The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-05-24

turbed. The 'squabble" in question
is between the unpatented lands of
railroad company and some land spec
ulators who maintain that the rail-
road SURVEYS were made in violation
of the law, and not being merged into
patents the land is subject to adverse
entry. Our supreme court has de-
cided that a patent covering public
land can only be attacked by the state
even though patented in fraud.
\ novel appeal, involving ques-
ton over which the commissioner
has no Jurisdiction, was made to him
Yesterday. We state it as follows:
A file on piece of Texas land expir-
ed February 1. Two parties anxious
to file on the lands as soon as the
original file expired, went to the sur
veVors office ON the morning that the
land was subject to entry. A was
standing at the door, and b and two
| friends came up. When the surveyor
arrived and opened his office. the
friends of b held A until b could get
| in and hand his file to the surveyor. BY
this means they effected for B prior
ity of file. A writes to Capt. Walsh
to know what remedy can be had. he
can do nothing in the matter, as 1t Is
one for the courts to determine.
Gen. Xavier B. DeBray, the trans
lator in the land department, has been
serving a long time in that capacity.
He was in the Office some years before
the war till about 1860, and was called
back to it after the war in 1877, and
has been engaged in it ever since. He
has sometimes to grapple with many
quaint volume of ye anclente lore
and laws of We olden time. Among
them we notice copy Of the royal
code of Spain of 1544, over two hum
bred years ago. The general, as an
accomplished linguist, plays quite Ia
: miliar with its hard lines OF construc-
ton.
}. Capt. J. II. Hutchins, in the office,
has also been long time in the ser
yice-from 1860 to the close on the
j war. and again from 1874 to the pres
ent time. If his three states which
have been SO long in use could speak
y they would doubtless testify that
they have had ciphered upon them
greater aggregate of land values ano
calculations than any other three
states in the union.
THE SEWERAGE QUESTION.
i The city council, after considerable
f circumlocutory consideration and re.
consideration of the application OF
the sewerage board for right of wa!
: for the state sewerage pipes to con
+ meet with the capitol and other build
n ings, want to know what hand TIT
n city can take in the job, which wa:
. not the question which the sewerage
q board submitted, being able to handle
2 the Job themselves. 1t is to be hopet
!. the matter will be acted upon at once
thrn1Ph Will
their work.
d STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM.
" At meeting of the board of di
# rectors Yesterday the contract TO
n making an addition to the east winl
h of the building was let to McLain !
Co. for $2068.50 The contract TO
% painting was let to G. G. Gross.
II DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM BOARD.
u This board met yesterday in the OF
# fee of L. W. Folts. On account o
other state duties DR.. Swearingen pre-
sented his resignation as a member o
the board, and L. w. Folts was electe'
# to fill the vacancy in the office o
% president caused by the resignation o
g DR.. S. s
ID The bids for the buildings prope
~ mot including plumbing and heating
3 were opened and found to be as fol
y lows: A. Gardiner & Co. $63, 600; r
K j. Loving, $58,5OO; John Mcdonald
o. $58.444; larry Devlin, SCI ,l15; Henri
~ Pfannkachen, $56,940; Fred Braun
n $54,95O. Mr.. Braun was awarded tn
lie contract with q bond of $4,000 t.
n complete the two wings by Septem
l. Der 10, 1883, and the main building b,
lie january l, 1884, with forfeit OF ~
e. per day for all the time occupied Il
excess of those dates. The plumbing
r. was aWarded to the city water com
a pany for $1Ta0. This still leaves TIA
v steam-heating apparatus to hs Don
f tracted for.