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Vera Cruz Main Gateway
For Troops to Mexico City
Nearly 300 Miles of Mountainous Country Face
Offensive Army United States Hasn’t
Minimized Dangers of Situation
VERA CRUZ, the most important
seaport iu Mexico, which sev
eral months ago witnessed the
assembling of the internation j
nl fleet iu her harbor, at once becomes
the most strategic point in the situa
tiou between the United States and
the detiaut southern republic. As a
matter of fact. Vera Cruz, in all the,
wars that Mexico lias experienced. ha>
felt the first blow. An invading arm)
to reach Mexico City would have to
land its troops at this port and then
begin a trip across a mountainous
country, peculiarly adapted to the style
of warfare the Mexicans like
There was a time when the genera
staff of the United States army did
think aa invasion of Mexico an easy
matter. It was thought then that a
certain phenomenal military success
which had landed troops in Mexico
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Photos by American Press Association
BIRDSEYE VIEW OF VERA CRUZ AND ITS FAMOUS OLD FORT.
1. —Vera Cruz water front as seen from American battleship. 2.—San Juan de Ulua, oldest fort in Mexico
City before the world bftd thought
tills possible, could be repeated at
pleasure. Toda • a different view pre
vails in the war department.
Vera Cruz offers the best opportunity
ns a base for the main attack upon
Mexico City. The distance to be trav
ersed is not very great—2o4 miles by
the best route. There is no difficulty
in landing at that point a sufficient
force to penetrate to the capital in
time, hut there is the mountainous for
mation that makes operations from
this point difficult. At .lalapu. but
eighty-two miies front the coast, the
country rises to an altitude of 4,(510
feet, or nearly fifty-seven feet to the
mile. Beyond Jalapa and until Puebla
is reached the country* is every bit as
difficult. At Puebla, about 172 miles
from Vera Cruz, the elevation is no
less than 7.12. r > feet. The passes that
may be negotiated are few in number
and all of them are easily defended.
Tlie country which meets an army on
the offensive is such that artillery
could not lie used effectively.
It is admitted that there is likely to
be a great loss of life in a series of
engagements that would have to be
fought in the country which the cen
tral plateau of Mexico offers. The fact
that south of Vera Cruz the country
is even more difficult and that in op
erations toward the northwest the fac
tors of distance and insalubrity of cli
mate have to be met has been fully
taken into consideration by the United
States
Some military experts have held that
it is doubtful if the City of Mexico
could be taken via Vera Cruz with
Jess than 12. r >.ooo men. It has l>een
declared that the only hope of the of
ficers in charge of these operations
would lie in the superiority of num
bers—the possibility that an extended
front or line of atack would develop
weak spots in the defensive tactics of
the Mexicans.
Might Take It In Six Weeks.
The City of Mexico might, be taken
via Vera Cruz in six weeks if no se
vere reverses had been suffered. Sev
en miles per day with the country to
be carried is no mean performance.
Needless to say. the railroad to the
capital could not be used by the invad
ing forces, and such is the territory
wtiich the line traverses that iu many
places it could lie put out of commis
sion for months. The line between
the City of Mexico and Vera Cruz is as
difficult a piece of railroad engineering
as can be found. The same is true of
most of the other railroads operating
east and southeast of tile capital. Es
timating the cost of military opera
tions at $2 per diem for each man em
ployed. tile taking of the Mexican capi
tal. outside of the mobilization ex
penditure and cost of equipment,
would amount of $12,600,000, it is tig
urod.
it must be borne in mind, however,
that the case here presented does not
discount even a single serious reverse.
With the Mexicans hard to dislodge,
tlie invading army might find itself
checkmated to such an extent that
weeks would be consumed in the car
rying of points of strategical impor
tance. It must lie remembered that
the American army must fight uphill
from the moment it sets foot on Mexi
can soil and that every military crest
would he a point of vantage for the
Mexicans. Most of the fighting would
occur in the defiles between the es
carpment walls, with fanatical Mexi
can soldiery holding the heights.
