Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-06-15
DUMAS SHOWS
 MUCH PROGRESS Desha County Citizens Are Alive to March of De-
 velopment.
MANY NEW BUILDINGS
Brick Stores and Attractive and Cost ly Residences-School System
 Is Up.to-Date.

not had anything Speclal to report lately, but with the completion ci our wa,elworks system, the inaugu1- ation cf the brick building era, the, letting of contract for new brick school and other prospective improvements we feel as though it was time to talk for Dumas. Ten years ago it was a country town without anything to back it except a magnificent farming community, that was constantly widening. It is still a country town, has the same con- stantly widening farming community several thousand acres larger.
 About year ago some of our citi- zens awakened to the fact that deep we'll was a desirable adjunct, so an improvement district was form ed, and we not only got the deep we'll, but the mains laid throughout the business and residence district, steam pump to force the water into the mains at high pressure, as we'll as into a storage tank. The contrac- tor is just finishing up his job and he has made good one. His name is F. H. Porter, and he halls from Clinton, Ky. The foreman in charge, however, is J. L. M. Greenier, and all this work was performed under his supervision.
 1 Now, for a town that has barely ] a thousand inhabitants, that is something to be proud of, but it was accomplished only after a great many tactful moves on the part of the pro- gressive citizens, and a great deal of credit is due Messrs. Bernhardt, Wat erman, Bowles, Moore and several other tried and true friends of the waterworks project.
 Until recently there was not a brick building in the town. To have thought that there was no use for brick except in flues and piers. Finally Jack Bernhardt concluded that it was time to start something" so he had the plans drawn and let a contract to R. J. Mcbride, of Ham, burg for the first brick building in Dumas It was completed about May 20, and by that time the con- tractor had closed deal with D. O.. Porter for another. Since then three other bricks have been projected, one of which is the school house, the con- tract for which will be let on June 12.
 No less than twelve new residences have been built since January 1st., two of the most recent, are a very handsome one for R. A. Culpepper, cashier of the Merchants & Farmers Bank, and one which is now being built for Chas. Dante, which is esti- mated to cost about $5,000.
 Our schools have not been allowed to lag, under the experienced super vision of Miss M. T. Scheurer, of Union City. Tenn, who has just been
 reelected principal of the public schools The school has been placed upon the grade system and we ex- pect untold benefits to accrue both to the children and to the town dur ing the next year of work.
 Our Mayor is an active and pro- pressive young man, product of Lee county Phil J. Smith has done his very best toward the upbuilding of the town in every respect and toward the fostering of every public im- provement. He is now serving his second term, having been reelected without opposition last April.
 We are growing so that one might hear it at night. and before January 1, 1911, we hope to have several more brick buildings and great deal more of concrete walk. Dumas is without doubt the best located and the fastest growing town on the Val