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1903
AN OLD
LANDMARK
IS BEING REMOVED
_______
Wm.
Shea Talks of Fire-Fighters
of Other Days.
Mr.
William Shea doesn't look it, but he was a member of the Dallas
fire department in 1877. Out on Commerce street, near Good, workmen
are tearing away the old engine house, which is a landmark dear
to old-timers. The city sold the property, and a brick business
house will take its place. Mr. Shea grew reminiscent yesterday.
"The old volunteer fire department
was a popular institution, and the best men in the town were
its backers," said Mr. Shea. "This old engine house,
now going the way of all the old landmarks, was built and presented
to the volunteer fire boys by their admiring fellow citizens.
I was a member of company No. 2, and Judge John J. Goode was
our captain. Hon. W. C. Connor was our captain. Hon. W. C. Connor
was then a noted firefighter and the president of the State Firemen's
association.
"General Cabell was our mayor
in 1877, and popular with the fire boys. Prof. Toaley K. Hall,
Donald Hinchley and Dr. Allen, father of Robt. B. and W. R. Allen,
were members of the old company. To raise the fund for building
purposes, the people of Dallas gave benefit balls, picnics and
ice cream socials. We had ice cream in 1877. It was regarded
in the light of a great public enterprise, and all the local
spellbinders made speeches in favor of liberal donations.
"The laying of the cornerstone
was a gala day affair, and a box containing copies of the Dallas
Commercial, gold and silver coins and old manuscripts were placed
in its proper position under the stone. As an old-timer, I would
like to see the workmen get out the box in order that I might
be able to get another look at its contents.
"One by one, the old landmarks
and old faces are passing away. The fire boy survivors of 1877
should hold a sure-enough reunion. They were firefighters, too,
and when the bell tapped, there was a rush for the engine house.
I lost a $75 suit at a fire once, but think of the glory of being
a member of a volunteer fire department and 'runnin' wid de machine."
- April
19, 1903, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 11, col. 1-3.
- o o o -
An
Old Landmark.
One of
the landmarks of pioneer Dallas, a veteran of early times, is
an old mill. It is located on the old Scyene road, at the foot
of a hill, about four miles from Dallas. It is dismantled now,
a relic of by-gone days. A snapshot of the landmark is presented
herewith to the readers of The Times Herald.
This mill was built long before
the war by J. M. Patterson, one of the early settlers of Dallas
county, and one of three survivors who participated in the famous
county seat fight in the late 40's.
For years, it was a tread mill--that
is, the power was furnished by oxen. Eleven patient and plodding
beasts walked the treadmill daily and ground the corn. Then,
steam was substituted for steers, and pioneers from far and near
brought their grist to the old mill on horseback, in the good
old style of pioneer days.
This mill
has an interesting history, and was a lively place during the
busy season. In the 60's, a sawmill was added, and Judge Patterson
sawed lumber for the contractors and builders who figured in
the history of Dallas thirty-five years ago. Finally, a cotton
gin was put in and operated for several years, the farmers for
miles around getting the fleecy staple ginned there.
In 1873, ginning ceased, and the
mill was added to the list of "has beens." It had outlived
its usefulness. Judge Patterson sold the property to W. M. Thompson.
When Thompson died, it fell to one of his heirs and then passed
into the hands of strangers.
When a boy, Hon. O. P. Bowser carried
corn to the old mill, and all the farmer boys of that period
did the same. It is a landmark of the past, a pioneer who has
resisted the ravages of Time, one of the first grist mills built
in Dallas county.
- June 21, 1903, Dallas
Daily Times Herald, p. 17, col. 5-6.
- o o o -
NEW
FAMILY HOTEL.
________
Handsome South Ervay Street
Struc-
ture of Five Stories is Now
Nearing Completion.
On this
page is shown a cut of the new Majestic apartment building as
it will appear when completed. The work is now well advanced
and the building will soon be ready for occupancy.
The location of the new building
will be on what is known as the "street car barn lot"
on South Ervay street, near the park, and its frontage on Ervay
street is 172 feet, running back 81 feet.
MAJESTIC APARTMENT BUILDING,
SOUTH ERVAY STREET.