Rut with Mexico City taken and with
the territory toward the coast cleared
the pacification of Mexico would not
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Photo by American Press Association.
NATIONAL PALACE, MEXICO CITY, UCAKDEI)
DUIUNO KEBELLION.
yet be complete. To all Intents and
purposes that part of the republic is as
tranquil today as it ever has been c r
probably ever will be.
Effect Would Be Doubtful.
To what extent would the taking of
TOFFEE COUNTY PROGRESS. DOUGLAS, GA.,
the capital influence the Mexicans? is
now the question to be considered. To
be sure, when the Germans bad taken
Baris iu IS7I the backbone of all re
sistance had been broken. There are
many instances of this sort iu history,
but in this respect Mexico City means
so little to the Mexicans that such a
result could uot be hoped for. The
paciticatiou of Mexico (tor that could
be tile only reasonable objective of iu
terveutioui would have to be carried
iuto the most remote parts of the re
public. In that would lie the difficulty
There is the hope, of course, that the
saner element of Mexico would by that
time realize that law and order were
ult the American army demanded. But
this is merely a hope, uot well sup
ported by the country’s antecedents.
One has to know the Ultimate history
of political Mexico, from Hidalgo and
Juarez down, to understand how little
justification there is for such a con
clusion. The Mexican is not above de
manding that before he would treat
with tlie invader for his own good
there would have to be a complete
evacuation. Naturally to this the
United States government could not
consent. Interminable guerrilla war
fare would be the consequence.
The claim made now and then that it
would take from ten to fifteen years to
subdue Mexico is very extravagant, of
couf-se. Yet the task might stretch over
three to four years easily enough The
public is so accustomed to seeing maps
of Mexico on a very small scale that
there is constant danger of underesti
mating the extent of the republic. The
distance from Laredo to Mexico City
Is roughly 8(H) miles, from El l’aso the
distance is even greater, and between
Matamoros and Mazatlln lie hundreds
of miles of tlie most difficult terrain an
army might wish to try its mettle on
Mexico is a country of magnificent dis
tances. not so much by reason of ex
tent as by reason of Inaccessibility.
Would Have to Get Railroad.
For strategic purposes ibe Americans
would be obliged to gain control of the
La redo-Mex ico City railroad line from
the very first. With this in view, sev
era I divisions, having San Antonio.
Tex., as their main base, would operate
from the north The country north of
Monterey might not present any seri
ous problems, though in the vicinity of
Laiupazos. .V L.. some resistance might
be expected Here one of tlie lower
plateaus rises to an elevation of about
1,300 feet from a plain 500 feet above
sea level. At Villaldaiua more encoun
ters would take place. The Mexicans
even might decide to contest possession
of the railroad leading to Monterey
through a terrain rendered severe by
the fact that the valley in which the
line runs Is flanked on both sides by
hills and mountains excellently suited
to guerrilla operations. It would be no
small matter at any rate to keep open
this line of ronimtiuidMon
Monterey lies at an elevation of 2.313
feet, and if held by a force well sup
plied with artillery a siege of some du
ration might precede its reduction. It
is not likely, however, that tlie Mexi
cans would make a stand there, though,
if minded to do so. they could make Its
tenure precarious for a long time. The
mountains south, east and west of the
city would lend themselves to this pur
pose.
Between Monterey and Saltillo lies a
stretch of country sixty-seven miles in
width that would give an invading ar
my many an anxious moment. Within
that short distance the country rises
to an elevation of roughly 5.400 feet or
a little more thHn 3.000 feet for sixty
seven miles The easiest pass is nego
tiated by the railroad, but little energy
would be expended in rendering this
line useless for many days if not
weeks
S?e«e THE THE
FOR ROAD WORK
So Says Department of Api
culture.
