Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-03-31
Texas Correspondence of the Spectator.
JEFFERSON TEXAS,
March 4th 1853

March 4th 1868.
Mr. EDITOR This city was the scene O
Saturday night, February 18th, of one of tn
most destructive fires that it has ever been OH
chance to witness.
The fire originated on Dallas street in ger
man bakery and soon spread to the building
adjoining it on the same block, all being @
wood, and as the wind was very high at th
time, it very soon carried the fire across Aus
tin street to the large Storehouses of H. B. Or
ton & Co., and j. M. Murphy & Co., and from
thence it crossed Levee street to the large bricl
warehouse of J. w. & j. B. Russell & Co., anc
then to the block below. Thus destroying, ii
the short space of two hours four az whole
| We had full view of the whole affair from oul
window at the Haywood House-where We
were aroused from our slumbers by the cry Of
| Fire! Fire +! and ringing of the fire bells
| The flames rolled and surged like ocean
waves, shooting their forked tongues towards
heaven, and added to this was the frequent ex-
plosions of gunpowder In the various stores
throwing large masses of fire hundreds of feet
in the air-altogether making the scene one
of the most awfully sublime that can well be
imagined.
The loss amounts to over one million ISL
000 O00,) of dollars, consisting of the buildings
and all kinds Of rchandize-amongst which
were 1000 bales of cotton. There was not 10
per cent insured on the whole amount de-
stroyed
Trade has been very lively here for the last
five weeks. Fortunately for the people Of this
section Red River was not navigable to this
point till that time, and cotton took a rise about
simultaneously with the rivers and sun from &c
to l3c-gold-per pound-in ten days and still
keeps up.
The cotton shipped from here this year will
be about rs, 900 bales, averaging about $54 per
bale-$l, 360 000-gold.
Cotton buyers have been much excited and
some heavy Jspeculations have been made. The
recent rise In cotton has stimulated the planters
to greater ezertiOns and much larger crop
will be planted than was at first supposed.
Notwithstanding the hard times emigrants
continue to pour in; most of them settling in
the rich wheat region Of Northern Texas-on
the l;na of the 4exas Central R. R.
and It viii b. soapleted to Sa He'd M River in two two
years. where it will meet the St. Louis and
Mexican Gulf road-thus forming one of the
most important lines of Railroad in the United
States ''so-caLed"
Lands in Northern Texas will then increase
in value very rapidly-as tide Of emigration
will set in from the West, surpassing anything
ever before auown 10 the history Of Texas
llAe gold fever is again on the increase here.
And old miner has just written letter-stating
that he with several others discovered very
rich mine about (1S) eighteen months sipee,
from which they were ariyen BY the Indians
but thaY leit certain signs by which they could
again And the locality and pledged themselves
to keep the matter secret hoping to be able,
at some future time to return and reopen the
reward Of their discovery. All have since died
except the author OF the teller mentioned above;
and he now proposes leading party to the
spot early in the spring, if they will get up a.
sufficient force to protect themselves, say from
100 to 200 men.
We have no doubt ti.e sonlpsay will be got
ten Up ana Will start about the lst or middle of
April: Quite number have already enlisted
The locality Of the mines is on the head wa
ters of Red River, and about 100 or $50 miles
from the frontier settlements. That gold exists
ia the Wichita Mountains is a fixed fact, as the
Indians frequently bring small quantities in to
barter with the settlers on the frontier
The election farce passed of quietly here, tAY
RAIDS having it all their Gvn way. About
1000 votes Wssa poeliled-25 Of which were
Waite "
The Convention carried by considerable
nia}oI1!y' ny INC Wtsl' Is NatihS IN s"T r piIo0'
and falling to vote in others. In Cherokee
county the majority of the negroes voted the
Conservative ticket. The white people of the
South have the negro in their power if they
had the nerve to make use of him
How long will it be before oTy paopia VIII re-
fuse to give employment to those who are try
Ing to ruin thein What sane man would give
food and shelter to one who is daily plotting
against bis life and liberty and that OF his wife
and children That is what the negro, aided
by white radicals, is daily doing, yet the major
ity Of our people cannot see it or have not
enough independence to act upon it.
The ''Irrepressble Baker still reigns in
Bowie occasionally picking off 'RiHe
Coat, who has the hardihcod to yeature 700
far from camp,
The people here manifest great interest in af-
fairs at Washington and thousands OF men are
ready to back the President if necessary.