Its approximate
cost, complete, will be $125,000. The building is five stories
in height and will contain fifty apartments and 148 rooms. On
the upper floor will be located a cafe and dining room, on the
roof, a promenade and roof garden, which may be used for amusement
attractions, and in the basement will be a private bakery, laundry,
storerooms and complete machinery for conducting the huge hotel.
It has two electric freight elevators
and two sets of iron and marble stairs, and in design, will be
Italian renaissance.
The exterior is of pressed brick
and stone and the interior will finished in hard wood with hard
wood floors and tiled halls and bathrooms. There will be a separate
bathroom, with porcelain tub for each two rooms.
The walls will be of plaster, colored
and stippled. A special arrangement of telephones will be installed,
whereby a separate telephone exchange will be in the office of
the building, connecting a telephone in each room of the building.
The building will be electric lighted, steam heated and will
be built in semi-fireproof construction.
Its plan is that of a family hotel.
- June 28, 1903, Dallas
Morning News, p. 6, col. 2-4.
- o o o -
CITY'S
FIRST
BIG SETBACK
______
Serious Conflagration
Oc-
curred in Dallas in
July, 1860
_______
Account of the Calamity
Taken
From an Extra Edition
of the Dallas Herald.
Last Wednesday,
July 8, was the forty-third anniversary of the first big fire
that ever visited Dallas. The blaze came near destroying the
entire city, and was the first serious disaster that befell the
early settlers. The following account of the conflagration is
taken from a copy of the Dallas Herald extra, printed July 11,
1860, at McKinney, the office of the Herald having been destroyed
in the fire:
On Sunday last, 8th inst., the
town of Dallas was nearly all reduced to ashes, and almost wiped
out of existence. Such a calamity has never before befallen this
community--so overwhelming a disaster afflicted an enterprising
and industrious people; nor, so complete a destruction of valuable
property ever occurred in a small town. The fire originated in
some boxes in front of W. W. Peak & Bro.'s drug store, and
in less than five minutes, the entire building was enveloped
in flames. The wind was high, blowing from the southwest, and
the thermometer at the time (half-past one o'clock) was standing
at 105 F., in the shade. The fire was then communicated to the
old drug store, and the building and warehouse of A. Shirek,
and the Herald office on the north side of Peak's store, and
on the other, to the large brick store of Smith & Murphy,
the three-story brick building of Mrs. Cockrell, known as the
Dallas hotel. Thus, at one and the same time, the whole west
side of the square was a blazing mass of ruins. The Crutchfield
House, Wester's barber shop, the frame of the new building of
A. Simon, the old tavern stand, the office of B. W. Stone, young
Carr's saddlery shop, the large store house of Herman Hirhs,
Darnell's livery stable, A. Simons' store house and warehouse
(Caruth's old stand), D. B. Thomas' drug store, W. Brustles'
old shop and residence, E. M. Stackpole's store and warehouse,
Lynch & Son's saddle shop, Messrs. Caruth & Simon's storehouse
and J. C. McCoy's law office, followed. From this, the fire extended
to a blacksmith shop on the north side of the street, and, for
a time, threatened a number of private residences. There were
also several small buildings near, and in the rear of those on
the square, consumed. In the upper story of Peak's drug store
were the offices of Dr. C. C. Spencer and W. S. J. Adams, Samuel
Russel and John S. Chapman, lawyers, who lost all their libraries
and wardrobes. Also, rooms occupied by P. W. Stevinson, Peter
Spanburg and W. W. Peak, who also lost their clothing;James N.
Smith's small office adjoining Peak's was occupied by himself,
Dr. A. A. Johnson, and John J. Good, the last two, of whom, lost
all their libraries, etc.
The old drug store was vacant,
but had a few of Smith & Murphy's goods in it, which were
burned. Over Mr. Shirek's store and in the front room of the
Herald office, was the office of E. C. McKenzie, who lost all
in the room, with a trifling exception. In the Crutchfield house
was the postoffice, and an attempt was made to save its contents,
and a portion of the mail was gotten out, but was afterwards
destroyed in another building. The entire contents of the postoffice
were burned, with the exception of the postage stamps, most of
which were saved. All the postage envelopes in the office were
burned. Nearly everything was destroyed that was in the Crutchfield
house, even to the wearing apparel of the occupants, furniture
and everything. The stable belonging to the hotel was also destroyed,
together with contents (no horses, however), and the office of
J. M. M. Crockett, with all his library, papers, etc. In the
rear of J. M. Crockett's office was the residence of Mr. Harris,
who saved a portion of his furniture (over Hirsh's store were
the office of Dr. Henry S. Scott and the books and papers of
Messrs. G. W. Donaldson, and also the sleeping room of S. Schaffer.
