Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-14

brains so we could reach III OBJ
jective quickly and we got the
credit instead Of Jonah, who de-
served it. Col. Jonah came back
from France in 1919 and resumed
his office as chief engineer of the
Frisco lines and he has continued
as chief engineer of that line to
date. Chas. Armstrong Of Kennedy
county, Ed Barron of Brownsville,
Postmaster WILDER bennett Of
Brownsville, Walter Amthor of La
Feria, men who were here land are
still here) were members of Col.
Lott and Col. Jonah's organization
before any of the rest Of us arrived
on the job.
"The general contractors for the
construction of the entire st. L. 3.
Sc NJ. railroad from Brownsville to
Sam Fordyce to Algo near Hous-
ton was Johnston Bros, whose
contract was for a completed rail-
road including all materials, rails,
ties, depots, fence, shops, section
houses and a large amount of
equipment, locomotives, cars, etc.
They bought and paid for all this
material and equipment and were
paid at a fixed price per mile of
completed railroad and besides they
were heavy investors in the con-
struction syndicate which financed
the railway and which owned the
railway corporation stocks, bonds
and land bonuses. When money
was scarce, Mr.. Johnston often car
ried the syndicate for large
amounts, as much as a million dol.
lars.
johnson Bros, sublet the grad.
ing, tracklaying, bridges, fence, de-
pots, etc. to sub-contractors. The
subs owned the grading equipment,
mules, construction locomotives.
cars, pile drivers, etc. Johnston
also loaned the sub-contractor's
money to finance their work.
Mr.. Miller gave Mrs. King. MI.
kleberg and Mr.. John Kennedy
credit for their princely donations
to the land bonuses for constr1ic
ton syndicate which made the rail-
road possible, but he did not men
ton John Closner, Lon Hill or Mr..
Hooks. The Sam Fordyce branch
would not have been built for MANI
years but for these three men
Major John Armstrong of KEN
nedy county and Don Poncho Ytur-
ria were two other big contributors
TO the land bonuses. Likewise the
Hlx family, Jim Landrum, the
combs Bros, Mr.. and Mrs. James
A. Brown, Albert A. Brown. Mrs
sam Reman, Jim DiShman and
JoSla Turner, the Stillman family
and many others gave large bodies
OF land and the town Of Browns
vile raised cash and gave terminal
site.
Ben Johnston Of Johnston Bros
was the CUTS and brains of the
whole undertaking. He was an in
valid and bedridden most of the
time for 20 years and died inst aft
er the railroad was finished to sam
Fordyce: He lay on a couch in his
car unable to sit up, awarded con-
tracts TO sub-contractors SCI
Cled disputes between sub-controo-
torS ana engineers, many timez
trimming his firm in favor of the
sup. He had rather give the otbor
IelIoW q dollar than take q charce
on robbing him even Of a dime II
~ years ne built over 5000 miles
OF railroad for Frisco, Rock IsIan6
and other S. w. lines and offer
carried the railway companies for
enormous amounts for montbs
When they were hard Up. He vac
the idol Of all the sub-contrac+ors0
rough necks, hobos, negroes, Mexi'
cans and mules of the Southwes,
who built railroads with bron e
muscle and sweat, not with hot