The Greeley tribune., 1910-02-17
TEXAS STEAMBOAT

anywhere else along the river. and
the settlers have a better idea of
/ what they are up against and what
the future may reasonably be ex-
pected to hold for them and others
ne past year has been prosperous
with them and over 10" cars OF
produce have been shipped so far this
winter from along the branch. All
of II brought good prices. Just what
effect largely increased production
will have on the prices paid is hard
to tell.
In another letter | spoke OF the
small size and poor grade of horses
and cattle down there. | have learn
ed the reason. The native breeds,
these insignificant. undersized ami
mails are the only ones that seem able
to stand the climate. Texas fever
gets lot of stock, and the ticks are
so thick that they fairly eat the stock
up. These pests are about the size
of big bedbus when empty. Aft
er they have gorged themselves on
blood they are as big as navy bean
and they sometimes hang so thick
on cows hide that they can be
seen fifty feet away
Horses are sometimes SO pestered
with them that the hair turns white
in little spots all over them. wherever
the ticks have been thickest. 1t is
possible to get rid of these pests,
just the same as most others. but 1t
takes continued vigilance. just as it
does in fighting potato bugs and cab
bage worms up north. All insect
pests are very numerous, and the
lack of continued cold weather al
year to year very much faster than
in country where the mercury goes
to zero.
Snake and fish stories are always
in order down there. The biggest
rattesnake | saw measured little
less than nine feet and had torty-six
rattles. He was dead and stuffed.
But ] saw a number of live ones
that were over six feet long, with
twenty-three rattles. The Mexicans
catch them with horse-hair lassoes
and sell them to the snake farms.
which in turn sell them to travelling
shows and to takers who make rat
tlesnake Oil A great many black
snakes infest the thickets and grow
pers. but as they are harmless they
are not molested. Plenty of wild
cats, big vicious fellows, to eat up
any stray chickens that wander too
far from home or are not shut up
of nights. Tarantulas and scorpions,
lots of them. No. life is not all
roses in sunny southern Texas.
Brownsville is the boyhood home
OF James Stllman. now one OF the
high moguls of the Chemical Ma
tional bank of New York city. Ihey
say that Jimmie" Stillman got his
start ferrying people across the MO
Grande between Brownsville and Ma
tnmoros, Mexico. The river is about
as wide as the Platte between Gree
Icy and Kersey would be If the
Platte was bank wide. But 1t is
very deep, not often less than M
teen to twenty-five feet.
Jimmie soon saw the possibilities
In the ferry business and bought up
all the river front for couple OF
miles for a mere song. Then the
oher ferrymen had to quit business
for they had nowhere to land except
on Jimmie's acres. Now. and TOT
many years back, Jimmie lives III
brownstone mansion on Filth ave
nue., New York. and his four row
boats. each manned by husky Mex
ican at rs cents day, carry an hN-
erage of coo passengers across 'he
muddy Rio Grandc every day III Tue
year. The fare is 3 cents AmeF't'"
money. and the total investment io'
boats Is less than $3.50. However.
the service is quick, frequent ana
ample. What more could you ash
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