The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-06-22
LOCAL NEWS.
THE LIGHT ON THE WING.
Our Correspondent Visits Eagle Pass and
Tells what He Saw.

Our Correspondent Visits Eagle Pass and
Tells what He saw
Editor San Antonio Light:
EAGLE PASS, June 20.--At fast speed over
an elevated plain westward from San Antonio
toward the Rio Bravo Del Norte, we gradu-
ally lose sight of the beautiful Alamo city;as 1t
looks in the last rays of the setting sun, many
are the EXPLANATIONS of praise of the passen-
gers as San Antonio recedes from view, until
at first the city proper, then the Government
hill, Dignowity hill. and the missions are grad
ually disappearing In the dim twilight of a
Texas summer evening.
Pete Freer's Creation, Medina park is soon
reached and seems to look like Goldsmiths de-
serted village and callsto the hurriedly passing
train: Pass me not" but neither engineer
nor conductor seem to heed and the empty
benches and platforms are left to mourn over
the stepfutherly progenitors. Rolling through
and over sun -parched prairies. through bridges
that span wuterless rivers, the train arrives Mt
Spofford junction at II midnight, when the
train from the Pacific coast IL to be met.
Standing on the very elevated platform
in a refreshing breeze that fans and coos and
refreshes, one sees, spectre like, the single sol-
itary Monte de Lns MOras near Fort Clark,
though some ten or twelve miles north of the
junction in the dim moonlight.
The new train is ready and again booming
over the elevated prairie where your cores
pondent in former times during nights
camp has seen some of the grand"st celestial
nIeWOrks, l. q. tnunder ana lightning tDat ever
befell human being to,behold. Soon, at about
3 u. m, when the moon is about ready to hide
behind the nearest mountains in the land OF
the MOntczumis, the conductor brings new
life into the drowsy assembly of passengers by
calling Justify Eagle Pass. Alighting from the
train there stands the adjunct of railroad civ
to any part of the city" Doich's Hotel is
reached at last and after few hours of refresh
ing sleep, the bell calls for breakfast
NIGHT SCENES.
Wandering through the streets of this an
cient frontier burRh the uninitiated stranger
not only hears but sees many strange things.
| Adjoining the depot grounds and throughout
the town rows OF tents of the army hospital
tent SIZE, are erected with a solidiwooden frame
work inside with high sounding names and IT,
| ties as the Turner's restaurant" the Acme
room and obligate billiard and gaming estab-
| lshment all Under cover of huge canvas with
| wooden tongue and groved floor strong
| wooden frame work supporting "iy for bet
| ter protection from sun hea', with gaudy ar
| ranged bar and sporting tab with hundreds
| of dollars OF silver coin on them, which Is not
| removed even during the day, and while the
sides of the tents are raised for admission of II
| never ceasing breeze, these tables with money,
and all serve as "a place OF rest for their res
| pective owners until called to work by ap-
| prOachiug darkness. Some of these
| primitive canvas saloons have not yet gotten
| beyond a DIRT floor, and instead of costly paper
hanginRs have II few yards of quilt pattern cal
| leo in the tlashiest cOlors for Il background.
| Some of these have tashy transparent Sign,
| Lodging while the raised canvas side walls
| display several dozen cots with one pillow and
| blanket as the inviting receptacle for the
| weary wayfarer. At another one of these cam
| vas establishments, the transparent sign of
| "keno" is seen, from whence issues the monot-
| onous sound of the caller. Barkeepers OF the
| genus homo femininum," walters, dancing
girls and s"iled doves are seen at nearly all
these places.
Dust! o, no! Any one saying there is no
dust in Eagle Pass tells it wrong, only the di-
minutive atOmzed dust of an accumulation
from n thousand years into which you sink
knee deep at every step, with old Sol burning
over you at the tune of l0i degrees in the
shade.
The railroad bridge across the Rio Grande IL
nenring completion aud the contractor intend:
to have grand old American fashion blow out
on the fourth of July next as inauguration
day, when the first engine and train will pass
across RIO GRANDE.