The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-22
A BIG FAIR AT HOUSTON,
Some Interesting "reminiscences oil forwel
Bic Expeditions Here.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE VALUE OF A FAN
How o visit 90 Houston Early IN ths
Seventies Resulted IN
Large Deals,


COlumOl6, leAast JdnuNlI Avs--t NNsiNS
in the columns Of The Post that eonsid-
cradle is being said about the orgsniza-
tion OF State fair to be held at Houston
IN lieu OF your popular +. T. and Y. Festi-
val The move is surely good one and
trust that tbs wise and progressive eiti-
Gems Of your growing city will get together
in one grand effort and put on sure foot
ing an enterprise than can not fail IN its
bene1ts--if properly managed My e1-
perienoe with fairs and expeditions hes
taught me that often their financial failure
% brought about through too much run
ming to popular amusements. racing. un-
warranted big premiums, and overrating
attendance ard gate receipts while forget
ting original details systematic sdvsrtls-
ing, exhibit soliciting space that exhibit
tors win pay for amusement list that Will
bring q revenue. aud neslectlng the very
closest relations with the press and the
railroads. Again. | am satisfied that.
though there may be a loss 10 the promot
ers (if II be a syndicate OF stock com
pany), yet every fair is a bonanza 10 tho
city In which It is held, because there
would have TO be general panic over the
whole country TO prevent a large proper
tion of the people from attending the fair
and they sure travel on railroads put mp
at hotels and boarding houses fll hacks
and street cars and spond all they have
az the stores-and other places.
was a young man whom the first Texas
State fair was held AZ Houston in 1872 aud
recolect that It was nearly tho Hrst time
I had been ont OF the woods since the
war " and had quito forgotten how big
the world was. what IL contained and that
there Was any other way OF making lly-
ing except by 'grubbing" for It. We
knew everybody IN Houston those days
and 4 was al homo when / got there It
was the first fair had ever attended and
the speaker (tlorace Greeley was not tho
biggest attraction there for me. Tho OK
hibits were certainly good for 80 new an
undertaking and at so recent q period OF
our upbuildng aud rehabilitation AFTER
The war" ! was only lOolter-on and
went to the fair with no fixed intentions
OF any character. but as an evidence OF
what benefit fair is to a town | will
simply tell what II cost meas an indi-
vidual went into Power Hail" and be.
came fascinated with the machinery aud
saw 80 many Improvements that had
never heard OF. There was the gin feed :
er. condenser and revolving press aud
every attachment and convenience for the
speedy and careful handling OF cotton that
Impressed me too much for resistance 7
approached Captain Kirk, agent for Thoa.
b. Bodley OF No. Perdido street, New
Orleans afterwards Lane & Bodley), and
priced all classes OF his machinery
asked him II II was for sale Ile replied
| that they were samples gotten up FOR eX-
hibitlon and were OF tho best. but OF course
he would cell them, Remembering his
words makes me laugh now because, com :
pared with the improvements OF later
| years, they were indeed crude) | made
| my selection of a complete ginning ontdt
and asked the spot cash figure on same.
When no had got through figuring the re-
suit would have nearly pAralyzed the pro-
I moter OF complete round bale plant OF
the present period, for manufactured iron
was gold AZ that time and inventive genius
in every department reaped rich re-
ward. Then asked Captain Kirk what
he would place tho plant in operation for
on my plantation in Fort Bend county IN
time for the coming crop. He inquired
about railroad rates. told him his
rates would he for thirty miles wagon
transportation and he stipulated that
would have 10 provide for that. but that
at given signal that all had been trans
ported and ready no would be on ia,
ground and put Il in successful operation
$1,000 TO he paid on the spot for the ma
chncry and the other thousands when he
blew the whistle over the successfu
launching OF tho plant. went TO tn,
city, had n few words with that prince o
men and merchants (among all that Hous,
ton had or ever will havo), William n
Cleveland, and then went back and tolt
Kirk to mark HIS machinery sold Thi
| was think tho frat steam gin nant ru
/ up In Fort Bend after tho Nyar, and as
! Kirk blew the whistle the boiler exploded
| and smashed things generally There Mal
much anxiety over tho disaster because
there WAS over 200 bales Of cotton waitns
| 10 be ginned on the SPOT and nearly ever,
field nearby had cotton In pens and PILED
up in the field waiting 10 he hauled 10 m,
gin, Captain Kirk was man and q gen.
tlemap and his firm one Of the hest that
over dealt with customer and though tbs
loss was heavy on them thev bought the
best boiler 20 he found IN Houston and
had my GIN running IN short order DIN.
ming WAS $40 a bale and my average was
tan bales a dav, cotton was. I think. Il
cents pound
Wei, 10 get back 10 the fair: bought
the machinery in consequence 81 II Nexi
day after buying 1t hunted mp = man aud
neighbor (Who is now Or. Dorsey Mason %
your city, and told him 7 wanted to nut
m store and gin plant and thought HI,
/ AttHtiiANh a RTNNFf liaNt AWhN ANiNh fUf
asked him what he would take tcr H. HI
replied $4,000 in gold had another tall
with my Young friend Cleveland I'VE nj,
both older nowl and ] told Dorsey Mssoi
that would take his place | did so ant
" was upon It the machinery. store. etc,
was put-sll In consequence OF the fair
OF course had 10 have lumber with whlcl
to build the gin house. store. etc. and il
consequence OF the fair bought about
Thousand dollars worth OF lumber IN
Houston and then made a contract will
mechanics TO do my building. | also mad,
out my bills and bought in Houston, 70
early shipment, a general merchandise
stock that In its completeness aggregated
a cost OF over Sl2 000--though at presen
prices Il would be very much lees
Therefore, Il will be seen that my tril
to fair at Houston nearly thirty year
ago cost me abou, Ss5,000 My town ii
Fort Bend was named Cleveland. after NJ,
young friend, William D., with whom
did business without word or jar 10
nearly twenty years, aud whom | coneeiv
TO be one OF the most noble just and gen
erous business men that ever lived, a.
we'll as Christian gentleman Our bust
ness relations would not have ended bu
for my change OF residence. and our friend
ship will not cease, I hope, while we live
A lapse OF the postofflce at Cleveland CAV
town OF the safae name IN Eastern Tex8
a chance TO assert herself and u now hear
ha ,ant ,F ~.