The Republican journal., 1916-02-24
Memories of Southern Cities
San Antonio, Texas.

Antonio IN 1897 was less tnan 4,UUU, ana
at least 8, 900 were Mexicans. The Ger
mans came next, and outside of Uncle
Sans soldiers. officers and men, and the
civilian employees at headquarters, the
American contingent was a small one.
There were some intelligent and wealthy
Mexcans, but the great majority were
of the lowest class, and were herders,
teamsters, or common laborers. They
lived for the most part in the outskirts
of the town, but their jackals were
found in the town itself among the more
pretentious buildings. Perhaps the read
err would like to know what jacs! is.
Well, we in New England would call it a
hut. The walls are made by driving
poles into the ground close together,
the crevices chinked with mud. The
roof is matched. Often the only open
ing is the doorway-without door-and
the floor is the mother earth. In the
town the jacals were close to the walk
and the whole interior was open to the
gaze of the passerby. In the outskirts
the cooking is done out doors, but where
there was no room outside for culinary
operations charcoal fire was used in
side. The jacals had no chimneys.
There were other buildings of adobe
sun dried brick. These bricks were
made of earth of clayey nature, mixed
with water to the consistency of bakers
dough. Hay, straw. rushes or grass.
chopped fine, was then mixed In, and the
mixture was worked in moulds like brick
and laid in the sun to dry. The average
size of the adobe was 20 inches long, 10
inches wide and 4 inches thick. In lay
ing them mud was used instead OF &C.
ment and there were no joints. The
iacals were sometimes plastered inside
and out. and with their thick walls were
said to be cool in summer and warm in
winter. These buildings were very dur
able and were in good condition forty or
more wears after they were built.
There were nc wooden buildings, as
there were no trees in this section of
which to make lumber, and no facilities
for Transporting it from other sections.
The more pretentious buildings were of
stone from the quarry near the town-a
limestone, easily worked when taken
from the quarry, but which hardened
when exposed 10 the weather. 1t was
white in color with yellowish streaks.
The Catholic cathedral, the largest and
finest building in the town, was built of
this stone, the money for its construction
coming from Mexican men and women
who earned scanty living as washer
women, teamsters or day laborers.
All the supplies for the town, and for
the U. S. quartermaster's department,
which supplied the garrison and the
troops at the frontier posts, were hauled
from the coast, distance of 100 miles,
in two-wheeled Mexican carts. These
carts were made without nails or iron
work of any description, the parts dashed
together with greenhide. The oxen
which drew them were "yoked' by
flashing a stick back of the horns of each
pair, to which the tongue was dashed.
The wheels of the earlier carts were
made of solid wood, without tires, and
the creaking and groaning of these
primitive vehicles when in motion was
something indescribable. For provisions
ho Ill hn II,
strips and hung on the supports which
held the canvas cover of the wagons. In
that climate meat dried when thus ex-
posed, without spelling, With the meat
would be strings of red peppers, much
used in Mexican cookery. A supply of
corn meal would complete the food
equipment of wagon train on its trips
to and from the coast.
The Germans, here as elsewhere, were
good citizens, and their industry and
thrift have done much to bring Texas to
its present prosperous condition. There
was then town-New Braunfels-set-
tied exclusively by Germans. Many OF
the Germans in San Antonio had served
a five years enlistment with Uncle Sam,
and with the money coming to then
when discharged had opened beer saloons
or engaged in other business. There was
then no theater or even hall in which tt
hold entertainments, and the Germans
dubbed together and built little theatel
in which they had musical and dramatic
entertainments for their own pleasure
and benefit.
With the Mexicans, cock-fghts ant
fandangoes, were the chief amusements
with gambling practically continuous
performance. Every Sunday after mass
there were cockfghts within square O.
the church, while fandangoes were helt
every evening, Sunday included. These
were held in large hall or square room
lighted by few lamps hung from thu
walls or lanterns suspended from thu
ceiling. Here to the music of pair O.
negro fiddlers twenty or thirty couples
would dance The dancers included COW
boys, rangers and herdsmen and Mexical
women, but rarely an American or Ger
men of either sex. In the corners o
the room were refreshment tables wher