliged to commence construction at the point furthermost from the
port, in order to give employment to these people in transporting the
material from the port to the place of beginning. Those who are familiar
with the great development of the west, since the construction of our own
trans-continental lines, will better appreciate the change that railroad
construction has wrought in Mexico. There is this difference, however,
that the people were in Mexico before the railroads were built, and,
instead of a newly-developed country it is a rejuvenated old country.
Prior to the beginning of the railway movement, Mexico was noted chiefly
for its minerals. Now, although only a small portion of the mineral
wealth has been dug out of the earth, mining has become of secondary
importance. The increase in commerce and manufacturing, and the stimulus
to agriculture brought about by these avenues of communication, have
swelled the general wealth of the country far more than the millions of
white metal extracted from old mother earth each year. Manufacturing
plants have sprung up on every hand, and the products of the mills are
increasing in volume and variety each year. Mexico could, probably, after
a fashion, supply all the wants of her people without any imports from
the outside world. The factories include almost every line of trade from
the making of articles to adorn the outward man to the solid and liquid
goods which cheer and sustain the inward man.
The railroads have tended to enlarge the wants of the people by throwing
them into contact with other civilizations and have raised the general
standard of wages so that the people have more money to expend for
material needs and luxuries. The abolishment of the _alcabales_, or local
customs, was the logical result of the development of railways and was
almost revolutionary. From the time of the Spanish conquest each city had
collected a local tariff on all goods brought into the town for sale, and
had raised a great part of its revenues in this way. Changes come slow in
this country, but are nevertheless sure. It may be that at some time in
the future the brown back of the burden-bearing cargador will be relieved
of its load. It is a question, however, whether this change would be
welcomed by the dusky descendants of Montezuma.
The encouragement given to railroad construction has been done with a
lavish but well-directed hand. It is estimated that more than one hundred
and fifty million dollars have been spent by the Mexican government in
subsidizing railroads and in developing harbours, and the end is not in
sight yet. Perhaps the motive has not been altogether unselfish for no
one influence has assisted so much in centralizing the power in the hands
of the Diaz government or been such a potent force in tranquillizing a
naturally turbulent people, as the railways and the telegraph lines
which always accompany them. Instant notice would be sent of any
embryonic revolutionary movement and troops could be hurried to the
affected district at once. There were at the close of 1906, according to
government report, twenty-one thousand six hundred and eleven kilometers
of railway track in Mexico, or about thirteen thousand five hundred
miles, and this is increasing at the rate of several hundred miles each
year. The subsidies on the principal lines have averaged from $10,000 to
$15,000 per English mile, with the provision in most instances that after
a certain period (generally ninety-nine years) the roads shall revert to
the government at a certain fixed valuation. Construction is either of
such a difficult character, or over such long stretches of semi-desert
territory with poor and scattered population, that most of these roads
would never have been built except for government assistance.
After the manner of the Romans and with equal truthfulness, the Mexicans
say that all roads lead to the City of Mexico. This saying is almost
literally true. The Valley of Mexico is traversed from every direction
with the _ferro carriles_, or roads of iron, converging toward the
capital. It now has direct communication by rail with almost every part
of the republic except Yucatan and the Pacific slope, and can reach this
coast at one point by a roundabout way to Salina Cruz.
The back-bone of the extensive railway system is formed by the two
great trunk lines which reach out to the north from the City of Mexico,
gradually diverging until at the places where they cross the muddy Rio
Grande they are several hundred miles apart. These railways traverse the
broad central plateau of which Humboldt, the great traveller, wrote,
“so regular is the great plateau and so gentle are the slopes where
depressions occur, that the journey from Mexico to Santa Fe, New Mexico,
might be made in a four-wheeled vehicle.” There are hundreds of miles
where construction work was exceedingly easy, as it consisted simply
of shovelling up a slightly raised bed and laying the ties and rail.
Rough mountain construction in other places, and especially in entering
the Valley of Mexico, required the work of the very best engineers. By
whichever route the traveller enters Mexico it would be well if he could
sleep over the first two hundred miles while the train is passing over
the semi-desert plains of Northern Mexico where the dust filters through
the car windows in clouds.