I
600 D WHEN SOIL IS DAMP.
If Attention to Roads Is Put Off Until
the Latter Part of Summer the Sur
face Becomes Dry and the Toil Ex
pended Is Unsatisfactory.
it is a great mistake to put off work
ing roads until August or September,
according to road experts of the Unit
ed States department of agriculture.
Tlie roads should lie worked when the
soil is damp so as to make the soil
bake when it dries out. If the roads
are worked when they are dry it takes
more power to draw the machine, and
besides, dry earth and dust retain
moisture and quickly rut after rains
Tlie use of clods, sods, weeds or vege
table matter in building earth roads
should be avoided because they also
retain moisture.
By using the road machine in the
spring while the soil is soft and damp
the surface is more easily shaped and
soon packs down into a dry. hard crust,
which is less liable to become dusty in
summer and muddy in winter.
Repairs to roads should be made
when needed and not once a year aft
er crops are laid by. Because of its
simplicity, efficiency and cheapness,
the split log drag or some similar de
vice is destined to come into more and
more general use. With the drag prop
erly built and its use well understood,
the maintenance of earth and gravel
roads becomes a simple andinexpensive
matter. Care should be taken to make
the log so light that one man can lift
it with ease, as a light drag can be
drawn by two medium sized horses and
responds more readily to various meth
ods of bitching and the shifting posi
tion of the operator than a heavier
one. The best material for the drag is
THE WIDTH OP THE EAUTH ROAD WILL
DEPEND ON THE TRAFFIC.
a dry cedar log, though elm. walnut,
box elder or soft maple are excellent.
Oak, hickory or ash is too heavy.
The log should be from seven to ten
feet long and from eight to ten inches
in diameter. It should be split care
fully as near the center as possible and
the heaviest and best slab chosen for
the front. When the soil is moist, but
not sticky, the drag does the best
work. As the soil in the field will
bake if plowed wet. so the road will
tiake if tin* drag is used on it when it
is wet. If tlie roadway is full of holes
or badly rutted the drag should be
use<l once when the road is soft and
slushy.
The earth road can best be crowned
and ditched with a road machine and
not with picks and shovels, scoops and
plows. One road machine with a suit
able power and operator will do the
work of many men vvitli picks and
shovels and. in addition, will do it bet
ter. if the road is composed of fine
clay or soil it will sometimes pay to
resurface it with top soil from an ad
jacent field which has sand or gravel
mixed with it.
Storm water should he disposed of
quickly before it lias had time to pene
trate deeply into the surface of the
road. This can be done by giving the
road a crown or slope from the center
to the sides. For an earth road which
is twenty four feet wide tlie center
should la* not less than six Inches nor
more than twelve inches higher than
the outer edges of tlie shoulder. The
narrow road which is high in the mid
dle will become rutted almost as quick
ly as one which is fiat, for the reason
that on a narrow road all tlie traffic is
forced to use only a narrow strip.
The widtti of the earth road will de
pend on the traffic. As a rule, twenty
five or thirty feet from ditch to ditch
is sufficient if the road is properly
crowned. Ordinarily the only ditches
needed are those made with the road
machine, which are wide and shallow.
Deep narrow ditches wash rapidly, es
pecially on steep slopes. The earth
road should not be loosened, dug up or
plowed up any more than is necessary.
It should be gradually raised, not low
ered; hardened, not softened.
A teacher in a Liverpool school was
trying to find from a tiny child the
name of his father, says tlie Liverpool
Post. He seemed quite unable to
think of it, so to help him she asked:
“What do you call him?”
“I call him father,"was tlie reply.
“Well, what does your mother call
him?"
The response was eloquent of the
manners of the neighborhood: “She
doesn’t call him anything she likes
him.”
ARTIFICIAL HUMAN EYES
Full back reform, nearest to
nature ever produced, correctly
fitted by W. R. WILSON, Optome
trist.
