The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-05

move. Houston ranks fourth among the | worlds cotton markets. Strange al 1t may seem q bale of cot ton Is seldom seen on the streets. The staple passes through on the railroads and does not leave the warehouse dis trict. Practically all the cotton pro- duced in the great southwest passes through Houston. great deal of 1t goes to Galveston where it Is loaded on the ships while thousancs or bales are shipped out on the numerous railroads. All passenger trains, except the | Katy" enter and leave the Grand Cen tral depot on Washington street This is already quite handsome station, but steel ear shed now in course of construc- ton will complete it's appointments. Passenger stations in Texas are as a general rule, ornaments to the towns in which they are situated. There is not passenger station south of the Mason and Dixon line which surpasses or even equals the magnificent pile of the Texas and Pacific railway at Fort Worth.
 An Inland Seaport In addition to being a railroad center. Houston also boasts of being quasi sea port. Although forty miles from the coast. Buffalo bayou fed by the back va ters of the Brazos river passes through the town and constitutes waterway to the gulf. Long lines of barGes are lowed down to Galveston hy tugs and the bayou presents quite maritime ap- pearance when the boats come up from the bay.
 In addition to steam tugs, quite num- Der of sloops and other sailing vessels come up the bayou. but il is hnrdly ne- cessary to say that they have to be towed There is q bend in the bayou about every hundred yards, and when a line of barges Is in motion 1t twists about like huge snake
 Steps are now being taken to deepen the channel so that sea-goins vessels can come up to Houston direct The ap- propriation has already been made.
 Few Handsome Buildings. l Houston has few handsome public buildings, and the town as whole is not what one would call attractive or beautiful About the only structures in the town worthy of mention are the Rice hotel named after the Texas millionaire , killed in Now York by lawyer Patrick, and a part of the Rice estate, several other hotels. the Binz building and few business blocks
 The streets arc sadly in need of paving but this Is being remedied as fast as the city can get hold of funds While speak ing of tho streets. it may be added that
 
 ton is the poorest possessed by the larger towns of Texas. The city is we'll thread ed by tracks, hut the equipment is made quate to say she least
 The Bayou or the Cotton City. as 1t Is variously called. Is we'll supplied with elegant hotels Among these are the Rice. the Brazos, the Logan, the Bristol and tn. Burnett. However these are scarce sufficient to accommodate the traveling public. Frequently they are filled to overfiowlng and a stranger has a long chase before finding a place to sleep. This Is sure sign of prosperity.
 Business Enterprises.
 There are many big business enter prlses in the city. and banks enough to hold all the money in the state Among the leading mercantile establishments may be mentioned those of Ed Kiam, Wm Foley, Behring & Cortes, Mistrot, and Lew Bros.
 The Dixon Car Wheel plant Is about the only manufacturing enterprise of which Houston can boast.
 And now we come to one of Houstons most unsavory claims to fame. or rather notoriety. and that is its meaness. It Is said to be the worst town in the southwest for crime and one of the worst in the United States for murder. It is claimed by envious Waco and other towns that view Houstons progress with 8 jealous eye, that 1t averages one mur- der q week, and hangngs are unknown.
 This may be an exaggeration, but It Is certain that the list of murders in a year is appalling. Saloons. dives. gambling