The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-04-13

o. W. Crawford secretary OF the Nelasco
TEX Commercial club has been at the
Denison for the past day or two, looking
over Indianapolis and transactinG some
little business in the interest of his city.
Mr.. Crawford is an easy, pleasant talker,
and half hours talk with him gives his
visitor clear insight into the condition OF
things in the Lone Star state. Last night
he was in the humor for conversation and
talked rs follows:
"On this trip of travel through the East
] have noticed more particularly how
different the operation of building towns
and cities is now from what it must have
been when the East was being settled. In
Tact we don't build towns any longer. at
least we don't out West and, by the bye,
West means. speaking today, the trans
Missississippi country. New England
NAV call Indiana West, but Texas calls it
East.
"At present towns are not laid out.
Urban development starts upon a plan
which contem plates a CITY. Villages and
towns in that plan are not considered. In
The times of our grsndfathers hIllsides
and valleys were turned into farms, and
crossroads became a village. and as the
country settled the necessities and inter
shange OF commodities made of the villages
towns. In the process OF development
competition made the most OF advantages,
and the towns possessing greatest advan-
tages gradually grew into cities.
Railroads and modern business meth
DDS have entirely changed this. Now
cities come first and they are usually
planned and begun at the extreme end of
q railroad, which has probably been driven
out into an uninhabited and unbroken
prairie or deep into q dense forest
Minerva is plucked fully equipped from
Jupiter, Chicago from New York, Kansas
City from Chicago and Denver from
Kansas City. Such Is the development OF
the railroad age in which we live.
Growth OF western Citiss.
1.-THE growth OF some Of our western
cities has been an interesting subject Of
study and in reviewing it today those with
the greatest natural advantages are
most prominent for their solid growth
and commercial importance. Without
great advantages there cannot be great
cities.
THE most striking illustration Of rapid
development OF place Is at point on
the gulf coast OF Texas, where a syndicate
Of Chicago capitalists, includingex-Senator
p.
heir own money, have deepened a harbor
without government aid. They used the
same plan as did Capt. Eads nj the mouth
of the Mississippi river and have been
lust as successful. When they commenced
work at the mouth OF the Brazos river two
years and a half ago there was only four
and half feet OF water on the bar Now
there is seventeen and half feet and the
scour of the current of the river is wash
ing the channel deeper all the time.
VeIasco's Wonderful Growth.
GA survey made last June showed that
they had by three feet the deepest water
IF any port on the gulf of Mexico west of
The mouth of the Mississippi river. On
the lei day of July they located and laid
,ut what is now the "Boss Baby City" in
America-Velasco, Tex. The first lot
was sold on July II, 1891, and now
there is a population there of almost 5000.
The company has sold 81, 10000 worth of
lots. There are SO houses built, seven
teen brick blocks in progress of erection at
present The place is lighted with
electricity. The long wharves built have
already proved unequal TO the business
demands and are being extended. Over
600 vessels have entered the new port and
discharged cargo some of them drawing
as much as sixteen feet and nine inches
OF water. Since the town has been laid
out il has been connected with the outside
world by railroad 20 Houston. which
has thirteen railroads. Every train and
vessel which enters the port is loaded
with people, who have studied the situa-
ton and decided that the place which has
IT, ] IL
great city.
Heretofore the commerce of the world
has been walled out from the southwest
by the sand bars which almost closed the
entrance to ali the streams. The surplus
products Of the West have been compelled
TO go to export via Atlantic ports. Even
Texas beef and Texas wheat have been
freighted by rail from almost in sight of
the blue water Of the Mexican gulf 1000
miles TO deep water on the Atlantic coast.
Getting Deep Water.
1.-THE successful accomplishment of
deepening the entrance to the Brazos
river at Velasco has raised
the embargo imposed by nature
and already In the short space of eight
months the tide of traffic is changing. l
am advised bv wire that the Austerlitz,
the frs. of a line of steamships which will
ply between Liverpool ana NelascO, ar
rived yesterday in the latter port. She
will take out as her maiden cargo 5000
bales OF Gotten and 100000 pounds Of cot
ton oil cake.
''The promoters of this new seaport laid
Dut not town, but city. True to modern
methods they have planned and are
developing every equipment of a city
electric lights, electric street transpOrta-
lion service. latest improvement in
sewerage, boulevards and parks.
''The development of our advantages
will make Us in few years what l find
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