Mexico of Today 



79 



The work was undertaken and sus- 

 pended several different times for the 

 want of funds and the uncertainties 

 produced by revolutions. 



In the 5'ear 1885 it was resumed in 

 earnest, and incessantly and vigoroush^ 

 prosecuted until its completion, by Gen- 

 eral Diaz, who, with his usual activity 

 and energ}^ put it under the direction 

 of a board of distinguished citizens. 

 The Mexican engineer. Dr. Luis Espi- 

 nosa, was the technical director, who 

 modified advantageously the original 

 plan and brought it to a happy termina- 

 tion with an abilit3^ energ%', and con- 

 stancy that desen^e the gratitude and 

 admiration of all his fellow-citizens. 



The completed works consist of a 

 canal, with a length of 30 miles, and a 

 tunnel of more than six miles. The 

 canal runs from the northeastern sec- 

 tion of the city, called San Lazaro, to 

 the town of Zumpango. There the 

 enormous mass of water enters the tun- 

 nel cut through the mountain, and on 

 the other side disgorges into the ravine 

 or Barranca de Tequisquiac, in which it 

 is confined till it reaches the Gulf of 

 Mexico. The works are laid out in 

 such a way that when the system of 

 canalization of the streets of the city is 

 finished, according to the plans pre- 

 sented by another distinguished engi- 

 neer, Dr. Roberto Gayol, the water of 

 the lakes, principally of Texcoco, which 

 is the lowest, will be controlled, and 

 Mexico will be perhaps the only city in 

 the world which will be able to wash 

 its sewers every day. This last work 

 is being vigorously pushed, and it is 

 expected will be completed during the 

 last months of the present year. Mex- 

 ico has good reason to be proud of this 

 magnificent work, which has cost her 

 manv millions of dollars. 



A few words will give some idea of 

 the magnitude and usefulness of the 

 public works in the port of Vera Cruz. 

 The city of Vera Cruz was founded by 

 the Spaniards for militar}^ and not for 

 commercial purposes. It was planted 

 within the fire of the guns of the for- 

 tress, San Juan de Ulua, which they 

 had built on a rock in the ba^^ The 

 port was a bay, or rather an open road- 

 stead, where ships could find no protec- 

 tion in a storm. Often the shipmasters 

 preferred to lift anchor and battle with 

 a tempest on the high seas. Today the 

 old fortress is a part of the city, and 

 can be reached b}^ carriage, and the 

 open roadstead has been converted into 

 a safe port, with wharves for the largest 

 vessels and every convenience for the 

 landing of passengers and the loading 

 and unloading of ships. 



In many other ports on the Gulf 

 and the Pacific Ocean improvements 

 are being constantly made In Tam- 

 pico a new wharf is nearly completed 

 to replace the one destroyed by fire 

 in 1888. In San Juan Bautista four 

 wharves have been finished. The fiscal 

 wharf in Frontera is completed and in 

 use, and also the one in Progreso. Very 

 important works are in progress in the 

 ports of Salina Cruz, the Pacific end of 

 the Tehuantepec Inter-Oceanic Rail- 

 road, and Altata, a port that is to be 

 changed to Tetuan, which offers abetter 

 anchorage for vessels. 



In the last four years many light- 

 houses have been built on the coast 

 of Yucatan, in Isla de Mujeres, Cayo 

 Norte, Cabo Catoche, Contoy, Punta 

 Molar, and Punta Calarain and on the 

 Pacific coast, on Morros de Seybaplaya, 

 Salina Cruz, Santiaguillo, Isla de Areas, 

 Zapotitlan, Cayo I^obos, and Puerto 

 Angel. 



(^To be conchided in the June number.) 



