SECTION XIII.
The Mexican International Railroad.
This line is being constructed under the so-called Huntington concession. Its northern terminus is at Piedras Negras, in the State of Coahuila. An iron bridge, which is 930 feet long, crosses the Rio Grande at this point, and communicates with Eagle Pass, Texas. Here connection is made by a branch line with the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad at Spofford Junction, 34 miles distant.
Leaving Piedras Negras (elevation, 720 feet), the railway runs southerly to Monclova. The stations are Nava, 25 miles; Allende, 33 miles; Sabinas, 73 miles; Hermanas, 125 miles; and Monclova, 148 miles. There is an iron bridge over the Rio Sabinas (elevation, 1,400 feet). The population of Monclova is about 3,000, and the elevation is 2,030 feet. A wagon-road leads to Saltillo, 121 miles distant. (See p. 245.)
From Monclova the railroad will trend southwesterly toward the "laguna country," where the mean elevation is 4,000 feet. The line will pass within a few leagues of Parras and Mazapil. Connection will be made with the Mexican Central Railway in the vicinity of Durango.
The greater part of the region traversed by the Mexican International Railroad is fertile. The cereals, sugar-cane, and cotton are cultivated at various points.
On November 1, 1883, about 120 miles of track had been laid, and it is expected that the road will be completed to Monclova by the end of the current year.
