Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-26
A TEXAN PHOENIX.
The Spring Palace TO be Rebuilt
GPander than Ever.
A Hartford Man Advises New England People
to Visit Texas and Make Themselves
ut Home.
Hartford Conn Post, June 10.

MIR. John NJ. Woodfin, the treasurer OF
| the Thorue type setting machine COM
pany, has Just returned from Fort
Worth. Tex, where one of the Thorne
/ machines was q feature of the Sprlrg
Palace, burned to the ground during the
progress of the exposition.
MIR. Woodfn in conversation with
Post reporter this morning. regarding
the impression made by his machine on
the Texans said: "Previous to the ad-
vent OF the Thorne machine, type-setting
by machinery had been viewed with a
great deal of iucredulity BY the news
paper men of that section. After watch
ing it working r while, however, their
iucredulity was displaced by admiration
aud they became very enthusiastic on the
subject. Our Texas Thorne company
organized to have the exclusive right to
sell in that state, have taken a good
many orders and claim they can keep us
busy awhile filling what orders they
send in.
'The Palace at Fort Worth, - con-
tinued Mr.. Wood6n, was certainly very
unique. The building itself was of wood,
but was beautifully trimmed outside and
IN with the natural produts of Texas
Heroic figures on the top of the building
were made entirely of ears of corn. The
interior of the Palace was one large hall,
with annexes, sub-divided into sections,
each county having section of Its own,
and making an exhibit Of its special pro-
ducts. Some counties exceeding in corn,
others in wheat, while others were espe-
cially rich in minerals. In decorating
interior of the hail, the ladies of Fort
Worth united, and for sixty days did
nothing else but devote their fine TO
this work. One thing struck me very
forcibly, the unanimity with which any
public enterprise is taken hold of in these
Southern and Western places. All seem
10 unite for the best interests of the city
and state. 1t would seem almost impos-
sible to get Northern city, the same
size as Fort Worth, where all would
work in unison for the benefit of one
ommon object. Here there would be a
dozen men with q dozen different ideas,
and each trying to have his own carried
out. All must deplore the loss of this
beautiful structure, but the Texans,
with their usual pluck and energy, met
while the ruins were smoking and voted
to rebuild, and that the new structure
should be not only larger and better, but
fire proof, also. The exposition was
open about twenty days, it being the
original intention to keep it open only
about a week longer. This fact was for
tunate for the financial success of the
affair. IN fact, part of the closing ex-
ercises were being held at the time of the
fire. Our machine was in an annex, and
by extraordinary effort was saved with
out mourning any injury. -
To query regarding the climate of
Texas, Mr.. Woodfin replied:
al was very aGreeably disappointed.
/ expected 10 suffer great deal from the
heat. But every day L was IN Texas
there was q strong wind blowing from
the southeast, which they claimed blew
right up from the gulf of Mexico, and it
seemed as if it might be so, there being
nothing TO obstruct It. Fort Worth and
the land about there is ut an elevation of
about 700 feet. This wind tenn
pered the hot rays of the sun.
Then the air seemed so dry there
that the heat is. not felt so much
as in the North where there is more hu-
nudity. / noticed in Fort Worth the
market men hung their quarters of fresh
beef right out of doors instead of putting
them in ice boxes as we do here. They
claim that nothing OF this kind decays
there, and it seems a wise provision of
nature where ice is so scarce that they
have so little use for it l notice by the
side of the railroads in Texas, where the
trains had killed cattle, which they do
every day, that no attempt was made to
bury them, and 1 was told that they
dried up and there was no disagreecble
odor.
elm travelling through Texas, our
party were given unusual facilities for
noticing the condition of the crops. The
manager of the Denver road took our
car through the Panhandle region, where
it is claimed the greatest crops in the
world are raised, and we might well be-
lieve it TO be q fact, for it seems as
though We saw wheat enough TO feed the
world. 1t was in splendid condition,
just turning yellow. The harvesting was
70 begin then in few days
''From the hearty welcome which was
to all of Us from the North and
the number of New England people we
met in Texas, it really did not seem as
though we were in the state, where for
years past we have been led to believe
syery man carried one or two revolvers,
and it was unsafe TO be out after dark.
would advise any person who would
make really enjoyable trip, and ex-
pect to be cordially received to go to
Texas aud say they are from New Eng
and. -