Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-08-14
Correspondence of The Star.l

ERTY HEAT AND DUsr-EAsY MANNzRJ-A
COMMUNITY IN ITS SHIRT SLEEVES
Correspondence Of The Star.l
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, August 5th, 1879
Of all the place have vislted-and they have
been many-with one exception, and that was
when was actually beyond the border OF the
United states and In the dominion OF her most
Catholic majesty, Queen Isabella OF Spain, In
none have l felt SO utterly stranger In a
strange land; and this l think must pe the ex-
perence Of all who come here from the north.
The style OF architecture, the narrow, crooked
streets; the yet narrower, ill-paved or unpaved
sidewalks; the foreign accent or language, and
peculiar features and costumes of a large ma
jcrity of its peoples the queer vehicles and little
lackasses with their heavy burdens, and
even the, dogs, diminutive and hairless, all
ted to beat this in upon ones mind Gas
though 1t were the burden OF a song" /
am told that since the coming OF the rail-
road, the place has lest much OF this distinctive
foreign feature, that one Industry has stirred
others into action. This can be seen in the
buildings lately erected, and no where better
than by contrasting the present post Office aud
the Alamo building, which stand within stones
throw OF each other, and yet are separated by a
century Of time, and each representing differ
ent nation and age; but this same spirit OF pro-
canizing it, that has spanned It's rivers with
iron bridges, has built gas, water, and ice
works, a street railroad, handsome school,
houses, and many fine stores and beautiful pri-
same Alamo. Yes,
THE CRADLE OF TEXAN LIBERTY
where in those early days her sons so bravely
fought and nobly died, and whose every stone
should be held sacred by every man who calls
himself Texan, is being transformed into a
grocery store! ''To what base useS' has thy
shrine. oh, Texas, come at last
This town was not laid out
ACCORDING TO GUNTER OR HoYLE,
or On any definite plan, should say. There
are three plazas-the Main, Military and Alamo.
They are large open squares, devoid OF trees or
vegetation, and the town Town, has squatted down
looks as though In the eginning every man
built where his fancy dictated, and made his
own streets to suit his own convenience. The
streets are unnamed except on the map the
houses are un-numbered, and the two rivers,
the San Antonio and San Pedro. twist and wind
through the place In very confusing way.
may be, to take look around; the first thing
he crosses bridge; and as bridge is good
land mark, he takes bearings so as to lind
his way back. A hundred yards or so on and
be crosses another, or as 1t seems to him the
same one, and in the course OF an hours
wandering he has crossed a dozen, and is hope
lessly beW1ldered and lost. Then he asks his
way of the first one he sees, but fails to make
himself understood, or to understand the gib-
berish OF the stranger He fails ANONYMOUSLY
in his second and third attempts, begins to feel
couraged, and sits down on one curb stone,
putting his feet on the other across the street,
and tries to collect his thoughts. The sun over
comes him, and he is carried to the station for
being drunk. There they speak English, and
he finds bis way home, from which, probably,
be has not been quarter OF a mile at any time
1 have with all due diligence for more than
week studied the directory and map OF the town:
have been guided around 1t by Old residents
and have even threaded some OF Its mazes alone
put am no nearer q proper conception OF it
post Office carrier system here. God pity the
carriers II they do!
DUSTY PARADISE.
From all had read, and from pictures had
paradise. Experience does not verify this con-
cluslon. What it may be In the spring, when,
as they tell me, flowers are everywhere In
great profusion, and the air is redolent with
mer, when not drop Of rain has fallen for a
month, when every street and lane Is deep with
dust, and an ugly brown mantle Of dust covers
is over all, and In all, and through all, when the
as as an Inf. infants soul is Of sin, and
dicates go In the shade, it is anything but "a
thing OF beauty or Joy forever" Even the
far famed springs OF the San Padro, and their
surrounding SUI grounds were disappointment.
3 great stream OF crystal water, cold as Ice.
They trickle in very feeble way down through
dirty ditch and series Of scum covered ponds
into the San Pedro. In the grounds are some
fine trees, but no shrubbery to speak OF; no
grass at ali, but plenty Of weeds. Nature In
my opinion has not done much for the place,
the city, but have been leased for period OF
years and are now used for beer garden.
HOT, BUT HEALTHY.
That this is healthy place no one can deny
finding health Every day men are pointed out
to me, who when they came were In the very
jaws OF death, wasted TO skeletons by consump-
ton or hemorrhages. and who now are strong and
n a ofn nfo a
too marvellous for belief, but why it is 30 health
ful cannot conceive. 1t is situated In q valley,
fact In itself In Texas to give 1t q bad reputa-
ton: Two rivers and several bitches run
and decomposing vegetation, and used for every
purpose from drinking, bathing and washing Of
clothes to serving the purposes OF general
with weeds, and little or no efforts made to en-
force sanitary regulations. The odors that
every Where asSa1l ones nostrils are not those
cleaned and are In the dry season thick with
dust, aud In the wet QuagmireS OF mud.
EASY HABITS OF THE SAN ANTONIANs:
There Is another thing that must impress the
in which men work. They are never in hurry,
save when astride OF horse, and then they are
always so. friend OF mine remarked to me
good for mem asd dogs Sui hell
women and Oxen" He should have included
horses In the latter. Stop here moment, where
tnlS DullQlDS lS going up, ana see now men
labor! Nature as 1t were has pandered to their
distaste for hard work by giving them stone
excuse me, crock, >" there Is no stone In Texas)
SO soft that those two men there are saving It
with common cross cut saw, and these are
squaring rough blocks into shape with some
thing very like hatchet. Here is man carry.
Ing mortar, not in a hod, but in buckets sus-
pended from yoke slung across his neck Here
TWO others are carrying stone on hand bar
row. Pretty soon, when the walls are higher,
you Will see them scale them, not on ladders In
the orthodox way, but on zig gag in
clined planes. Another noticeable point
Is the disregard OF anything but comfort,
III takes one some time to become accustomed
10 seeing dry goods clerks In their shirt sleeves
no collars on ana suspenders of of shoulders
ana Mapping round their legs, waiting on ladies,
The markets seem to be well supplied yege-
tables coming from the irrigated regions round
about. Figs are plenty, watermelons are rine
and cheap the largest selling for dime; and
during the season wild turkeys and veniSon is
abundant. The former sell from 20 to 80 cents
each, and the latter from 81 to Is cents quar-
ter, or as they say here from to bits I can
give no quotations on beef as IL is not sold by
the pound, but by the piece, SO much for a
roast, steak or soup bone.
FEvER lNCIDKNTs.-There were twenty-three
new cases and twelve deaths from yellow fever
officially reported at Memphis yesterday. One
more death occurred after the report closed. It
1s fact that thieves fear the fever less than
any other kind OF human beings The cat sttll
lrequents Its otherwise deserted home In Men,
PMS, but the animal does not rummage around