The government of Mexico has entered the railway field for economic
reasons. It is simply another indication of the intention on the part
of President Diaz to control the railway situation in behalf of the
people by preventing excessive rates through the pooling of interests.
The spectre of railway consolidation similar to the merging of the
great systems in the United States influenced the officials more than
anything else, and the government did not want the railway situation in
Mexico controlled by any of the large American companies. The project
was begun only a few years ago by actual purchase in the open market
of a controlling interest in the National railroad. This purchase was
made by a select firm of New York brokers, and the real buyer was not
revealed until sufficient stock had been secured to insure control of the
properties. These lines are now known as the National Lines of Mexico
and have a mileage of about eight thousand miles. They will be held by a
corporation with a capital of $250,000,000, organized under the laws of
Mexico, the control of which will be vested in the Mexican government,
although there will be a minority board in New York. They include one
hundred and sixty miles of track in the United States from Laredo to
Corpus Christi, Texas.
The main line of the system is the former National Railroad extending
from Laredo to the capital, a distance of eight hundred and thirty-nine
miles, several hundred miles shorter than the Central. It passes through
the important cities of Monterey, Saltillo, San Luis Potosi and Celaya.
Originally constructed as a narrow gauge line, it has been changed to
standard width throughout its entire length. The Mexican International
Railroad, which enters Mexico at Eagle Pass and runs through Torreon
to Durango with a branch to Monterey, has been added. The Interoceanic
Railway, whose main line connects the capital with Vera Cruz, passing
through Puebla, the third largest city in Mexico, is also now a part
of this system. At the present time this line is narrow gauge, but
preparations are now being made to widen it to standard gauge. Quite
recently the government purchased the Hidalgo Railroad, which extends
from the City of Mexico to Pachuca, State of Hidalgo. It is the intention
of the government to extend this line immediately to Tampico, thus making
a short and direct route to this port.
In December, 1906, the government announced the purchase of the Mexican
Central Railway, its only large competitor, and this road will be added
to the system known as the National Lines. The reasons for this purchase
were stated by Minister of Finance Limantour to be “the aggressive
attitude assumed by certain great railway systems in the United States.”
It was feared that the great railways of the United States would step
in and absorb this important line, and saddle upon the people the
trust evil. The Mexican Central is the largest railway system within
the republic and owns more than three thousand five hundred miles of
track. The main line extends from El Paso, Texas, to the capital in
a southeasterly direction a distance of one thousand two hundred and
twenty-four miles. This was the first road constructed to the United
States border and received the largest subsidy of any line, amounting to
$15,200 per mile. Construction work was begun in 1880 at both terminal
points and rushed to completion so that through trains were running
less than four years later. This made an average of nearly one mile for
each working day. It traverses sections rich in agriculture and mineral
resources and passes through many of the important cities. Among these
are Chihuahua, Torreon, Zacatecas, Aguas Calientes, Leon, Irapuato,
Celaya and Querétero. It reaches a population of several millions on the
table lands.
Two important branches of the main line run to the gulf port of Tampico,
which is second only in importance to Vera Cruz. One of these lines
branches off at Aguas Calientes passing through San Luis Potosi, and the
other at Torreon, passing through Monterey. At Irapuato a branch line
runs west to Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico, and is being
extended through to Manzanillo, a good harbour on the Pacific coast. It
is expected that this road will be completed January, 1908, and will give
the capital what has long been needed—a direct route to the Pacific. The
difficulty and great cost of construction in reaching this coast has
delayed the various projected lines, for the drop from the high plateaus
to the sea level is very abrupt. It is estimated that the last hundred
miles of this extension will cost $5,000,000 in gold. Another branch of
this system extends south from the capital through ancient Cuernevaca to
the Balsas River, with an ultimate destination of Acapulco, the finest
harbour on the Pacific Coast of either North or South America. There are
also numerous smaller and less important feeders.
