San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-10-17
SAN ANTONIO is IN 1T.


San Antonio was evidently designed
by nature to accommodate vast pop
iulation. The three great requisites
are here; slightly location, pure air,
unsurpassed water supply. The &C.
cessories, abundant building material
and q health giving atmosphere are
not wanting. The depressions be-
tween the heights that rise on every
sido around this beautiful city are
natural conduits for cooling air cur
rents, while the breezes blow perpet-
ually on every height above the
charming valley. The stranger who
has travelled, taken observations
elsewhere and is prepared for criti
cal comparisons, is Immediately
struck with the situation as
soon as he has surveyed IL. Its advan-
tages grow upon him as he studies
them and becomes familiar with them.
The evidences of growth and healthy
business are less marvel to him
than to those more acquainted with
our home affairs, until he sees how
little our people have done to create
trade and center population mere and
then he wonders how we grow at all.
Wondering thus he finds himself
traversing our streets, passing over
their vast electric railway mileage,
comprising our suburbs and seeing
no end to our possible growth; seeing
also that this growth is unin Interrupted
in every quarter, that solid business
blocks and suburban dwellings,
and more centrally located residences
are going up on every hand his
wonder increases at growth, the
causes of which seem hidden. The
facts are plain, but the reason for
these facts seems obscure. He notes
the growth, the causes for which are
beyond his perception. He finds the
leading city of the state far behind
others Of half her population In the
extent of railway communications.
He finds her in the least developed
portion of the state, sgriculturally
considered. He finds her without
manufactures, comparatively speak
ing, and apparently content to re-
main so. He sees her utterly uncon.
cerned al the efforts made by her
rivals to secure manufacturing
plants and control lines OF
traffic. He sees all this and moro
and the more he sees it the more he
marvels at her growth, prosperity,
population aud mistaken confidence
in her future. All this may be and is
seen, noted and comm ented upon. A
little deeper acquaintance with affairs
reveals other facts. Our railway lines
though few in number are very i'm
portant and our commercial vantage
point, at the intersection of the great
trsns-coDtinental routes, unaqualled
on the continent. Down deep in the
minds of our brainiest and busiest
citizens schemes for our growth in
every direction are being revolved and
the yield in real returns is greater
than appears upon the surface. San
Antonio business is as many sided as
her population and in this many
sidedness is her success and growth
assured. She attracts strangers as
the most picturesque city in the state
and the most repIete with historic in
cidenT aud interest. She is the
healthiest winter residence on the
continent and this brings thousands
mere every year, to become tens of
thousands in few years. The largest
military post in the south is located
here and is worth millions every year
to this city. AS a cattle market,
horse market, wool market, hide and
pelt market she claims precedence
and her aggregate trade in these
Is immense. She manufactures more
beer than all the rest of the state COM
bined, and her revenue from this
source is no small item. San An
tonic has many other small industries
that tell in the body of her business
and show that to those who look be-
meath the surface her prosperity is not
as fictitious as many appear to think.
AS an all round business town San
Antonio leads Texas. 1t will only be
short time before to her general
items of prosperity special factors of
great value will be added nd an i'm