San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1879-01-18

Mujor Bishop. being, as no s'ateu
about to leave this county, handed III
the following letter for such use al
VIC might deem proper. The letter
will explain itself, and whatever ma,
be thought as to the practicability oil
its suggestions, we think it possesses
sufficient interest.to merit publication,
Besides all whom it may concern will
thus be enabled to correspond with the
writer, If they see proper to DO Sold
FIrcuBuao, Mass, Dec, 0, 1873.
A. Won STEIN, San Marcos. .l ~.
DEAR SIR.-Yours Of Nov. 18th
! received. and for the valuable inior'
| nation il contained l wish 10 thank
you and your friend Maj. j. II. Bish-
%. The FREE Pass also received
with much other information that hit
the mark at tho right time. l see by
the FREE Press that it is only Is
miles from San Marcos to Kingsbury,
on the Sunset route, and tho Major
says in his statement twenty miles to
Seguin, and only eighteen to New
Braunfels, and as l understand about
twelve miles from New Braunfels to
Seguin. Now, is there ANYTHING being
done, by anyone, to connect San Mar.
COS with any point by railway? And
if not, what is the feeling and prospect
of anything being done in that line!
If it is eighteen miles to Kingsbury.
and twenty to Seguin, and only eight
cen to Now Braunfels, and twelve from
New Brauufelsto Seguin, making it
thirty miles from San Marcos to Sc
guin via New Braunfels, which would
you think would be the best for the
public and the owners Of the railway 1t
one should be built.from San Marcos to
the Sunset route, to build. to Kings
bury, eighteen miles, or to Seguin,
twenty miles. or to Seguin via New
Braunfels. thirty miles? Could any
parties in San Marcos be induced to
take hold of railway project if other
parties would also take half interest in
tbs same and build it and put it in
operation? 1 have control of eight
and a half miles of narrow guage rail
road material, including switches,
frogs, turntable, water-tanks, pumps,
two engines, seven freight and four
passenger cars, hand cars, tools, etc..
all nearly new, only been built and run
about six months. with the best OF
carey and If the parties in San Marcos
and other parties along the line be-
tween San Marcos and the Sunset
route would furnish q free right-of-
way and depot grounds, when needed
and raise one. half the cash needed to
build the same, the persons that are
interested in the above railroad prop
erty (the 81 miles and rolling stock)
will furnish the other half, and build
the line and put it in operation at
once, if charter could be had. Do
you think this project could be carried
out and charter obtained for mar
row guage railway, two feet guage in
stead of three feet as this eight and a
half miles is two feet guage, and the
rolling stock the same.
The passenger cars will seat thirty
passengers, each, and they can ride
with more comfort III the two feet, one
in a seat, than in the three feet, two
in a seat.
If the line should go to Kingsburyit
will only require about nine and one
half miles of track in addition to the
eight and one.half on hand. This
road could be built and put into op-
Grafton and your city connected with
steam without very large outlay by
parties along the line, and if your peo.
pie wish steam connections with the
outside world l think this is your
chance.
Perhaps your people would rather
have line to Austin, which would
be only.thirty miles, same as to Seguin
by way of New Braunfels; you know
best about that. But with this line
put down either to the Sunset route
or to Austin, it would not be long be-
fore it would extend TO other points,
which could not help being of much
benefit to San Marcos,