The Mexican Railway which connects the port of Vera Cruz with the
City of Mexico is the oldest railroad in the republic. It was first
incorporated under the empire in 1864 as the Imperial Mexican Railway and
exceedingly favourable concessions were granted. Owing to the political
disturbances it was not completed until 1873. It was built with English
capital and cost a fabulous sum. The monopoly which it held for years
enabled it to pay big returns to its owners for a long period and even
now its earnings compare favourably with our own western lines. This road
is noted as one of the most picturesque railways in the world, for in a
few hours one is transported from the high plateaus to the sea level.
[Illustration: ALONG THE MEXICAN SOUTHERN RAILWAY]
The Mexican Southern Railway is another English road extending from
Puebla south to Oaxaca, which was opened for traffic in 1893, a
distance of 227 miles. This road received a bonus of about $10,000,000
in government bonds, and well it needed such an inducement, for the
traveller wonders in passing over the line where the profit can come
from, as there are only a very few places of any size between the two
terminal points. It opens up a rich agricultural and mineral section
in the Valley of Oaxaca, and will probably develop into a profitable
property in the future. As the line runs through narrow ravines a great
part of the way, following streams, the traveller does not see the best
part of the country traversed.
The Southern Pacific has a branch which runs from Benson, Arizona, to
Guaymas, the chief port on the Gulf of California, passing through
Hermosillo, the capital of the State of Sonora, the home of the Yaqui
Indians. It passes through an intensely interesting country, possessing
a wealth of scenery and natural resources. This line is being extended
farther south, with an ultimate destination of Guadalajara or possibly
the capital city.
Another important link in the system of railroads in Mexico, and one
which is practically owned by the government is the Vera Cruz and Pacific
Railway. This road extends from Vera Cruz to Santa Lucrecia, a station on
the Tehuantepec National Railway which is described in another chapter.
A branch line also extends to Cordoba, there connecting with the Mexican
Railway, and forms what is at present the only all-rail route from the
capital to a Pacific port. This road runs through the heart of the
tropics and alternately passes over prairie and through tropical jungle.
A trip over this road is a revelation to the traveller who has never
visited a tropical land. No one except those who assisted in the work
fully appreciates the enormous difficulties that had to be overcome. I
doubt if even mountains present more perplexing problems in railroad
construction than these level prairies and swamps, where there is no
solid rock or gravel and the country is deluged with an annual rainfall
of from twelve to sixteen feet. The surface is a soft clay unfit for
roadbed or ballast. After heavy rains the ties and often the rails would
sink into it until completely covered. For a few years the road was
practically abandoned for several weeks during the heaviest rainfall.
The track would sometimes slip sideways, or in a cut the banks would
slide in and cover it. In the two hundred and forty-two miles of the main
line, the road crosses six large rivers, whose size is due to the amount
of rainfall rather than the extent of territory drained. These rivers
and many smaller streams require an average of more than one bridge for
each mile of track. The uncertainty and inefficiency of native help and
difficulty of getting skilled American labour to go there because of the
fear of tropical fevers, rendered the work of the contractor no easy
task. Even an American workman could not accomplish more than about half
as much as in a colder climate.
I made this trip when it required twenty-six hours to cover the two
hundred miles from Vera Cruz to Santa Lucrecia. No one asked the engineer
to go faster, and we considered ourselves in luck not to run off the
rails, which in many places resembled the track made by a wobbly wheel
after we had passed over it. It has now been placed in better condition,
and the run is made in much quicker time. No one must expect quick time
on Mexican railroads, for twenty-five miles an hour is fast travelling
and the average is nearer fifteen miles. The section traversed by this
road must inevitably be the richest part of Mexico in the near future,
now that it has an outlet. It passes through the region best adapted for
tropical plantations where the soil is inexhaustible.
One of the dreams of the late James G. Blaine was a Pan-American railroad
or all-rail route from the United States to the southernmost republics
of South America. President Arthur appointed a commission in 1884
which was sent to the republics of Central and South America along the
proposed route. At the first Pan-American conference held in Washington,
this projected railway was discussed at considerable length. All the
representatives were in favour of it and a survey was decided upon.