The contents were all burned. Over Simon's store was the exchange
and law office of Messrs. Nicholson and Ferris--contents of iron
safe saved, their whole library and many valuable papers and
some account books burned. Over Dr. Thomas' drug store was the
law office of Mr. Philip Hay--part of library saved.
The total loss is variously estimated--some
say between two and three hundred thousand dollars, others over
that amount. The destruction was nearly total and complete. Happening
at an hour when a large majority of the citizens were en dishablle
to take an after-dinner siesta, no one was ready to save his
property. Some saved a few things by dragging them to the streets,
leaving them there only to be burned in a few moments as the
flames surged down the wide openings between the houses, and,
in some instances, catching on fire nearly one hundred yards
ahead of the flames.
The loss of the Herald office was
complete; four printing presses, a large amount of new and valuable
material; a large quantity of paper, files of the Dallas Herald,
important documents, correspondence, letters and the entire library
and furniture. We had barely time to save the business books
of the office before the rush of fire and smoke, and an intense
heat drove us out and prevented all attempts to save anything
more. Our entire wardrobe (a very slim concern, by the way) a
large amount of old boots, shoes, hats, gloves and such like
paraphernalia peculiar to a bachelor's establishment, all went
glimmering and left us sans culotte, sans soullere[?], et sans
habits--tout suite.
We are indebted to the friendly
offices of our generous neighbor, of the McKinney Messenger,
for the issue of this extra. We take this opportunity to return
our thanks for the kindness shown us, and the kind offers of
material aid from our numerous friends. It almost reconciles
us to our misfortunes, when they prove to us that we have friends
on whom we can rely in the hour of adversity. Such acts of kindness
and sympathy rob misfortunes of half their sting.
We wish to say to our subscribers
that as soon as we can get new material, which we have already
ordered, the Dallas Herald will appear again, and we hope that
within two months, we will be as large as life again.
The indomitable spirit and energy
of our people are manifested on trying occasion. Our merchants
will rebuild immediately, larger and better houses than they
had before. Messrs. Harsh, Caruth, Shirek, Stackpole, Simons,
Smith & Murphy, Fletcher and others, we learn, will commence
re-building in a short time. There is a demand for carpenters,
lumber and brick--especially the latter.
Misfortunes never come alone. During
the fire, many of our strongest and most energetic citizens became
overpowered by the heat, and almost superhuman efforts made to
assist each other, and many of them fell exhausted, and for a
time, a new horror was added to the rest.
The court house, a handsome brick
building in the center of the public square, was alone, saved
by the constant exertions of a few spirited individuals. The
heat was so great that the curtains on the inside of the windows
caught fire though the glass, and the beautiful grove of trees
that adorned the square was completely ruined.
On Monday, the 9th, the dwelling
house of Mr. John J. Eakins, one and a half mile from town, was
totally destroyed by fire, together with the entire contents,
supposed to have been the work of an incendiary.
It is also reported that there
were fires about the same time at several other places in the
surrounding counties, but the accounts are contradictory.
With this issue, we suspend for
a time, and hope that our friends will bear patiently with us
until our reappearance on the stage of action.
- July 12, 1903, Dallas
Daily Times Herald, p. 17, col. 1-2.
- o o o -
DALLAS
TRUCK FARMS
AND THE HOME MARKET
________
All the Home Grown Green Stuff
Consumed by Local
Buyers--Need of a Market House--Watermelon
Crop Immense and Peach Crop Light
Two years
ago, the fruit growers of East Texas insisted that Dallas did
not treat them fairly. They made the same complaint last year.
