Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-03-30
SAN ANTONIA
THE METROPOLIS
OF Texas the Lone Star State.
Essentially Different From Other
Cities.
STORM CENTRE OF TEXAS.
The Slogan Remember the Alamo
Made Victories Of the Mexican
War Possible and Annexed
Texas.
Texas.
Especial to the Evening Capital
BY Mrs. Jean Cabell O'Neill.)

san Antonio eAaS, called the me-
tropolis Of the Lone Star State. is so
essentially different from any other
city in the Union that is a revelation
o all corners. New Orleans. Boston
and San Francisco and Manhattan are
all distinctive cities but San Antonio is
more so-in Elusive charm i'm mixture
Of races. lis still strongly marked traces
Of Spanish, of French. OF Mexican and
very good American occupation. his
tory and romance and very practical
air Of prosperity of twentieth century
variety make an atmosphere distinct
from any other city OF this or OF other
countries.
Today ! was lettering in an old mill.
its now silent grindstones ground grist
for six generations OF these mixed res
idents. One stone now occupies place
OF honor of the Mecca of all Texas. the
Alamo the other in broken fragments.
lies just below the swollen stream that
still winds over the ford below. where
the wheel of the mill so long turned
This is still a ford. though a very sub
stantial bridge, in fact thirty-two sub
5tantial bridges span the languhl
stream called the San Antonio river
during the day probably hundreds of
teams drive through the water of the
ford not that the horses particularly
seem 20 need the refreshment, but it is
dry hereabouts that all good teamsters
know ten minutes with their wagon
wheels in the water adds to their use
fulness in swelling the wooden rims
under the iron tires.
Much of the value of the city in past
ages must have come from the pos
session of this stream much of the ro-
nance of the city and its most dramat-
ic happenings have occurred on the
banks of this so-callol river, which
turns and twists upon itself like a par
ticularly spirited angle worm, and the
very beginning of the river is to be
found in a pretty Spanish tradition.
To appreciate what water means, one
must at some time have wandered over
the arid reaches of these dry states to
have come near or actually have suf-
fored thirstthen nothing more Divine
~ God-given can be found than water.
especially cool. clear water, and this
twisting stream which rises from the
springs bubbling out of the earth. is
cool and always clear. This is the
legend
Charles NJ Barnes the historian and
author of several text books on Texas
history. tells that old Don Antonio
Nenchaca. the venerable seer of the
city, tohi him the legend in 1875, while
az the home of George w. Bracken-
ridge. called Fern River, at the head
of the San Antonio River The first of
all the long train of adventures who
have ridden through these wilds was
the proud and naughty Don Domino
Ramon, with his Spanish Cavaliers.
who were in search of adventure and
gold and expected to conquer the new
land in the name of their King of
Spain I'm the train rode a number of
P1lras. These we're holy mission
aries The most pious of all the num-
Der was Mariil, who, with his Fran
ciscan flock. came to convert to Christ
ianity the natives whom Ramon and
his cavaliers sought to conquer. But
there were weary leagues OF arid land
to be traversed, and it. was while their
beasts and the riders we're finally
about to succumb to the lack of water
with throats parched and tongues
swollen and protruding, that some
verdant foliage appeared. To this they
went with all the haste their trotting
steps could muster There was sue
culent grass for the nearly famished
horses. but no water was to be seen.
YEARLY the cavaliers threw them
selves ON the ground to die. Not so
the monks. They threw themselves on
| their knees and prayed for water. In
these prayers Marjil led, for he had
strong faith.
The monks knelt under the shade Of
! tree. whose greenness was surpris-
ing. as there was no water in sight
| Forvently clasping his hands and lift
/ ing his eyes heavenward, poured forth
/ his deyt ton. and above h headtwIst-
| ed about the limbs of thu tree he spied
| purple grapes. Without a word to his
| companions the Monk lickly attempt
| ed to climb up toward the grapes,
/ knowing their jaice would save the
/ dying men. but his weight tore the
vine loose from its hold and he fell
| heavily to earth, uprooting the vine
| with his fall. but. as he soil gave way
/ with tla uprooted vine. a stream of
| water broke through TO the surface
and. bubhling and gushing, made its
| way over the thirsty sands. This was
the spring uncovered which grew INTO
the river naued IN honor of Stan
| thony.
Time and again this stream, in its
wandering course, has witne d
| far different from the holy men and
rescued cavaliers, who filled the air
with praise at its birth, fer on the
banks of tie San Antonio river many
a battle has been fought and. legend
says. will he fought again. After the
massacre of the Alamo the bodies oi
the slain Mexicans fioatel down the
! stream. and for months the water was
unfit for man or beast. Six fiags have
fioated over the Alamo which. in the
beginning. was a church, but by The
exigencies of pioneer days included g
fort as we'll San Antonio dates It's
/ history from a charter issued by Fer.
! dinand III. of Spain, in 1883 Tn,
settlement was first known as San Fer.
nando. and was situated on the wes
bank OF the winding stream afterwarG.
named the Can Antonio river