A'Eir YORK AND NEW ORLEANS TO MEXICO CITY. 29 



ROUTE III, 



TO CITY OF MEXICO, FROM THE EAST, VIA NEW ORLEANS. 



Distance, 2,230 miles; time, 7 days. 



Several all-rail routes are open to New Orleans, either via Pennsylvania Railroad 

 through Washington, and Southern connections by way of Danville and Atlanta, 

 or south from Cincinnati. Connections at New Orleans for Texas and Mexico. 



By the most direct route, the Piedmont Air Line, it is 1,374 miles from New 

 York to New Orleans, and 54 hours through-time. 



A varied and delightful trip, embracing a sea-voyage also, may be made by steam 

 from Boston (Boston and Savannah Steamship Company), sailing every Thursdav, 

 and connecting with trains (two daily) the following Monday for New Orleans (26 

 hours, and 576 miles). Connections are made here with the all-rail line to the 

 Pacific and Mexico, and with steamers to Galveston and Vera Cruz. By this line 

 of travel, Florida may be visited eit route. 



THE NEW ORLEANS AND MEXICAN STEAMSHIP LINE. 



Distance, 876 miles: time (direct), 4 1-2 days. 



From New Orleans to Vera Cruz there are two lines, the Morgan and the 

 Alexandre, making the round trip every twenty-one days. The steamer touches, 

 going and coming, at the Mexican ports of Bagdad, Tampico, and Tuxpan, and 

 arrives at Vera Cruz on the morning of the sixth day after leaving New Orleans. 



Bagdad, situated at the mouth of the Rio Grande, is the seaport of the city 

 of Matamoras, and is the first stopping-place on the outward trip ; and the run 

 from Bagdad to the mouth of the Panuco River, upon whose left bank the city and 

 seaport of Tampico is situated, is about thirty hours. 



As there are seldom more than eight feet of water on the bar of the river, and the 

 water shoab considerably near the coast, the steamer is compelled to anchor about 

 two miles off shore, and discharge her cargo into lighters. During the winter 

 months, frequent "northers" blow with great violence along the entire Mexican 

 gulf-coast; and, as there is not a single well-protected harbor along the entire 

 gulf, sailing-vessels, and very often steamers also, are compelled to up anchor, and 

 run to sea. 



The Central Railroad Company is engaged in constructing a railroad from 

 Tampico to San Luis Potosi, the capital of the rich mining State of the same name; 

 and, when this is completed, all the varied products of the tropical and semi- 

 tropical couiitries through which it passes will be brought to Tampico for ship- 

 ment to foreign markets. From Tampico to Tuxpan is 125 miles. Here, also, the 

 seaport is situated on the bank of a river some distance from the coast ; and, as at 

 Tampico the bar of the river carries but little water, the ship lies off the mouth 

 of the river about two miles from the bar. The products of the country in the 

 vicinity of Tuxpan are sugar, molasses, honey, rice, vanilla, cedar and other 

 woods, rubber, and many kinds of tropic fruits. 



The colonists (including an American colony of about six hundred persons) are 

 engaged principally in planting and in cutting cedar and dye-woods. Most of 

 these products go to Northern ports, particularly the tiye-woods and cedar ; which 

 latter, however, finds its best market in Europe. 



