Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 189: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Ask Adventure 187 STANDING INFORMATION For information on trade in any part of the world, address J. L. Binda, National Foreign Trade Council, 1 Hanover Sq., New York. For general information on U.S. ae its possessions, write Supt. of Public Documents, Wash., D. C., for catalog of all Government. publications. For the tag) oe Porto Rico, and customs receiv- erships in Santo Domingo and Haiti, the Bureau of Insular Affairs, War Dept., Wash., For Alaska, the Alaska Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Central Bldg.. Seattle, Wash. For Hawaii, Hawaii Promotion Committee, Chamber of eh Honolulu, T. H. Also, Dept. of the Interior, Wash., Mr. Thompson Explains [ IT so happened that some of you “Ask Adventure” correspondents wrote Mr. Thompson and failed to receive a reply, here’s the explanation. Write him again if you're still interested, and this time you'll get your answer for sure: Somehow (Mr. Thompson writes me) I wish there were a means of my apologizing to some inquirers, whoever they are. I was away ten days, so natu- rally unanswered mail accumulated. With instruc- tions to clean up, the maid destroyed everything, even the MS. of a new book on fishing T had just com- pleted. So I am up in the air as to who the in- quirers were, and it embarrasses me greatly. I hope nothing of the kind again occurs in a lifetime. Around the Mexican Oil-Fields Eas inquirer wants to go to Tampico on his nerve. Well, Mr. Mahaffey did it, so it can be done; but these tips, which Mr. Mahaffey gained by hard personal experience, may pad the bumpy spots some: Ouestion:—“T am writing requesting information concerning Mexico at this time, especially the regions surrounding Tampico on the Gulf. [am intending to go there very shortly and would like to know something of this. country before I Start. 1. Could you give me an idea of how working conditions are for a young American down there at the present time? 2. How is work in the oil-fields now? 3. Is there any chance for a young man to get on with companies that are sending their men down? 4, Would there be any chance for a man who has handled machine guns and understands explosives to get a job as a guard, or be able to still see a little excitement and real adventure? 5. What are the wildest parts of Mexico, where one can still see plenty of real excitement, etc.? 6. I can not speak Spanish at present. Would it be much of a drawback to attempt to enter that Suny without knowing it? Is there any way one could make money there, that 3 is generally known if they do not care for risks? 8. Is there any mining property owned by Ameri- cans, that they employ guards for? Would rather these questions would not be published, or rather not my name in Adventure.” , Grandfield, Okla. For Cuba, Bureau of Information, Dept. of Agri., Com and Labor, Havana, Cuba. The Pan-American Union may be called upon for general information relating to Latin-American matters or for oe data. Address L. S. Rowe, Dir. Gen., Wash., For R, C. M. P., Commissioner Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottawa, Can. Only unmarried British ee age 18 to 40, above 5 ft. 8 in. and under 175 lbs rae Canal Zone, the Panama Canal Comm., Wash., For U. &., its possessions and most foreign countries, the Dept. of Com., Wash., D. C. Answer, by Mr. Mahaffey:—1, 2. Since the slack times have commenced in the U. 5S. there have been many Americans and other foreigners drifting into the Tampico oil-fields; and on account of dull times in the mines, due to the low price of metals, many foreign employees have probably gone there, thus making work scarcer than usual. I would not advise any one to go there on a speculation without having sufficient funds to carry him a month or two, and as Tampico i is a boom town everything is high. 3. Unless you are a specialist in oil-well work, refining or such, I do not think you could get sent down as these companies can pick up semi-skilled labor in and around Tampico. Also, the man on the ground naturally has the first chance. 4, I do not think so, as it would cause great friction and trouble to employ foreigners as guards, etc. The best chance for excitement and adventure would be as a paymaster in the oil-fields, and I assume they are heavily bonded. They usually get all the action they want, as they carry payroll money to outlying camps and have skirmishes at times with the bandits. 5. The wildest part of Mexico, as far as I know, is in the Sierra de Oaxaca, in the State of Oaxaca, south of Mexico City. There are many unexplored localities and some wild and woolly Indians. In the States of Michoacan and Guerrero there are large jungles, etc. 6. Unless you know Spanish, or at least enough to get along, it would be rather difficult to travel in the interior, although all over you will meet people who can talk some English. However, the first time I came to Mexico I had two dollars and could talk just three words in Spanish. I stayed two years, made money, spent it, had a good time, adventures galore, including a stay of thirty-six days as a guest of the rebel party in control at the time in a hot adobe jail, and wouldn’t trade the experience for a farm. It all depends on how big a chance you will take to go it alone in a strange country. 7. Offhand I could not tell you of any quick although easy way to make money, as there are opportunities differing with the time and locality, and one would have to be right on the ground. If you want to goin for speculation there are fluctua- tions in oil shares which offer a chance of making money and also of losing it. 8. I do not know of any mining concerns who employ foreign guards, and think it very unlikely on account of the reasons mentioned above. As those companies are in business to make money they will not as a rule hire foreigners at high wages when a Mexican will do it forless money. All these mining companies have their private police, _ ECORICLOOO© (E©)