The fruit growers and truck farmers are pushing the cotton growers
for place in certain sections of Texas. the diversification campaign
inaugurated by The Times Herald years ago and preached day in
and day out, has revolutionized farming in East Texas, as well
as in other sections. The one-crop man is lonesome now. The man
of many crops is in the saddle, and he is here to stay. The truck
growers have their organizations and the fruit growers have their
associations. This year, a central organization or general committee,
representing all organizations, was formed. The fruit growers
and truck farmers have agents in St. Louis and Chicago. They
ship to these agents and the latter act as salesmen. Hence, the
official headquarters are maintained without the state. Last
week, members of the Commercial club advocated the organization
of a fruit and produce exchange, but the commission merchants
did not take kindly to the proposition. Representative commission
merchants declared that an exchange was out of the question.
There are eleven commission houses, great and small, in Dallas,
and the exchange idea hasn't a friend in the bunch.
"The
fruit growers and truck farmers have their salesmen in St. Louis
and Chicago," said the head of one of the largest commission
houses in Dallas to a Times Herald representative. Mr. A. A.
Jackson was the speaker, and he is well informed and a close
observer. "The picked fruit and vegetables are shipped out
of state, and we get the leavings, or seconds. All the good peaches
are shipped to St. Louis or Chicago, and we come in for the seconds.
It is the same with tomatoes. Why, last week, tomatoes were shipped
in here by the carload. They were classified as seconds and sold
as low as 15 cents a crate. They didn't pay charges. All the
produce exchanges over organized by man couldn't have mended
matters, or advanced the price of these tomatoes. It is the same
with cantaloupes. We do not get the pick. Out of the state they
go for Northern consumption , and home folks are compelled to
buy the seconds, or go without. Perhaps satisfactory results
would come if the growers would establish an agency here and
make Dallas the distributing center for the whole country. Then,
carloads of marketable stuff in the pink of condition could be
diverted and all consumers given an equal show. It is my honest
opinion that canning factories alone will solve the problem and
make the business profitable in East Texas. With canning factories
in full blast during the busy season, all the stuff unfit for
shipment could be canned instead of shipping to Dallas and other
points with the expectation that fancy prices will be paid for
second-class products. Were it not for the large number of hawkers
or street peddlers, we have here, it would be impossible to get
rid of large consignments of East Texas stuff which reaches this
market daily. The canning factory, and not a produce exchange,
will do the business. There is money in the canning industry,
and there is no reason why it should not be made very profitable
in East Texas ____. The grower's organizations should take this
matter up and see what can be done. They have the fruit and vegetables
and the demand of canned goods is something extraordinary. Instead
of criticizing Dallas dealers and finding fault with the Dallas
market, they should study conditions and environments, and then
get down to business."
All the big commission men are of the
same opinion as Mr. Jackson. A produce exchange without produce
dealers would be a novelty in the business world. The grower
are not here for their health, and the same can said of the commission
men. This being the case, there is no likelihood of the conflicting
interests getting together very soon. There are two sides to
every question, and one can get both sides to his matter by rounding
up the commission men one day and the growers, the next. When
a grower has to pay expense charges, he feels that he is being
badly treated. On the other hand, the commission man, not being
an Andrew Carnegie, is unable to see why he should pay fancy
prices for peaches or tomatoes or cantaloupes when the market
is glutted. The fruit grower is not in an enviable mood this
year. The early peach crop was very short, and when short crops
and low prices hit a man, his views are apt to be pessimistic.
The peach grower is gloomy, and he has a right to be. It is even
claimed by the trade that the Elbertas, those gorgeous and luscious
aristocrats of the peach family, are going to be scarce this
year, as the crop is almost a total failure. The cold rains and
black frosts of May did the work. There are thousands upon thousands
of peach trees in East Texas, which have made a sorry showing
this year on account of the disastrous storms in the early spring
time. Perhaps the Elbertas will make a better showing than the
bears anticipate. At any rate, the peach crop isn't what it should
be in the Lone Star state. Wheat and oats were splendid yielders,
and a splendid crop of corn is as good as made, but the peach
grower is in the dumps. The flavor isn't delicious this year
as in former years, and the cold weather, even in June, is responsible
for this drawback. Dallasites are fond of peaches and thousands
of crates are sold here every season. The Texas Elberta created
a sensation in the Northern markets last year, and experts at
the time predicted that Texas would outstrip Delaware in time,
both in the quantity and quality of the toothsome fruit. Delaware
is the leading peach state, as well as the home of the Hon. J.
