system of
the western half of Cuba. A number of important roads have since been
opened in the central and eastern portions of the island, whose railroad
mileage is at present larger per capita than that of any other political
division of the Western Hemisphere save that of Canada and the United
States. The second of the West India islands to construct a railroad was
Jamaica. A line connecting Kingston and Spanishtown was opened on the
21st of November, 1845. Two branch lines have since been added, making
the total number of miles of road on this island seventy-six at the
present time. About twenty-five miles more are now in the process of
construction. San Domingo and Hayti have also recently commenced to
build railroads. In the former republic a line from Sanchez to LaVega,
sixty-two and one-half miles long, is now open to traffic, and Hayti is
constructing a line from Gonaives, on the western coast, to Porte de
Paix, on the eastern coast of the island. The Spanish government in
1888 also granted a charter for the construction of a railroad on the
island of Porto Rica.

Of our neighbors on the North American continent, Mexico and Canada, the
former has been by far the slower to avail herself of the advantages of
railroad communication. The slow growth of the railroad system of Mexico
must be ascribed chiefly to the frequent political disturbances of the
country as well as to the many topographical obstacles which presented
themselves to the railroad engineer. The first Mexican railway,
excepting tramways, was the one which connects the capital with the city
of Vera Cruz. It was constructed by an English company and was opened on
the first day of January, 1873. In 1875 the total number of miles of
road in Mexico was 327, and five years later somewhat less than 700.
Since then the development of the system has been much more rapid. In
1880 several companies were formed for the purpose of building a system
of roads which would connect the Mexican capital with the United States
as well as with the most important harbors of the gulfs of Mexico and
California. The projectors of these lines, who were citizens of the
United States, received the hearty cooperation of the Mexican
government, and the work was at once pushed very vigorously. At the end
of the year 1885 more than 2,500 miles of new road were open for
traffic, and a thousand miles more at the end of the following year. In
1889 Mexico had 5,332 miles of road. The pri