"Another puncture,” he said. Then ha
swore. But it wasn’t a puncture. It was
a pinched tube. Inner tube had slipped
under edge of the casing. Never could
have happened had the man been using
Goodyear No-Rim-Cut Tires. They al
ways hold tight against the rim. Hava
126 braided piano wires in the bead
which do the trick. Tube can't get under.
For this and other reasons we push
Goodyear No-Rim-Cut Tires. We carry
a fresh supply at all times. in your size
smooth tread or "All-Weather.” Drop in.
See these tires before you spend any
more money for tires.
H. M. Love & Co Douglas, Ga
The Best Company is the
Company Which Does
The Most Good, The
Mutual Life Insurance
Company of New York
To the Citizens and Policy
Holders of Coffee County:
It gives me much pleasure
to advise you of the appoint
ment of
MR. B. F. LOADHOLT
as a special writer for this
county for The Mutual Life
Insurance Company of New
York.
Trusting you will give him
your patronage and thanking
you for any courtesies ex
tended him.
Very respectfully yours,
CORNELIUS F. MOSES
The National Bldg Savannah
Georgia.
Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad
The Standard of Excellence in Service
Schedule, Effective Feb. 15th, 1914
Trains Leave Douglas as Follows:
EAST BOUND
Train No. 4 for Waycross and Brunswick - - 7:02 a. m
Train No. 2 for Waycross and Brunswick .... 4:35 p. rn
WEST BOUND
Train No. 3 for Atlanta and Roanoke ... 10:45 a. m
Train No. 1 for Atlanta and Birmingham ... 9;43 p m
Trains No. 3 and 4 carry Pullman, Drawing and Sleeping cars between
Atlanta and Thomasville via Fitzgeral i.
W. W. CROXTON, G. F. A. L. M. BREEN, Agent
Atianta, Ga Douglas, Georgia
E. F. HULL, T. E. HARRIS, H. C. McFADDEN,
Agent, Douglas, Ga. Commercial Agt. Valdosta. Traffic Manager,
GEORGIA & FLORIDA RAILWAY
Schedule Corrected to February 15, 1914.
Trains Leave Douglas:
For Hziehurst, Vidalia, Swainsboro
Midville, Augusta and intermed
points.
Trains Leave Douglas
Williacoochee, Nashville,Valdosta
Madison, Sparks, Adel, Moultrie
and intermediate points.
Trains Leave Douglas
For Broxton and intermediate
points
Trains Leave Douglas
For Barrows Bluff and intermed
iate points.
For long terms loans, and easy
payments, on improved city prop
erty in Douglas, Broxton, Willa
coochee and Nicholls Apply to
L. E. Heath, Douglas, Ga,
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
F. W. DART
Attorney at Law
Douglas, Georgia.
TURRENTINE & ALDERMAN
Dentist
Union Bank Building
Douglas, Georgia.
J. A. HURSEY
Contractor and Builder
Douglas, Georgia.
C. A. WARD.
Attorney at Law
Lankford Building
Douglas, Georgia.
J OHN H. WILLIAMS
Lawyer
Douglas, Georgia.
G. L. TOUCHTON, M. D.
Special attention to Genito-Urin
ary and Kidney Diseases.
LANKFORD & MOORE.
Attorneys at Law
L,a.nkford Building
Douglas, Georgia.
W. F. SIBBETT
Physician and Surgeon
Special attention given to diseases
of women.
Office Sibbett Building.
Douglas. Georgia.
DR. JAMES DeLAMAR
Office Lankford Building
Douglas, Georgia
Hours I I a.m. to 1 p.m.,Sunday 9to I I a m
No. 4 Daily 10:03 a. m.
No. 6 Daily 9:10 p. m.
No. 7 Daily 6:40 a. m.
No. 5 Daily 3:50 p. m.
No. 32 Daily 10:35 a. m.
No. 30 Daily 4:45 p. m.
No. 34 Daily Ex. Sunday
10:35 a. m.