Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-09-28


mer. Let Houston be content and no
ravenous. Rather should her energy an
intelligence work for the retention Of th
Capital at Austin, and encourage the citi
zens of the seat Of government in ever
laudable effort to improve and beautif
the "City of Hills" so that in thedead hea
Of July and August, Houstonians can foci
to the hills Of Travis for health and recre
alton, and be proud of the Capital Of thei
State, and feel that part Of its beauty ant
attractions are due the ailroad city o
the State. X.
Progress of the Texas Pacific Rail
road..-The Country Through Which
It Passes-..D Description of the East
ern End.
RALsToN, New MEXICO, August
81, 1872 2-This is dated in camp
near the deserted town of Ralston
New Mexico. This place is situa
ted at the north end of the Pyra
mid range of mountains, and was
built in consequence of a supposed
extensive deposit of silver ore. Af
ter some forty houses had been
constructed, and wells dug in the
ravines, whore the slate rocks bar
red back the water, for the use Of
the owners, and after further pros
pecting had been done with no
very encouraging success, news OF
the discovery of Silver City, in the
Burro range came, and quickly as
a herd of deer startled by the hunt
er, all are gone to the richer field.
Ralston is deserted. Will it ever
revive? We have for two days
rambled over the hills and rocks
in which the precious metal was
supposed to exist. First we found
dyke of quartz rock with seams
in which copper oxide was seen,
and small traces Of chloride of sill
YER. This rock was q perpendlcu-
lar backbone to the entire range
against which the other strata of
rock rest.
LARGE QUANTITIES OF SILVER
will yet be found in this range, of
tho various varieties of ore. We
found some as rich specimens Of
argentine (silver lead ore) as we
ever saw-specimens that were
worth dollar pound, and which
could be melted as readily as COM
mon lead ore. Veins foot wide,
solid mineral Of this rich ore, shows
itself on the surface of tho ground;
and orc has been traced distance
of hundred yards, when it is lost
under the high peak of Pyramid,
and thus parallel to the strike of
the range. A similar vein Of the
Same kind of ore is found at a dis
tance of six miles at Ralston. If
this be ono and the same vein, and
there is reason to suppose it is,
then these houses have not been
built in vain, and the Pyramid
range shall become one of the most
noted of silver producing points in
the country. But the ores must
be carried to some more distant
point to be worked, since there is
no fuel yet discovered near here
with which to smelt Or work the
ore.
THE TEXAS AND PACIFIC RAILWAY.
Col. Wolcott with his able assist
ants, Messrs. Thomas and Durham,
have reached the one hundred and
eighty-third mile from Ell Paso,
Texas, on their preliminary line;
and with many remarkably long
tangents, and no grade above fifty
feet to the mile, the greatest eleva-
tion is but rty-eight hundred feet
above sea level. Tho waters from
where we now are, flow to the Gil
Ia and thence to the Gulf of Cali.
tornia, consequently we have pass
ed the summit between the Rio
Grande and the Colorado of the
west. This road, if laid on the
preliminary line, and all know that
such lines can be improved, will
reach an elevation of but little
moro than one-half that of the Un-
ion Pacific road. Security of trav-
ell at all seasons of the year is thus
secured. And st. Louis is so stu
ated, with its lines of railroads
reaching toward Texas, that she
more than any other city can par
ticipate in the commerce that
must pass over this line.
CATTLE RANGES.
The lands of Texas and the In
dian Territory, on which the large
herds of cattle have been reared,
will much of them be turned to
grain-growing. Other and larger
herds will be required to feed the
millions of people that look to the
West for beef, mutton, hides and
wool. On our route we have pass
cd over lands covered with grass,
where SHOWS do not lie and seldom
fall, on which two millions of cows
could feed without other care than
herding and watering, and where
they could thrive and fatten for
the markets of the world. The
opening of this railway will create
a way between these lands and the
and the demand will fill |
the lands with the fiocks and herds. |
In the vicinity ofSt. Louis the cat
tie will meet the corn of Missouri |
and Illinois, and more eastern
roads will carry all to market.
"THIs COUNTRY HAS NO WATER"
Not quite so fast, Mr.. Objector;
streams, from the nature
of the surface soil and rocks, are
rarely met with; but streams and
springs of water are found in most |
Of the mountains, which sink as
they reach the plains. The Rio
where we left it was a flow !
ing river. The Rio Membres is al |
20 a strong mountain stream. Most |