Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-16
PUSHING VELASCO.
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY CAT
TLEMEN ON PACKERlES.
Preparing = Huge Cooling Station for All
Steamers--There Are Now 562 Build
lngs In the Ctty-Notes of Progress.
Snecial TO the Gazette.

VELAsCo TEX, March 15.-The contract
has been let by the Chambers coal company
here for the erection of large steam coal
elevator on North wharf. The machinery
is on the way to Velasco, and the necessary
lumber on the ground The coal yards have
been greatly enlarged and a heavy stock
willsbe kept on hand, as this is the only
Texas port where deep-draught steamships
can put in for supply without going TO the
expense of using lighters.
The iron and plate glass front for the
three-story brick building being put up by
the Velasco real estate exchange has been
bought through Messrs. Roman s. Penn,
late of New Orleans, now located here.
Mahoney 81 Swanson began work yester-
day on another two-storv brick near the
corner of Avenue G and South Second
street.
The Brazos river channel and dock com
pany has begun work doubling the size OF
their large iron warehouse on Central
wharf
Another company for river transporta-
ton is formed, and will put steamers on the
lover river.
As near as your reporter could count,
there are 500 residences ana business
houses in Velasco, not counting temporary
structures, outhouses, etc.
Arrivals at the five principal hotels are
too numerous to record, though recently
large percentage of the people coming here
go TO homes of their own or houses they
have rented.
The extensive deposits of fine red and
yellow clay discovered near town and being
worked by Perry & Crawford makes the
best and most handsome bricks ever seen
in this country. every one being uniform in
color and as regular as if each was intended
as 4 sample They are exceedingly tough
and stand greater pressure than any
bricks the Oldest contractor or architect
here has ever seen tested. The clay beds lie
few feet below the surface, and borings
show them to be from two hundred and
fifty to four hundred feet thick, and to I'M
derlie most Of this end of the county.
A well-informed gentleman, who is IN the
business of supplying. building material
here from Northern and Western foundries
told THE GAZETTE reporter this morning
that he was certain that the Chicago Il
Pacific elevator company had arranged to
build the grain elevator at Velasco during
the coming summer.
BEEF PACKERIEs.
The visiting stockmen and other eXcur-
sionists after examining the harbor and
jettiCs and talking with number OF sea
captains and licensed pilots held meeting
yesterday evening to discuss the subject OF
beef packeries on the Texas coast. Mr.. II
c. Ralston was sele cted chairman. After
comparing notes and reviewing the inform
alton they had obtained the following reso-
luton was unanimously passed; ''As the,
depth of eighteen feet already obtained on
the Brazos river bar is a guarantee that
Velasco will become q great commercial
and maritime city. where mammoth manu-
featuring industries will be soon estab-
hshed we favor the building of beef pack
cries and refrigerators at this point. being
assured they will solve the question of
transportation to foreign ports.''
THE CATTLEMES.
Though not so many of the cattlemen
came down from Fort Worth as the Velas-
coans had prepared to entertain, the party
was Joined at various points along the route
by other excursioniSts and a pretty good
sized crowd of solid men arrived by the
afternoon and evening trains over the We
lasco terminal. The two-river steamers,
Steadman and Justine, took some Of these
out to the ietties and Surf Side beach, and
delegations of citizens escorted the others
around town and out on Oyster Creek and
Crescent beach.
Some of the youngest and least fatiguei
Rmong the visitors took yawls and sail
beats and frolic5ed on the river.
There were several entertainments given