Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-06
HOGG AT HOME.
Writing His Message-Constant Stream
of Callers and Office Seekers.
Progress of the Alamo Monumen,-Ths Dam
Observation-Disclosures Over the Worlds
Fair-The Llano Road.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, Dec. 4.-E1oavstiou
for the Alamo monument on the capitol
grounds has begun. A good deal OF the
material for the construction of the mon
ument is already on the ground, and the
balance will be brought as fast as cir
cumstances admit. When the work of
eXcsvating has reached solid rock-a
foot or two beneath the surtace-the
opening will be filed with mixture of
broken granite, sand and cement, on
which the superstructure will stand.
The monument proper to be built of
Texas granite. will be twenty-seveu feet
high and Will be surmounted by bronze
militaLJ,sta.ue eight feet in height. It
nj IA directly IN front of the CAPT.
1f,Fa few feet to the right of the paved
walk leading up to the main en-
trance TO the building, and when
completed will doubtless present
quite an imposing appearance.
There are those who complain of the
site as an unsuitable one, being in front
of and close to the capitol, which. in its
massiTeness and stupendous proportions,
overshadows it so cOmplrt ely. There may
be something in this objection, but il is
q !fficult to see where else the monument
could De placed SO as TO secure couspicu-
business. 1t must be there, or out OF
sight altogether; and it would never do
to erect il in corner, or hide il away
where the stranger would require the
services OF q policeman to find il. Per-
haps If site for 1t were found elsewhere,
we should hear louder objections
still. The objector, like the poor, is al
ways with US. and like bad penny, is
not TO be got rid of. A beautiful park
centrally located in the city would per-
haps furnish III ore eligible site for
monument, but where is the park!
When Austin, thanks to her great dam
shall become city of one or two hundred
thousand people, with all the modern
improvements and adornments belonging
thereto, such as elegant avenues, Doule-
wards and parks, she Will not be at u loss
for suitable and proper sights for her
monuments. In the meantime. the
fastidious must wait and consent 10 chain
down their highfa.utiou, Ward McA Ills
ter notions of propriety and fitness.
Austin s Four Hundred is yet in the en-
bryonio state, and her Central and
Tuxedo parks are tigments only Of the
brain, or at least creations of the more
or less distant future.
The Alamo monument was designed
and will be constructed by James s.
Clark & Co. of Louisville, Kentucky,
and will cost the state the sum of Sl4,-
500. The furnishing of the stone WAS
let under a sub-contract to the Texas
Granite company OF Burnet, which COM
pany, owing to unavailable delays and
vexations, has been somewhat delayed
-s.,l a
If work could have begun sooner, as
was intended, the monument would have
been com pleted by the first of the year.
But, under the terms of the contract,
the company has until March l to COM
plete the work and, unless the unex-
pected happens, will easily do so.
The city is having some trouble and
vexatious delay in the buillng of the pro-
Ejected railroad out to the site of the dam.
The distance is between three and four
miles land the route lay partly through the
city. Mr.. George Breckenridge of San
Antonio agreed to build the road, and
actually hegun work some weeks ago.
He soon encountered obstacles however.
that caused him to call halt for q time.
The route surveyed lay through the prop
erty of private owners inside the cOrpo-
rate limits, who raised variety of OBJ
jections 20 the road. Some held that it
would greatly damage their property,
and asked that it he run elsewhere, any,
where, go that it missed them. All were
anxious for the road, but no one cared to-
have it run close to his premises. Others
demand what is considered eXtravagant
sums for right Of way through their
ground; and SO it goes. A day or TWO
ago Mi. Breckenridge sent COM
munication TO the city council, Of
fering to surrender his franchise, If
the CITY would reimburse him for the
work done on the road. That is the
muddle into which things have got. The
city depends on MIR. Breckenridge to
build the road, and has SO far granted
him everything in its power, everything
in fact that he asked, and yet the work
drags. 1t now has a committee at work
ascertaining the cost of the right of way
TO the corporate limits, and on the pria-
ciple that beggars cannot be choosers. it
may have to either purchase the right of
way, or condemn the same in regular
form at its own expense, so that the
building of the road may proceed. The
road is an absolute necessity in hauling
material to the dam, and must be built
II the Dam Is TO go anehO. inueeu the
city is bound by its contract with Mr..
Corrigan 10 furnish him transportation
for his material, and must therefore By
hook or crook, construct the road, let
whosoever must, be hurt by it. The
usual obstacles and difficulties are
thrown in its way, but they will be
brushed aside, and the car of progress.
or the iron horse will be allowed to go
snortiug on his way.
Mrs. Ryan, one OF the lady commits
sioners from Texas to the Column bian
fair, has returned to Austin, overflow
ing with enthusiasm over the great fair,
and the important figure which Texas
must make thereat when the doors shall
be thrown open 10 the world. She was
delighted with the manner IN which the
lady commissioners were received and
entertained in Chicago, and says that
while no great amount of business was,
or could be done by the ladies. yet the
talent and capacity for it was clearly
demonstrated. The lady commissioners
organized, chose such officers as
were needed and appointed COM
mittees. They will pro bably be called
together again in April-provided con-
gress makes the necessary appropriation
for paying their salaries. In the mean