The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-11-04

To the north Of the station, and ranged for
more than half mile along the track, but
with miniature lakes and other landscape
decorations between the buildings and
the rails, is Pullman the factory.
Here are acres and acres of great
buildings, through whose windows pal
ace and freight cars may be seen in the
various stages Of construction or repair,
fianked by acres more filed with hundreds of
other cars waiting their turn at the work
mems hands There are cars from the far
east and the far west, the plain, primitive
Pullmans with their funny little windows
and few devices for adonment side by side
with gorgeous Pullmans of latest type; and
there, in a secluded corner, unused but not
unhonored, is the pioneer Pullman, the one
for whose first journey the potentate of this
town personally solicited passengers twenty
years ago. There are also other great works
paper car wheel factory, huge foundry,
and two steel mills In the center of the
group is the famous Corliss engine which so
many millions of Americans saw at the Cen
tennial, the chief source Of power in this me-
chanical marvel. Right behind it is the vast
tower containing a water reservoir and sew
age tank, a landmark for scores of miles
around.
Unity Of design runs through all this group
of factories, and architectural effect was in
no wise neglected by the builders. 1t is no
hudde Of gloomy and grimy shops, for there
are lines Of beauty in the facade, and the
softncss Of simple decorations gives charm
and the sOlidity of corner and center towers
lends something like grandeur to the long
wings. Even the stone wall surrounding the
shops is not the kind of wall with which in
dustrial works are usually protected. This
is an art wall and the gateways and time
keepers lodges, with vine-covered posts and
graceful caps, would admirably become an
English country seat. In no feature of this
one-man city, the handiwork of one archi-
tect, has the value of be9uty-its commercial
value, indeed-been neglected. A funda-
mental idea in the construction of Pullman
was to surround laborers, not only in their
homes, but i'll the shops wherein they toll,
with objects of beauty and comfort
The application of this principle is nowhere
more obvious and admirable than in the
home part of Pullman. The streets are broad
and there is no fence-that modern abomina-
ton inherited from feudal time when even
neighbOrs were feared, and walls and meats
were the necessities of every householder. In
stead, bits Of bright lawn separate the homes
from the walks. Though all of the streets
cross each other at right angles, there is no OPP
preSsive monotOny, for the stiff lines are bro
ken here and there by parks, squares or the
setting i'll of IA church, school or other public
building.
The same effect has been accomplished in
the design of the dwellings Where a more
economical builder or less ingenious archi-
tect would have constructed rows of barracks,
in which every house would look lust like
every other house, Pullman displays great
variety in roof, window, chimney and orna.
ment, giving to every dwelling in the better
and major part of the town a distinct indi-
viduality, the whole yet making its perspective
harmonious and regular The front walls of
the houses are all the same distance from the
street, and the window lines are quite uni
form. 1t is chiefly in artistic treatment of
the sky line that variety has been given to the
whole and individuality TO each
Pullman has its own water and gas works
The streets are all well paved There are no
barns, one large brick stable accommodating
all the horses in town. There are baseball
grounds, gymnasium bicycle track, rowing |
course, etc, with handsome view stands. con- |
tanning 1000 or more numbered chairs. The |
Pullman Athletic association has a reputation |
far and near Pullman's drainage system is
well nigh perfect. The sewage is all col |
lected in "A great basin beneath the water |
tower, and thence pumped-1, 100000 gallons
daily-to Pullman farm and garden, three
miles away. In no other city on either side
of the Atlantic has this method of disposing
of a towns sewage been so successful as here,
The liquid sewage is drained from the garden
into the lake, but is so purified by filtration
through the soil that the waters of the lake
are inhabited by fish, and may even be drunk
Pullman garden this year raised crop suffi.