San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1880-05-29
Rapid Progress er tho laserna'
llonnl. I


Mr.. T. II. Banks, just returned from
. trip to Austin, comes back overflow
Jog with good reports about the work
on the International. and the fine
fields Of grain and cotton along the
road from San Antonio to Austin.
He came directly along tho line Of the
international, and says II is truly
WONDERFUL TO REALIZE 4,
what Q great amount Of work has been
done within the past month, and with
what energy it progresses. In response
to inquiries. no was told that there
was about fifteen hundred men now at
work on the road, and that the force
was being increased daily. The COL
orado is to be temporarily bridged,
while the permanent bridge is 10 course
of construction, and work has already
commenced on the bridges over the
various greeks from Austin to and in
Guiding the San Marcos river. The
road will GROSS the San Marcos near
the old mill just below the Austin road
crossing. A force Of men is now bus.
lily engaged at this point. There have
already been
TWENTY MILES GRADED,
Mr.. Banks says. though not in con.
tinuous line. but counting the differ
emit mile sections where the work has
been completed. One sub.contraotor
tor grading eight miles, 10 little more
than q week finished q mile and q
half, and progressed we'll along the
full distance ofhis contract. The road
between San Antonio and the points
where work is going on is lined with
men Sc eking labor, and they have no
trouble in securing all they want. A
large party which had been at work
on the Galveston and Santa Fe road
arrived at San Marcos few days ago
and have now four camps from San
Marcos this way. Another large body
of graders from the same road is en-
route for the scene of labor. and will
be placed on the New Braunfels end Of
the line. Mr.. Banks says he never
saw such -.a
AGREAT DISPLAY OF ENERGY
as is witnessed in the prosecution of
this work. He observed many stone
cutters and other laborers from San
Antonio at work ON the bridges and
on the grading. The Statesman Of
Austin, says that farmers can not Sc
cure the help they need to chop out
cotton and do general work about
their farms. All hands are on the
railroad. In conversation with the
contractors, Mr.. Banks was told that
it was expected to complete the grading
to San Antonio by the first of October.
All hands are anxious to reach the
Alamo city, and talk as though they
expected to be met by our people with
peeled bananas to drop into their
mouths. Many of the men OF work
have their families with them and are
hardy, sober and industrious. These
talkof securing lands in western Tex
as for farms, and are going to save
what they earn to esta blish themsel-
YES as citizens of this country. The
policy Of the International has ever
been to build up the country through
which 4 runs. and these people are
undoubtedly being encouraged to pur-
sue the course they have decided up
on. which is certainly born of wisdom
The most difficult stretch to be graded
is just this side of the Colorado river,
where hills Of solid rock have to be
gone through. The steam drills will
be in operation in three or four days
however, when cuts through the hills
will be made with greater rapidity than
by the common method of drilling by
hand,
THE BEAUTIFUL FIELDS OF GRAIN
along the road to Austin, Mr.. Banks
says, attracted his attention. He new
er saw anything to equal it even in the
older states. Oats and rye and barley
were even with the fences and corn was
immense. At no farm was there a
sign of idleness, but the demand was
for more help. Many of the Mexicans
who were lounging about the streets
of San Antonio last winter arc enga-
ged by the farmers of San Marcos and
Stringtown, and are earning good
wages. In talks with farmers, they
told him that the acreage of oats
would range all the way from seventy
five to one hundred bushels. They
also said that never before in the his
tory of their experience as farmers had
they such fair promises Of heavy crops
as this season.
ruy ra,..y rnr-~rv rIp,rroo