The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-02-19
THE BUi EXCURSION.

lie a 4 - sACU RSION
Interestins .sit Granite Quarri.
nd tI.A ~ Falls.
About = hCnG Invited guesi
boarded the An = Northwestern
tram at 6cia day mornin Z
bound on an eXcu. $3.50 10 the enter
prising little city Oh Durnet, for the
purpose of visiting and examining
the granite quarries about fifteen
miles from that point.
AS the main object in view was to
determine as to the advisabiiity OF
substituting granite i'll the construc-
ton of the new capitol, as far as mere
inspection of the granite goes, Il large
number of members of the legislature
were specially invited, and consider
ing the GOODNESS of the day, the invita-
ton was successful in attracting quite
a large delegation of the law makers,
as well as other prominent citizens OF
Austin. The railroad mpany, OF
which Col. A. j Rhomb-r,y Is the en-
ergetic chief, it is undeTs aIpIovided
the transportation to BuTneJ and the
luncheon at the quarrr from which
the granite already usei iii the capitol
was taken, and the enteTprising citi-
LClAO VI - luAb loilCd lllC DSlChO
which the large party took from that
city to the quarry and to Marble Falls,
several miles beyond the quarry in the
Colorado.
The trip on the cars, whether be-
cause the day was Sunday, or the
members had just read the fine article
in the morning STATESMAN as to the
propriety of keeping good accounts
- -
at the outset by singing "Nearer, My
Go1,to Thee, and other religious songs.
such as Sin the Sweet Bye and Bye"
GLOW firm a foundation" &c. The
singing was interspersed with anec-
dotes and Rotations, in which latter
Representative Woods, of kaufman,
on account of his mimetic talents and
fine memory, was remarkably enter
tanning. Others were quite as good in
anecdotes; and as this is report of
the proceedings it may be added that
full justice was done in fortifying in
more ways than one the inner man, off
as wei as on the train where oppor-
quarry, at the falls, and finally at the
elegant supper which the citizens of
Burnet had so acceptably provided at
Jll0 w CoIElh llOIGi, W blCll 40 hCpG ny
Mrs. Watson and son. A few ladies
from Austin went as far as Burnet,
and two of them were enterpriSing
enough to extend their trip 10 the |
quarry and falls. The falls were quite |
and showed wonderful |
possibilities, acre after acre of solid !
blue marble being in view, extending
in parterres across the bed of the river, |
whose waters poured through inter- |
Vening spaces across the tablets in |
several different volumes, forming
pretty waterfalls of moderate size and |
depth. The bed at the quarry from
which the capitol granite was taken IS
almost mountain IN dimensions,
being a mile or two wide, hundreds of
feet high, and no one knows how
deep below the surface of the earth.
1t 10 tremendous, affording granite
enough Tor all future use perhaps in
Texas. 1t is nothing but granite
as bald as AN old mans pate, without
a single sign of hair ia the way of
upon it, from base to suns
nit. And there are contiguous lodges
Of granite about If, and the writer
was assured besides that the whole
surface of that immediate section of
the county was based on like granite
beginning but few feet
below the surface of the ground.
The rock taken out for the capitol had
scarcely graZed the immense mass, Of
what shall it be called, "Cap .aa
1t looks like aQ attic
had been made to cut mere windO
one side and the debris left at 4 le
bottom of the cut seemed suit ! ct
Of itself to supply the vacuum AS
Representative Woods expressed it,
looking from a commanding view,
There is granite enough in this
to arch the UNIVERSE" and
as Col Upton added, "TO bridge the
Atlantic" This is to be Understood,
perhaps, with the reservation that the
arch and the bridge could be spun out
and sufficiently attenuated; or posi-
bly, literally if the mountain eX-
tended straight through to the other
side of the world. AT all events it
was the universal expression of opin-
ion that Burnett has all the granite,
and the finest kindi Texasi needs, and
the "main question" for the legisla-
ture, as well as the owners of the
quarry, and the people of
Burnett to consider is how
to get it into market, or make it &C
cessible for the capitol and general
building purposes in Austin and other
cities of Texas. Fifteen miles of rail-
road will have to be built, in which
there will be only one very
difficult point to overcome. Col.
is having the route sur
veyed, to make an estimate of the
cost. But when that is done the ques-
ton remains who is to build the road?
Citizens of Burnett and Travis coun-
ties, foreign capt. alists, or as has been
the stae, which might do
well to buy the quarries, build the
road and quarry. the Stone, as emploS-
ment for convict labor-not only to
build the capitol, but make such Ia
Dor profitable to the state IN the fu-
ture.
The scenery along the road to the
luarries and falls, was highly pic
5uresque and interesting at many
points, and was, of course, greltly en-
loved by all. The excurslonistS re-
turned to Austin about 9 o'clock at
night, after having passed resolutions
highly complimentary to Col. Rhom-
berg, Mr.. Gardner and other officers of
the A. 81 n. w. road and the good
of Burnet for the hospital.
ties of the occasion.
Prominent among the excursionists,
were Col. Swain, state comptroller,
Judge Lee, of the capitol commission,
Capt. Baines. secretary of state, several
state senators, a majority of the MEM
hers of the house of representatives,
Messrs. Tips, Crow, Won Rosenburg,
DIR. Cummings and other citizens of |
Austin, quite number of newspaper
men aud the following ladies: Mrs. |
and Miss Bell, Mrs. w. Scott, Miss |
Reilly, Miss Caspar and the Misses Hol- |
land. Also MesSrs. Westfal, Ward, |
Mabry and Holloway of Burnett.