Several parties of surveyors were set to work at different points along
the proposed route, and a complete survey was made from Oaxaca, Mexico,
to the northernmost point reached by the railways of the Argentine
Republic. The proposition excited a great deal of interest and discussion
at the time, but little has been heard of it in recent years. There is
one man in Mexico, however, who has not lost sight of the great project,
and that man is J. M. Neeland. He organized a company to build the
Pan-American Railroad from San Geronimo, a station on the Tehuantepec
National Railroad to the boundary of Guatemala, a distance of about three
hundred miles. The Mexican government promised a subsidy of $10,000 gold,
per mile. He has followed the base of the mountain range in order to
lessen the expense of construction, and render it easy to connect with
the ports by means of branch lines. It follows as nearly as possible an
old military road constructed by the Spaniards.
Quietly and unostentatiously this line has been pushed forward until
it has been completed to Pijijiapam, only one hundred and twenty-six
miles from the Guatemala boundary, and a contract has been let for
its completion by the close of the year 1907. The importance of this
line to Mexico can hardly be overestimated, for it connects the seat
of government by an all-rail line with the most remote corner of the
republic. It also opens up the rich coffee lands in the State of Chiapas,
the best coffee territory in Mexico. The ports along this coast are all
open roadsteads without piers, and freight is carried to and from the
steamers in lighters. At one time a steamer on which I was a passenger
lay at San Benito, the most southerly Pacific port of Mexico and on the
line of this railway, three days in order to load a few thousand bags
of coffee. This part of the country has been so isolated heretofore
that it has never been developed to any extent. The completion of this
Pan-American railroad will greatly increase the influence of Mexico in
the little Republic of Guatemala, and will have a tendency to render that
country less turbulent. The promoters aim to continue this road through
all the republics of Central America, clear to the Isthmus of Panama.
They have already secured a concession with the promise of a good subsidy
from Guatemala, and will utilize a portion of a railroad now in operation
in that country. A remarkable fact in connection with this road is that
it is already meeting its operating expenses and fixed charges, which is
an unusual showing for a newly-built Mexican railroad.
The government is now endeavouring to have a railroad constructed from
some point on the Pan-American Railroad to connect with the railways of
Yucatan. This road and the other lines already under construction will
connect all parts of the republic with the bands of steel, with the
single exception of Lower California. It will not be many years before
this great plan of a great president will be a reality. Step by step
progress has been made but the improvement has been permanent. In some
places the innovation was not welcomed at first, because of extreme
conservatism. Now everyone reaps some benefit from it. Before the days of
railroads each community lived by itself, and the poor natives were at
the mercy of the rich plantation owners in the dry years which sometimes
occurred. Now, transportation is cheap and quick, and everyone can have
food at a reasonable cost. The paternal character of the government in
this respect was shown a few years ago, when the corn crop was a partial
failure and a “corner” was attempted by the dealers. The government
immediately removed the tariff, imported great quantities of grain, and
sold it to the people at cost. This could not have been done except for
the facilities afforded by the railway lines. The traffic does not seem
large, and there is only one train per day each way on most of the lines,
and on the branches this is frequently a mixed passenger and freight
train. The tonnage is increasing each year as the wants of the people
increase, and money to purchase things heretofore regarded as luxuries
becomes more abundant.
NOTE TO REVISED EDITION. In 1911 the railway mileage of Mexico
exceeded 15,000 miles. The Pan-American Railroad is now
completed to Mariscal, on the Guatemala border. Work on the
connecting link with the lines of that republic, only about
thirty miles, is progressing, and it is estimated that within
a year it will be possible to travel by rail from New York to
Guatemala City. The Pan-American and the Vera Cruz and Pacific
Railroads are now a part of the National Lines. The name of the
latter has been changed to the Vera Cruz and Isthmus Railroad.
The Manzanillo branch was completed almost on time. The
extension of the Southern Pacific as far as the city of Tepic,
and the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway are described in
a succeeding chapter.