Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-01-24
A LOS ANGELEN0 IN TEXAS.
The Eastern Terminus Of the Texts Pacific
Extensive Coal Fields West Of Fort
WOrth-How Texas Stage Drivers Man
age Their Mules.

Having lived for nearly two
years in the proposed Western ter
minus of the Texas Pacific Rail
way-San Diego-we awaited our
selves of the presence in Los An
geles Of our friend, Mr.. Thomas
Gates, who has just returned from
the present terminus OF the road,
to ask a lot of questions about that
town and section. They were
cheerfully answered. Mr.. Gates
tells us that Dallas and Fort Worth
are the liveliest towns he encoun-
tered on the American continent
since leaving Los Angeles. Fort
Worth claims eight thousand peo-
pie, and the appearance of the
place sustains the boast. No grad
ing or other work seems to have
been done on the Texas Pacific
West of that town.
Mr.. Gates's mission to Texas was
to look after some coal lands, in
Stephens county. belonging to the
estate of Gen. Albert Sidney John
ston. He went as the representa-
tive OF the heirs of the General,
some of whom, including Mr.. Han
cock M. Johnston, reside in this
city. He found the valuable body
of coal lands, consisting of twenty
five hundred acres, located on the
Clear Fork branch of the Brazos
river, about one hundred and fifty
miles West of Fort Worth. The
deposit is directly on the line of the
Texas Pacific survey. The Gulf,
Colorado and Santa Fe Railway,
road connecting Galveston with
Santa F6. and the extension of the
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Rail-
way, (the present terminus of the
latter is Denison) pass quite near
these coal fields. 1t is proposed to
strike the Rio Grande with the
latter road some distance South of
Ell Paso.
A detailed inspection of these
coal fields has satisfied Mr.. Gates
that they are permanent and valu-
able. The vein crosses the Clear
Fork of the Brazos diagonalIy, and
it is fully three.quarters of a mile
wide. Its length is not yet ascer-
tanned. 1t crops out in the river
banks; and, during low water, the
people whereabouts have been in
the habit, for the last nineteen
years, of throwing it out by the
ton. It crops out so abundantly
that neither tunnel nor shaft have
been needed to make it available
for the use of settlers. As we are
certain to have railway below the
snow line soon, it is pleasant to
know that fuel will be so plentiful,
and We also rejoice that our towns
man has perfected all the requisite
arrangements for securing for him.
self and the other heirs of his
father this desirable mine of black
diamonds.
Mr.. Gates tells US that they are
on the tip-toe of expectationat Fort
Worth for the passage of the Scott
guarantee. They fully believe in
its success, in that respect remarka-
bly, resem bling that other terminus
of the Texas Pacific-San Diego.
We cannot close this brief chap
ter without giving our informant's
account of the ingenious way the
Texas stage drivers have of treating
refractory mules. When they show
any inclination to "stall," by a
quick and dexterous jerk a half
filed mail bag is flung on their
backs. AS the mule don't know
what this means, he develops an
irrational terror that is unworthy
of his conceded intelligence and
buckles down to his work in APP
proved style.