The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-04-22
"SLEEPY HOLLOW"
Som ething About the Beautiful Comal -
Sleeping Village - A Transformation
Scene In Store for 1t.

The enthusiastic editor of the New Braun
fels Zeitung in an outburst of eloquence over
the prospective New Braunfels, says some
thing to this effect: "Galveston is called the
Island City, Houston the Bayou City, Aus
tin the City of the Hills, Dallas the Queen
City, Denison the Gate City, San Antonio
the alamo City, New Braunfels must be
called the 'Rosen Stadt, or the City of 'Ro-
ses.'" But as we stepped off of the cars and
saw the train move away, and the surround
ings relapsed into profound silence, we felt
that we had landed at "Sleepy Hollow" We
| passed down the Main street and by the open
doors of the stores and saw that the
merchants were quietly doing by their coun-
tiers and we enquired of our companion, if it
was usual for the place to be SO quiet, and
he replied there is nothing unusual about it.
| We sought the hotel,-the old house kept by
Schmidt years ago, where the stage coach
used to bring its load of dusty, hungry pas
| square and profound stiffness seemed to
have settled upon the scene, and the soft
spring wind came bearing on its wings the
fragrance Of grape blooms, and we could al
most have sworn that it was here Rip Van
Wrinkle formerly lived.
New Braunfels has changed but little in
spite of the fact that the railroad passes
through it and eight or ten trains day awake
the echoes OF the lovely valley as they bear
onward the stream Of commerce and civiliza-
ton. The stream flows onward without ruff
fling the howery banks on which stands the
sleepy village.
Getting some dinner, we proceeded to the
Comal. where dam is being built, to utilize
the splendid water power of that stream, to
run large cotton factory.
If the town was asleep there was one spot
near by that bore evidence of busy life.
At the site of the old Tory factory
a work is going on that exceeds, in
magnitude, anything Of the kind in the state,
if not in the south. A dam of extraordinary
proportions is being built across the comal.
The work is under the charge of Mr.. Jas. Bar
rey, a man of great experience as a
builder, having built the stone work for the
railroad bridge over the Guadalupe, and be-
fore he came to the state had charge of build
ing stonework on the Welland Canal Mr..
Barrey has force of some fifty men at work
at the dam and some twenty more quarrying
stone few miles from the river.
We can give but general idea of the work.
The stone is quarried in large blocks, many
of them weighing several ton each. These are
brought to the bank and there dressed,
and by means of derricks lowered to
their places. When these immense
blocks are put in place they are
thoroughly grouted with the best Portland
cement, and the whole becomes a solid mass,
as immovable as the hills; passing through the
huge pile of stone we remarked that there
seemed enough to build two such dams, but
Mr.. Barry replied that such dam was
perfect graveyard for stone quarry, and so it
seems.
To secure foundation, the bed of the river
has been excavated for several feet, fourteen
or more, into the solid rock; this is to get be-
low all springs and 6sures. The dam is twenty
feet wide at its base, and five feet at the top,
and nearly 200 feet long: about one-half the
work is done, and it looks like the seats of an
old amphitheatre.
To do this work the swift, dashing, bright
stream of water had to be turned aside by
temporary dam which in itself is good, eff
fective piece of work.
Mr.. Barey has under him several ex-
perienced stone masons, notably four or five
Scotchman, who do most of the placing of
the stone. the stone cutters are composed of
Germans and other nationalities, and the lab
orers are colored and white. But everything
moves like clockwork, and the dam seems
like bee hive in the midst of quiet farm
yard.
The company of capitalists who have this
enterprise in charge intend to erect large
cotton factory and to employ thousand per-
sons. When this enterprise is fairly under
way New Braunfels will no longer be
"sleepy hollow" 1t will exchange its pres
ent peaceful, happy, contented condition for
that of busy, busting factory town. Will
it be happier, will it be richer than it is now
1t will be buster but it will not be HAMMER. or