The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-06-14


insults upon ireland and Irish-Amer-
leans that will not he orgotten. Al
the same time we will not forget that
we are peaceable American citizens"
For the Statesman.
A Trip to the Far West.
Owing to ill health, We concluded IA
week or so since to lay aside the
cares of office life and take a stroll
or ride us far out as the Texas bank
of the Rio Grande. OF course we
l, fit Austin when we started. Even
tually we arrived in San Antonio, at
ter skipping through several pros
porous villages. At the City of Ala
moric remembrances we paused. We.
didn't stop entirely, for we were com
PEELED to keep in motion while taking
in the city and getting ourselves
taken in. We found many magnifi-
cent buildings in course of erection
and ground being cleared for many
more. The city was crowded with
strangers from every direction, and
each man seemed to be spending
money freely. But wasn't it hot
Thermometers had vanished. After
stay of two days we mounted the
platform of Sunset car and were
soon being whirled past cottages
and irrigated gardens ut lightning
speed. After a run of eight hours in
the dark we halted at the muchly-
wrltteN-up town of
DEL RIO, KINNEY COUNTY.
AS we did not get dead-head meal
ticket at any Of the hotels, or tree
10 ~, q,
mention or give any one puff but
we must say, before describing the
town, that the Sunset route is the
grandest, us far as we have been able
to observe, of all our railway systems.
The managers have endeavored to Sc
cure the finest and most comfortable
ceeded well. Steel rails without a
flaw, as far as the eye could reach,
were something new to US, but here
we found them, and were informed
by the gentleman showing us the
town that the same could be seen all
along the line. The company have
erected one of the finest depOtS in the
south, built entirely of California red
wood. Their round-houSe and two
story hotel are among the most sub
stantial buildings of the kind to be
found in any land. They are estab-
fishing a system of water-works, of
which any town might well be proud.
While looking about we discov-
cred the plpe-layers busily engaged in
planting the caSt-iron conveyerS of
fluid from the springs to the depot.
The company seem determined that
the town shall be place of much i'm
portance in the near future, and de-
serve credit for aiding in the building
up of one of the grandest states on
earth.
Del Rio is one hundred and seventy
miles west of San Antonio, on the
eastern bank of the Rio Grande, and
embraces an irrigable territory of
many miles. Few IN untains abound
on the American side of the river, the
town and surroundings being nearly
as level as some placid lake A very
few fields are in cultivation this
spring, owing to the fact that the
railway company, while building, paid
laborers from $3.50 to So per day,
whereas before as farm hands they
received only 75c. and 81. 1t is prob
able they will have to return to their
old love, the pillow, this fall. and COM
mence where they left off. Two crops
each year can be made i'll this coun-
try, as the farmers never wait for rain.
Although the dry season had been on
hand for many months, still in the
shade the breeze was perfectly delight
full, and at nighttime II person enjoys
a repOse of sole" unknown to us
trampS Of the interior. AS a rule We
found the inhabitants exceedingly
polite and unsuspiciouS-that is. they
don't think every one comes out to
rob them. Many place
have l been where every one slapped
his hand upon his pocket and gazed
at me with suspicious eye. Not So
away out upon our western border
where many people from the north
expect to meet only roughs. Among
these courteous people we became &C
quainted with a Spanish lady by the
name of Rivers, who is one of the
richest Inhabitants. possessing an eX-
tensive homestead near the town and
much land, ETC., outside. She was
talkative and explained everything
we could not readily understand our
selves, as we strolled through one of
the finest vineyards and plum groves
to be found on earth. We have seen
many plum tree weighed down with
plumS, we have gaZed upon many a
grapevine we thought to be full, but
the fruit presented to our vision away
out in that apparently deSolate region
kinder got away with our imagin l.
ton. Peaches did not seem to flour
ish so well. But what an opening for
the wine-maker in the futurel We
were informed they were of the Con-
cord species and made very sweet
wine. She said her entire plum
and grape crop were for
sale cheap, but no one was
in that business as yet. and she would
have to feast her friends when they
rlpened-we mean the fruit. But we
were compelled to leave this sylvan
retreat as the springs had to be.
visited. After half an hours drive
we halted at No. L. The water seems
to boil up through a large hole with
ragged edges. from some river far be-
meath. 1t is like crystal and is very
cool. Number 2 is somewhat larger
than No. L, but both are about as
beautiful as the other-that is, they
are alike lovely beyond compare.
There is one smaller, but enough has
already been said by other dis
tlngrlshed writers to give the tourist
an idea of where to go for water.
We then visited the immense beds
OF drifting sand lying on the Texas
side of the Rio Grande We wert
half an hour in crossing. but eventu
ally reached the rivers edge. ana
! drank TO the future of Texas in the
brarkiah water of the great America
Mexicanic river. Then back. TO the
hotel. Al this in one d V; and AT
1850 that. night we were homeward
bound, where we arrived at $3.50 Sun
day evening. KERNEL KRAIG.
THREE hundred industrial schools
have been established in France, and
the minister of public education
stated in the French chambers that
the number would be multiplied until
there was one in every commune.
faa
In NQxU York tho 'Fimpc ic now RIM