The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-12-08

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is his perfect grist mill, cotton gin and
pecan polisher.
Starting out from Falkland down
Backbone valley the road runs seven
miles in line as straight as engineer
ing science could make it. Over to
the left is historic Packsaddle noun
tain, to the right is stately Backbone
mountain, through whose granite ribs
miners are piercing shaft in search Of
natures hidden treasure. Rounding
Hoovers valley and cross the Colorado
river on a steel bridge 900 feet
long, set on massive granite
piers that will defy the Col
orado's torrents long after the cunning
brain that planned it has performed
its earthly functions and gone hence.
We run along the bank OF the Llano
river to Bessemer, where active min
| ing operations are being conducted by
a wealthy corporation of which Colo
mel Scbryver. Of San Antonio. is presi-
dent. The shaft is now 50 feet deep
and prospects of obtaining paying
quantities of high grade Besseuer ore
grow brighter daily.
THE IRON CITY.
Llano, the future great, the embryo
Pittsburg of the West, greets our Wis.
ion as we turn up the river bank. We
glide into the pretty new depot and
on our right see number of two-story
brick and granite business houses,
while to the left, across the river, lies
the old town, splendid new iron
bridge just completed spanning the
river, connecting the old town with
the new.
The Algona, a $65,000 hotel, would
be credit to any city in Texas. From
its roof a grand view is had of the sur
rounding country, it's irregular noun
tain ranges lofty peaks and fair fields
veritable panorama of nature, ever
changing with each change of view
and each vieing with the pre- cediug one
for beauty. On the north side Of the
river are several large wholesale and
retail mercantile establishments. ap-
parently doing a profitable traffic, an
ice factory, several lumber yards and
other business enterprises. On the
south side the public square was a
lively scene, merchants busy, country
people coming in and going out. every
thing indicating a healthy state of
trade. The new court house is going
up rapidly. 1t is situated on a solid
foundation of pink and white marble,
the base being of granite walls of brick
with granite trimmings and pillars, il
will be a thing of beauty. Pending
it's erection the county officials are
located in building near the Square,
where County Clerk M. NJ. Hargls was
found as happy and jolly as
reported business good and Col. Moore
of the Iron City national bank was
especially elated at the high price of
cotton.
On the north side the Llano I'm
pear to be the prime factors i'll build
ing up the city, aud Mr.. Fra"k Ma
lone, its president, is the handspring
of the company. His enthusiasm is
exceeded only by Llano'S boundl,ss
resources and the work his company
has done is an achievement he has a
right to be proud of.
Llano county is the treasure vault
of Texas as to valuable mineral ores
and economic stones. Among the
stones found in paying quantities and
available to work are correctly set
forth in a leaflet of the Improvement
and Furnace company, as follows:
Granite is found in profusion aud
in great variety as to both color and
texture There are over twenty shades
of granite FROM as many separate de-
posits. On the company's Town site is
deposit of millions of cubic feet of q
coarse red granite, while On the same
property, not more than two or three
blocks from the hote;, is "a
large deposit of blue granite so
fine in texture that a glass is needed
to distinguish the particles of quartz.
mica and feldspar composing the 5 one
Five or six miles north is an Immense
field of gray granite, said by experts
to closely resemble, and to equal, the
Quincy granite of massachusetts,. The
red granite of which the new Texas
state house is built is from the Llano
Burnet granite fields. On the town
site property is a large deposit of rib
bon marble. Five or six miles south
is one of very beautiful white mar
bic, near which, again, is one of cloud
ed marble, white and blue. In the
town of Llano is All outcropping of
blue limestone, which appears to be
like the blue limestone of southern
Indiana, from which the Indiana state
house was built, and which has been
shipped to New England. Other lime-
stones are found in limitless quauti-
ties. An eighteen-mile range of lime
stone hills, not far from town, contains
enough of the material for the build
ing and fuxing purposes of dozen
Pittsburgs
But grand as are the prospects of
Llano, based upon her sreat variety
of natural products, she has another
resource which is rapidly making her
famous throughout the United States,
The South has already grown great in
the eyes of the world in her Onward
march of industrial progress: but she
has all along felt the want of Bes-
semer iron ore district from which TO
draw her supply OF material for steel
making. And now comes Llano with
exhaustless mines of the finest Besse-
mer steel ore on the American CONT
nent."
Analyses OF Llano pres compared
with other commercial ores now in use
demonstrate that the Llano county
ores are richer in metallic iron than
those of any of the Lake Superior re-
yions, the famous Cornwall ore bank.
~ tba Santa on ,la Cnha' 1uinps. that