The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-10-13
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Progress ofths Road Toward nj Paso -Oni,
i5s Mites 10 Build - Character 81 III,
Country West Of the Pecos-T Through
Trains for ssp Francisco, January LIST
1889.
From Captain w. NJ. Johnson, engineer
in charge OF track-laying on tho Texas &
Pacific extension, who has been In tho city
for several days, q HBRALD reporter yoster-
day learned the following information con-
corning the progress of the great enterprise
of building that line:
The end OF the track Is now on section
$50, or $50 miles from FL Paso, and 1877
miles west Of Dallas.
point halfway between Antelope and
Boracho stations, in the Lymria noun
tains, 400 feet above the sca-level, or
4, 200 feet higher than Dallas.
The track-laying progresses ut the rate OF
from ten to twelve miles per week, ut which
rate FL Paso will be reached before the
1st of January, 1882.
The grading is all finished through the
mountains. except few miles in Cariso
Pass, which will be done in three weeks Z
The bridges GAO in number) between San
Martin and the Eagle Pass are being put in
as fast as the track approaches, and Messrs.
Cowen & Knowelon have large force at
Toyah framing.
The section-houses, depots and round
houses are put up by Mr.. A. Brownlee as
fast as required, and he is working over one
hundred men.
The water-tanks are put in every twenty
miles, and where water is not found a. such
springs as the Petriken, San Martin, Ante
lope and Eagle Springs wells are dug by
steam machinery and an abundant supply
obtained.
The track-laying force is still kept up to
300 men and fifty teams, and they lay
about sixteen cars of iron and forty-tWo
cars of ties per day.
The telegraph line is kept upwith the end
located in Captain Johnson's office, on the
boarding train, at the end of the track.
The weather has been delightfully."- cool
and pleasant and in the mountains the air
is cool and light, insurins good health to
everybody
One of our old citizens, Mr.. L. NJ. Spen-
Ger, is the meat contractor along the line,
and keeps q herd of 100 fat beeves on the
prairie within easy distance of the different
gangs at work.
The Lymria mountains, a spur of the
Gaudaloupe, are found to the south OF the
railroad at San MARITIME, and extend south
into Preside county to the north OF the
Pecos river, and are covered with the ricn
gramnla grass, anu lic I'LL ups dhS
with large trees, such as buckeye. wild
cherry, oak, cedar, pine, cottonwood and
walnut. The stone is volcanic, or lgneous
| rock, but so far no coal or minerals have
| been found.
South of San Martin is the Mexican colony
of Victoria, on Taylor Creek, where irrigation
| is practiced to a large extent, and q num-
Der of farms cultivated for corn, oats, barley
and melons.
There are no cattle on the range west o
| the Pecos except 10000 belonging to Col
| w. L. Hughes and John Simpson, and they
are confined to the banks of the Pecos
while there is a range west OF them BIZ
enough to feed all the cattle and sheep IL
| Texas.
In the mountains are to be found the an
telope black-tail deer and the cinnamon
| bear; the Mexican lion can be found with
| out looking for them,
No Indians have been seen and heard o
| anywhere along the line of the railroad, al
| though there are plenty west Of the RlC
| Grande, and in Colorado.
On the first of January, 1882, through
| passenger trains will be put on this lin'
| from Dallas to San Francisco and all point:
| in California and Oregon.