The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-08-09


when his hand came in contact with the
eel, the jumping around and words used
can better be imagined than explained.
As no one could be found who would
acknowledge the placing of the eel in his
pocket, he is now cogitating as to whether
it was really an eel he had in his pocket
or snakes in his boots.-Houston Post.
A special telegram from Laredo says:
The necessity in large cities for numer-
Gus open blocks, known in Texas and
Mexico as plazas and in the states as
parks, is known TO this community
Believing that Laredo is to make a great
city, the question is being agitated as to
how the city council will act about the
great consideration that should be paid
to the future health of the people in thus
leaving the vacant blocks throughout the
city. The council will doubtless be asked
by petition at its next meeting to reserve
certain blocks for breathing places for
the inhabitants, and they will do a great
work for posterity if they grant it.
A rather large. sized project is now
being agitated in the west, which, if
pushed to serious consideration, Will take
rank with De Lesseps' plan for farming
nothing less than to dam up the canyons
of the Rocky Mountains and thus form
great reservoirs or mountain lakes from
which the water could be fed out "a needed
to 1rrigate the country In the west. 1t is
claimed by advocates of the project that,
in addition to the regulation of the spring
floods and the WAFER in the western rivers,
this would furnish irrigation to reclaim
fOr oOltiuotinn
desert land, or about half the area at
present under cultivation in the United
States. What the harvest will be to the
contractors, engineers and proprietors of
land where the dams and lakes would be
located, is not yet stated, and will doubt
less be unknown until the project is we'll
under way Galveston News.
Texas is troubled with a plethoar of
cash. It's bonded Indebtedness is only
81 800 900, which the holders will not ex-
change for the money, preferring to draw
the interest; and there is in the state
treasury surplus of more than $4,000 0OO
The school fund has surplus of $16-
100000, for nearly half of which no safe
investment can be found. The farmers,
to whom the state has been selling its
lads on forty years. time, with only per
cent interest, ia the hope that they would
be very dilatory about paying the prin-
opal, are piling the money on the over
burdened state treasury. The counties
are doing the same. 70 add to its misery
the state has 100000 acres of land yet
to sell, which are bringing every year
higher and higher prices.-Dublin Tele-
phone, Erath county.
Mr.. G. W. Angle, of San Ant )nio, agent
of the syndicate for the improvement of
the mouth of the Brazos, left Houston
Sunday for the east He will be joined
in New York by capitalists of that city
and Boston, aud proceed to Chicago
where a meeting. of the syndicate will
take place on the goth inst, to perfect
organization and make arrangements for
beginning work early in the fall. Mr..
Angle stated that the syndicate will decide
to obtain charter for a railway from
Houston tu the point where it is intended
to establish a deep water port, and that
work on this line will be begun at once.
A railway line to the Brazos is deemed
necessary for the transportation of the
material needed. 1t is pSobable that the
line will be begun at the Brazos and made
to connect with the Columbia tap road at
Columbia to meet present requirements,
but it will be extended to Houston.
The body of plasterer named Jack
Malone, from Shreveport, La, was found
in Longview Monday. He was seen in
difficulty with stranger Saturday morn
ing, and was knocked down by iron bar.
Later in the day he was taken off the rail-
road track by switch enginmen, who |
noticed his head was bloody and badly |
bruised from falling into a trestle near
by. He only went a few yards from the |
railroad and lay down, where he was found. |
The cause of his death might have been
the lick over the head, Drunkenness or |
sunstroke, or he may have been killed |
where be lay for the money he received |
Saturday morning Not one cent was
found on his body. His hat, shoes and |
coat are missing, which seems to indicate
that he was fouly dealt with Saturday
night. On account of the decomposition
no autopsy could be satisfactorily held to
determine the cause of his death.
The Island City Boat clubs house, hand
some as lily and glistening with paint,
was thrown open to members of the asso-
citation on the LIST inst Every evening a
large number visit the boat house and
indulge in a row. Some of the ladies
have taken great deal of interest in this
exhilerstiug sport and have learned to
pulp In good form. A number of members
who ere inclined to shirk violent exercise,
are talking of purchasing a steam launch
having carrying capacity of eighteen or
twenty people. If the plan materializes
1t is likely that the motive power will be
electricity instead of steam, as small
steam launches are not the most COM
Portable thing in the world in hot weather,
the heat generated from the boiler and
furnaces being great. A motor would
furnish the necessary power without the
heat, and could be stored for quite an
trip. There is again considera-
BILE talk of a formal opening and grand
champagne supper, but nothing defrite
has been determined upon.-Galveston
There is not one business in Texas more
interested in the attainment of deep water
shipping facilities than that of cattle
raising, especially on account of the
periodical cry about the socalled "Texas
FEVER" which is unknown in the cattle
growing sections, but it is commended that
cattle driven from portions of the state to
other states carry the contagion with
hem. How thing which does not exist
n section of country can be carried