Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-31
TEXAS.
A New Yorker on the Texas Pan
handle.
Growth of the Country-Fort Worth and Dem
yer RaIlrnad-Boom In
Town Lots.

Since my last from Central Texas
have Travelled over a considerable portion
of Texas, reserving for the last the gar
den spot of this vast state-the great
Panhandle country. Like many
others who have never visited this Sec
ton, had always believed it q vast
desert, where nothing but prairie dogs
could exist, and where vegetation would
not grow. Imagine my surprise on be-
holding vast fields of wheat-equal If
not superior to the great wheat fields Of
the West. Where only four or five
years ago no human habitation
could be seen for a distance of
several hundred mile, now rapidly
filling up with hardy ploUghmen, who
are rewarded, as no other section or our
country rewards them, with bounteous
crops of wheat, oats, rye and barley as
fine as any raised in the world. Through
the courtesy of the genial president or
the Fort Worth and Denver railway, Mr.
Morgan Jones, was invited to take
trip over his road and see for myself
what has been so often (since I have been
In Texas represented to me as the gar
from being q bear on this property, was
conquered into being a rampant bull on
it. Our people in the East cannot con-
ceive what is going on in the develop
ment of this state. Western capitalists
have seen It, and have sent millions
into the state, and are now reapiDg their
reward. Leaving Fort Worth on the
afternoon OF the 2lst inst, L made this
Wichita Falls-my first stopping place.
Here 1 met Mr.. Specht, the vice-presi-
dent of the local bank, and was by him
kindly shown the town, and from whom
/ obtained much valuable information
concerning the surrounding country. L
found the people wild with excitement
over the prospect OF the early completion
of the Rock Island railroad to their town
and speculation in town lots ran ram
pant. In fact the people of this whole
section have the Gland speculative fe-
ver' so bad that it is almost impossible
to get them to discuss any other subject,
and If the fabulous stories told OF
rapid profits made during the past
few years are reliable, and there is
scarcely doubt that they are, IL is no
wonder that they think of nothing else.
The old habitues OF Wall street,
who, after their dinners adorned to the
Fifth Avenue hotel to speculate in stocks
or gold, will remember the excitement
in the lobby at such time; well the same
excitement pervades the whole commu-
nifty here, and at Fort Worth the hotel
Hobbies are nightly crowded with men ca
ger for informatione conoering this coun-
try, and every train out of Fort Worth
or Denver is crowded with men seeking
investment in land or town lots in this
section. Only sixty days ago it was first
learned that a short railroad from this
place was TO be built to q little village,
(Seymour) fifty-five miles from here in
neighboring county; this caused perfect
rush to the village, and in less than
week property had risen in value from
200 to 500 per cent. Every manner Of
conveyance was pressed into service to
transfer the crowds bent on purchasing
town lots, and now on all sides nothing
is heard but ''town lots in Seymour. -
And from being quiet little village, re-
moved almost out of the pale of ciViliZa-
Iion it has become the center of attrac-
ton, and where land could have been
purchased ninety days ago at $40 TO $50
per acre within mile of the village, 10
cannot now be bought in lots of 50X15t
feet for less than $500 to $500 lot, and
lots in the town command from $500 to
$1,000 each, while farm lands, which
could not be sold at 81 per acre, now
sell rapidly at So to S15; and this is but
the beginning of the boom. Space will
Lot permit me to describe the many in
stances of this character which have oc-
Cured during the past two years in this
section. Vernon, Quanah, Childress and
other stations have all gone through a
similar experience. Your readers will
doubtless think it increditable that such
Wild speculation could exist unless there
IS something back of it to
justify it. Well, what have
stated are facts, and this wild spec
ulation is based upon two grounds;
first, because of the great fertility of
the soil, and secondly on the we'll
grounded belief that a city of consider
able size is certain to be built at some
point IN this locality-just where no one
can say. The vast profits made during
the past few years in real estate in Dallas
and Fort Worth has stimulated land
speculation in all parts of Texas, but IN
no locality as much as this. These vast
plains, almost as level as a table, have
been tested and found to be as fine wheat
growing land as can be found anywhere
in the world. From actual figures,
gathered from every farmer in Wichita
county, it was found the average yield
per acre last year was twenty-four and
three fourths bushels; in some instances
as much as thirty-fve bushels per acre
having been harvested. Now, anyone
knowing anything about farming, knows
that land yielding as this does will not
remain long at So to $40 per acre. 1
have spoken only of the yield of wheat,
but other small grains yield equally as
well, and as fine corn as is raised in
Kansas grows here, and as for fruit
peaches pRrticularIy-it cannot be ex-
celled by Delaware. The one great
drawback, and il is a very serious one,
is the fear of drought. The rainfall here
is very light. and water is scarce, but it
is generally believed that the cultivation
of the soil will induce q greater
moisture. and, whether true or not,
it is q conceded fact that the
whole state is each year experiencing less
and less of the droughty season as the
country is being developed Good water
is obtained from wells in this section ct
various depths, ranging from fifteen to
$50 feet, the former being dug and the
latter bored The soil all through this
country is either dark chocolate or red
sandy loan, ranging from eighteen