Accidents at the mines—Mexico City—Peculiar laws—"Evidence"—A theft of straw.

Mexicans, like the natives of India, have a great dread of hospitals. During our first year’s work one of the men got his finger caught in the roller and had the end joint cut off. As I was writing a note to the doctor the police came up and insisted on taking the man to the police station, whence he was taken to the hospital. Three months later I saw him when he had just come out, and he had lost the use of the entire hand through blood-poisoning. They tell me that the young students of the medical college do most of the operating on the poor, and, if this was a sample, I am not surprised at the prevalent dread of the hospitals.

As I said when writing about Texas, Mexicans are most careless and take desperate chances, generally through ignorance. One day two gangs of men that I had moving some heavy rock crusher parts began racing with the flywheels (weighing 1200 kilos each) which they were wheeling along on the rims. I warned them, but the words were hardly out of my mouth when one of the wheels toppled over on the foot of one of the men. He did not complain much beyond some grimaces, and when we lifted the wheel he staggered off, limping. I thought that the soft earth had saved his foot, but the doctor later pronounced some bones broken. One year we were piling up some crushed rock near where our electric power wires entered the motor-house; these wires carried 2000 volts. I had noticed the men on top of the rock pile touching these wires (the rock being absolutely dry and the insulation on the wires fairly good, they received no shock), and warned them that they would get a shock some day that would kill some one. I found that they paid no attention, so I had a board stuck up warning them of their danger, and stating that the company would not be responsible for any accidents. The next day or so the government inspector, the general manager, and myself were down at the yard on inspection. We heard a yell, and there was a man hung on the wire, kicking like a galvanised frog. Another Mexican, with more presence of mind than the average, ran up with a stick, knocked the wire loose, and the man fell down as if dead. We telephoned for a doctor, and meanwhile tried artificial respiration. The doctor soon arrived, and within an hour or so the man was all right but for a very badly burned arm and hand. There had been slight rain which had wetted both the insulation and the rock pile under their feet, thus forming a ground circuit.

Mexicans are very good to their poor, but seem to have very little sympathy for any one hurt in an accident. They are much like children in many ways and can only see the funny side of a serious matter. There was a fire in Mexico City in a lumber company’s yard, and two fire companies were attacking it from the roofs of houses on different sides. In moving a hose one of the firemen accidentally directed it on the firemen across the way. They immediately retaliated, and for the next few minutes the fire was entirely forgotten by the two companies, who were busy pumping on each other amidst much laughter. Finally, one of the men, in trying to reach a vantage point, slipped and fell into the burning yard, at which a perfect howl of laughter went up from all the spectators. He was luckily rescued with only a few bruises, and a trifle singed, but the moral remains the same. In Guadalajara fire protection is a farce. The fire-engine consists of a tank on wheels with a pump attached, which is worked by hand and throws a one-inch stream. Luckily, the city is practically fire-proof, being almost entirely built out of adobe (sun-dried brick), with some few modern buildings made out of stone, brick, or steel.

The city water-supply is insufficient, though the sewerage system is good and modern. The city now has some twenty kilometres of asphalt-paved streets, with cement curbs and side-walks built by our company in the past eight years, and we shall probably do as much more. Mexico City has about 200 kilometres of asphalt pavement, about half belonging to our company, Puebla, twenty-five kilometres, Durango, thirty-two kilometres, Chihuahua, four kilometres, Tampico, nine kilometres, Morelia, eight kilometres, all of the last-named cities having been laid by our company, and the majority of it by myself, apart from the work done in Mexico City. All have good sewer systems and water-works, so Mexico is not so far behind the times in some things. Every property owner or lessee has to sweep and water twice daily the street in front of his property, except in the business districts, where the city supplies sprinkling carts and sweepers. The police see that these rules are carried out; if you are behind time in doing your part the policeman hustles you; if you are warned repeatedly, then the government sends a man and you are charged an exorbitant rate for his work. In this way the streets are kept better than those of many cities I have known in the States.

Mexican law is a thing to leave strictly alone if you can. The procedure in some respects follows that of the French courts. The stamp law no one pretends to understand. Our company was fined $600 in the Federal district for something, in regard to stamping contracts, which they had done under the advice of the most noted lawyer in the republic, the late ambassador from Mexico to the United States. Once our night-watchman captured a thief trying to steal some tools and the anvil from our smithy. He trussed him up, and then for further security tied the anvil to his feet. The police insisted on taking along the anvil as “evidence,” and we, being inexperienced, allowed them to do so. It took seven days to try the case, and, until the man was convicted, the court would not give us back the “evidence.” On another occasion one of our carters ran over a child with his wagon and killed it. He at once disappeared, but the police arrested the wagon, and it was nearly two weeks before we could get it back.

In a complaint of theft you have to appear with two independent witnesses who can vouch, not that you owned the article stolen, but that you are a man of means sufficient to have owned such an article; public repute is not sufficient evidence. For instance, I appeared for the company once in the case of a theft of about $50 of straw. I was told to bring the necessary witnesses. I asked the judge if this was necessary as every one knew our company, and he himself knew that we were handling contracts for hundreds of thousands of dollars. It made no difference; so I went out and got two clerks, who earned possibly £4 per month each in a neighbouring store, and took them up to vouch for the company. In all my cases I have never employed a lawyer. In the court-room there sit the judge and his secretary at ordinary desks, each witness is brought in by himself, and neither the accused nor any one else is in the room, unless you wish for an interpreter, whom you either supply yourself or the court provides. The judge offers you a chair and you sit down near him. You are not sworn, but the judge inquires if you intend to tell the truth, your age, nationality, &c., and then asks you to tell him all you know about the case, which his clerk takes down. Your statement is then read over to you, signed, and out you go.