The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-27
Magnificent STRUCTURE at Austin
Il Typical Of the Great State in
It's Vast Dimensions and Impos-
ing Grandeur.
EVERY VISITOR SHOULD
SEE THIS COSTLY PILE
Capital City Of the State a Beauti-
full and Progressive Community,
and Rapidly Growing in Manu-
features and Wealth.

Special to The Journal.
Austin, Texas, Oct. 25.-The traveller |
in Texas cannot fail to have his attention
called to the capitol building at Austin,
for Texans are all very proud of this
superb embodiment of the wealth and
natural resources Of the great Lone Star
state. 1t is certainly most imposing
| structure, simple in3 its architecture and
with the dignity which is such a charm
| in the classic buildings Of ancient Greece
| 1t is the seventh largest capitol building
in the world and the second largest in
! the United States. Provisions for its
erection were made as early as 1875,
| when, in the constitution submitted to
! the people by the constitutional conven-
| ton of that year, 100000 acres Of the
public lands Of Texas were set aside to
provide the necessary funds fora build
ing which would tittingly represent the
! greatness Of the state
| In 1882 the old capitol was burned, and
! in that same year the construction of
the new building was begun. Three
| years later, on the I'd of March, the
forty ninth anniversary Of Texas inde-
| pendence, the cornerstone was laid and
then the work was rapidly pushed to its
completion. The material used in the
construction is red granite, hewn from
the quarries of Texas, and in the in
terror are beautiful marbles, also from
! the nearby quarries.
The building is located on Capitol hill,
near the center of the city, in the square
which was chosen for the capitol of the
republic Of Texas. The main approach
| is Congress avenue, which leads from
the Colorado river through the city, to
/ the entrances at the front Of the capitol
out with lawns, broad paths, trees and
| Strawberries The building is 566 feet
across the front, and it's greatest depth
| is 2SS feet. The main part of the build
| ing has three stories, but in the central
portion there is fourth. A stately
| DOME with encircling colonnades, rises
from the center of the structure to a
| height Of more than $50 feet, and it's
pinnacle is crowned by beautiful statue
of Liberty, holding in her uplifted hand
| the lone star for so many years the SYM
| Dol Of Texas. .
Interior of the Building.
Upon entering the first floor the Wis
itor finds himself in spacious corridors
leading to the rooms of the different de-
partments in the state government Here
also are the treasury vaults, built Of the
finest chrome steel, which afford fire.
proof storage for the valuable public
| records and all moneys, stocks and bonds
of the treasury 4 81 ~
|Ascending one Of the broad staircases,
which lead from either side of the ro-
! tunda to the second floor, the visitor
| readily finds his way to the spacious SEN
ate chamber in one wing and the house
of representatives in the other wing,
each with twenty-five committee rooms
adjoining, and ala magnificent in their
| L 1S SScICC dASO
commodious quarters on this floor and
here, too, is the room where the governor
holds his recent onssta the public. ]
In the long wings of the third floor are
the house of representatives, while d.
rectly above the state library are the SUI
preme and appellate courtrooms and the
law library. r.- "a ,kj1..
three spacious rooms, devoted to the uses
Of the various assistants in the depart
ments. ~
Over $50 feet from the ground, where
the huge pillars form the colonnade
around the rotunda, there is an open air
promenade which is unequalled in any
building in the world. From this point
of vantage, a most magnificent view can
be obtained of Austin and the outlying
country about the city, and the Colorado
river as it flows past to the gulf. It is
a sight which no traveller in Texas should
miss, for without it his trip through tn.
state would not be complete.
City OF Fine Buildings. T..
The number Of Austin's fine buildings Is
realized when the visitor looks over the
city from the capitol dome and picks
them out one after another-the stately
Travis county courthouse the fine school
churches, the postoffice. and the hotels
1t is no wonder that Texans are proud
Of their capital city and the beautiful
state house, for they are both repre-
| sentative OF the very DSSt OF every PAR
! of this great state. The capitol buildin.
cost over $3,7O0,000 to construct, but 1
Is the center of government Of state
whose annual wealth exceeds that sun
many times over, and it Is only fitting
/ that the architecture should be of tn,
noblest and the structural material OF tn
l very finest that the state affords.
The city of Austin has steadily grown
in size and wealth ever since 1872, whe1
1t was selected as the permanent capita
| oe ,fo%1 mt TOD nhoro nor,
80, 900 Inhabitants. It has unrivaled edu
cational facilities, fine churches, beauti
full homes. excellent banks, large whole
sale establishments, and an extensive re
featuring interests are already very large
and enterprises Of this sort are attende
invariably with success, as the city !
! a shipping center for large area Of tn
! state. . De-. 1872 ...... ~ =: -
| In the Great Cotton Belt. -
There are two large cotton compresse
in Austin which are operated through tn
II entire season, and. as the city is IN tn
. center of the very finest cotton section c
y the state, there is a great opportunity fc
N industry of this sort. There is at pres
I ent no large cotton mill in Austin, an
l it is strange that this Mnrivaled opentn
for such an enterprise has not been seize
e before this, as there Is undoubtedly
i II large fortune in the weaving of cotto
r,I cloth where the raw material Is so clos
~ at hand. There is already established
M very successful cotton seed oil MILL whic
! has the capacity Of eighty tons of cot
L ton seed day. ...- --s =
- Austin has one Of the largest cand
. factories in the state, the daily outpl
often exceeding 10000 pounds.
p The counties about Austin are rich
building stone of various sorts, and the1
at are also quantities Of timber all throug
this section so that there are most VI
usual opportunities for the manufactul
/, of building materials of all kinds, stor
Of cutting, marble works., saw and planir
ver mills, lime kilns, and while there are a
.ca ready several firms established in thes
~ lines and doing truly enormous amour
~ of business, there are many chanc,
~ which ought to appear extremely a
He tractive to the capitalist who wishes
OF enter upon any such line of manufa
NE turing.
Fabulous Wealth In Iron.
The great iron deposits Of Texas a.
\ only beginning to be worked, but enous
has been done to prove that a mo
fabulous wealth is to be found in deve
| oping this resource Of the state. Aust
has a large iron factory, where found
i work is done, boilers, centrifugal pump
gasoline engines and numerous simil
articles are manufactured, and the fir
= has gained a reputation which extern
over the entire state.
! Austin is also the center OF a We
large saddlery and harness making blu.
ness. There are several firms alreal
enca ped In this line Of rnanufacturfr