The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-10
Texas City Is Destined to Be One
of the Greatest Railway Gen.
tiers Of the Vast Lone Star
State.
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES
ARE BEING RECOGNIZED
Federal Government Spending
Millions in Improving It's Water
Ways-Center of Rich Agri-
cultural District. .-.a
Special to The Journal.

| Houston, Texas Nov S-Quite recently
| a man who is well known in all the rail-
road world and in business circles as we'll
| because of his genius in planning and
putting into successful operation far
Preaching transportation systems, returned
from an extensive trip thru the southern
states. and while speaking of the amazing
! progress which is being made all thru
this great portion of the country he was
asked to give his opinion of what had
| been accomplished in Texas during the
| past few years. l.,..
| 1T is impossible to give in a few words
| any adequate conception of the rapid de-
| velopment which has been and still is
| taking place from north to south and
| from east to west in this great state, y
| was his reply. wherever you go you
meet with the same resistless onward
! movement toward greater and greater
! prosperity. 1t is difficult for the mind to
I grasp the full import of the present and
4 future wealth of this imperial state. The
most limitless natural resources of Texas
| appeals to me as one of the most stu
pendous undertakings which has ever
fallen to the lot Of human ingenuity"
In your judgment, has the recent I'M
nlistakable rise of Texas in the industrial
and financial world any of the character
| istics OF the ephemeral, artificial boom
| which has so frequently brought untold
| hardships upon the settlers in sections of
| our great west?'
absolutely none" was the prompt re-
joinder 1T is simply that people have
suddenly awakened to the fact that Texas
wealth from innumerable sources, health,
and happiness are to be obtained by those
| who seek them"
What impressed you as being one of
! the most remarkable features in this
wonderful development of the state?'
1T is difficult, in fact almost impossl-
BILE. to select any one where there are so
many truly phenomenal developments,
! 1inly
CLEAN in his eyes, lit was the railroading
interests which appealed to me most
powerfully. Such magnificent opportuni-
| ties as there are in Texas today will not
be often equalled. truly believe that at at
the present rate of progress there will
be, within ten years time, more than
| Ii, 5000 miles of railroad in the state. There
! are now about II, 200, but large Increase
! several instances operations have begun.
Houston To Be Railroad Center.
ter OF the w State De in t5 you gfea
| Houston, without doubt" and there
was not the slightest hesitation in the
reply. Houston has all the requisites
energetic population, a fine location at
| the head of deep water navigation, and
extensive manufactures; it is the great
est cotton center in the W9rld; 1t is a is
industry and the great shipping outlet
for the oil fields. The wholesale business
| Of the city is already enormous, and
growing every year. At present there are
| fourteen railroads entering the city, and
| several more are under constructions; SO
it can truthfully assert a claim to being
| one of the largest railroad centers in the
country, on the basis of it's population
Houston offers have been recognized by
many seeking business openings, and the
| development of her trade has been truly
marvellous during the past decade. But
future. To show that this is true it is
| only necessary to point to the vast under
| taking Of the federal government in
dredging Buffalo bayou and the cutting
Mexico, sufficiently deep to admit yes
J sells drawing twenty-five feet of water.
This means the expenditure Of millions Of
dollars, and certainly if the government
| greatne IS of Houston no such enormous
outlay of the nations funds would have
been made. Another proof Of the certain
progress of the city is in the large invest
lines already entering the city and by
| those new lines now being constructed.
| At present five railroads maintain general
offices in Houston, and it is said that
annually in wages to their employees
| who live in the city or it's suburbs. The
| new roads. when completed, will raise
this sum probably a half, if they con-
! struct all the various plants in or near
Houston which they are contemplating.
| 1t has been conservatively estimated that
| before 1910 there will be at least twenty
roads entering Houston, placing her a
close rival to many OF the the
| From Houstons busy depots there are
| now seventy-two passenger trains and 200
| freight trains. passing in and out each
| day. Approximately 4,500, 900 tons Of
| freight are handled annually. One-ffth
| Of the entire cotton crop of the United
| States passes thru the markets of Hous-
| ton and three-fourths of the entire crop
mills Of which there are five, the largest
| in the state, there is annually turned out
| a product valued at 100000, and this
| business is steadily growing. The city
has six rice mills, and this years product
will probably approach 100000 bags.
| The Produce Business,
The produce business Is very extensive,
| aggreGating last year a total of sc, 428, 000
The poultry and turkey industry is in
creasing most remarkably, and several
| firms in Houston are doing a very large
business in handling the birds, shipping
| them in great numbers to the northern
! markets. - ...,.-..-
| 1t has been estimated that the annual
| products Of the manufactures at Hous-
| ton are worth about $34,000,0 900, this be-
ing an increase of more than 200 per cent
| in the past three years. The whOleSa lie
trade Of the city equals and possibly ex-
! ceeds this amount. e.. e..
| If the statement of a man we'll versed
| in railroad matters Is true, that one OF
| the greatest magnets to draw railroads
| to any city Is fine manufa curing oppor-
| tunities, then the future greatness OF
| Houston in the railroad world is assured
! for certainly few cities have the unrivale6
| chances for enterprises of this sort that
| Houston has at the present time, anc
| each yeaS opens brighter pathways be.
| fore 1t. Within the commercial zone Of
| this favored city are large deposits o,
granite, marble, fire clay graphite, lead
! gypsum, mica; sulphur, turpentine, chalk
| asbestos, and salt, and several less i'm.
| pOrtant materials.
| Stretching northeast of Houston fol
| hundreds of miles are forests where tim.
| Der Of the finest grades can be obtained
| for manufacturing purposes. "
/ Acres Open to All.
| For miles about lie the cotton and rice
fields Of southern Texas. tobacco of the
| finest quality is raised in many of tn,
! nearby counties, in others there are mil
| lions Of acres of the choicest sugar can,
lands, where the crop yields are some
| thing prodigious; then there are the grea
/ fruit and vegetable farms, which are clos,
at hand to furnish unlimited supplies TO
canning factories, and last, and perhaps
1 the future will show them to be tn,
greatest of ALL the iron deposits, which
are near by, and are practically un
i touched. Fabulous wealth has alread,
been made in Texas from cotton, cattle