Gas Addicks, and the whipping post. These three are the chief
staples of little Delaware, once the home of "the blue hens'
chickens."
Texas is the home of the succulent
cantaloupe, and the yield this year is prodigious. The Rocky
Ford cantaloupe, a Colorado product, had the call in the markets
and was held in high esteem by the epicures of the East until
the coming of the Texas cantaloupe. Now, Colorado has been relegated
to second place and its Texas rival is exported. John Bull is
fond of cantaloupe, and is willing to pay a fancy price for the
Texas variety. Watermelons are coming in from points below San
Antonio, and the demand is brisk. Georgia was the home of the
watermelon, but Texas has distanced the Goober state and admits
of no rival now. A Texas melon, pulled at the proper time and
kept on ice according to the direction of connoisseurs, is a
feast fit for the gods. This is the verdict of the general public,
regardless of color, creed or bank accounts. The watermelon crop,
according to commission men, will be a whopper this year, and
hundreds of carloads will be shipped to the big cities of the
North and East. Three million five hundred thousand home consumers
will not be able to get away with one-third of the crop, and
Texans are lovers of the red and juicy "watermillyun."
This year, there will be watermelon for all who have the price...
Dallas
is a large city and 75,000 consumers make a big home market.
Dallas has no market house, which is a drawback to all concerned.
The truck growers have been shifted again from the courthouse
square to Elm street, north of Ervay. For years, they held forth
on Elm, Ervay and Main streets in the vicinity of the big Wilson
building, until they were ordered down town last winter by the
city council. The night hawk and the early riser knows all about
the truck grower and the peddler and the hawker. Truck farms
are numerous in Dallas county, and there must be in the neighborhood
of 300 peddlers and hawkers in the city of Dallas. The truck
grower sells to all comers, but the hawkers buy the bulk of his
stock. The truck grower has no regular schedule of hours, walking
delegate or business agent. He begins to come in as early as
9 o'clock at night, when he curls up in his wagon seat and dreams
of the gigantic truck farms in the other world. At all hours
of the night, the rumbling of heavy wagons in the vicinity announce
the coming of the man with green stuff to sell. As early as 3
o'clock in the morning, frequenters of the market put in an appearance
and the truck growers get down to business. They sell to commission
houses, hawkers and peddlers and retail to the man with a big
basket on his arm. The man who has never witnessed active operations
in this market has missed a treat. John Chinaman is fond of fruits
and vegetables, and John is an early riser. He may wash all day
and play fan-tan until the wee small hours, but he is up and
about in time to investigate the wagons loaded down with garden
truck. John is a liberal buyer and he must be a good liver...John
is a bargain hunter, too, and knows a good thing in the green
stuff line when he sees it in the wagon.
The truck grower has his regular
eating and drinking haunts--all-night houses. He sleeps doubled
up in his seat, on top of his load of green stuff, or under his
wagon. He isn't particular and don't mind being called early.
The drivers are mostly young men and boys. They are hardy, close-mouthed
and self-reliant chaps, used to lives of exposure, and give the
police but little trouble. The truck grower or his agent, comes
to Dallas to sell his products, and he sticks to his knitting.
Long before old Sol is high in the heavens, the truck grower
has disposed of his load and is pulling for home. Nothing comes
to break the monotony of his life. Rain or shine, the struck
grower comes to town in season and supplies the demand of the
home market. He has a little world of his own and "does
the best he can."
There are several hundred truck
farms in Dallas county, to say nothing of melon patches galore.
Orchards are scarce here and the fruit consumed is shipped in.
When it comes to garden truck, however, Dallas county is the
paradise of the truck farmer. Most of the farms are south of
the river, where the black sandy soil is specially adapted to
the growing of vegetables. Twenty miles south of the city, there
are truck farms, and their owners for the most part, are prosperous
citizens of the banner county of Texas. And, although twenty
miles from market, these long-distance chaps come to town daily
and sell the products of their farms and gardens. There were
very large crops of tomatoes, beans, peas, cabbage and roasting
ears this year. In fact, the yield of all vegetables has been
enormous and the prices satisfactory to the man with the hoe.
All the stuff grown in Dallas county is consumed in this city,
and, in addition, thousands of dollars are paid into the hands
of outside truck gardeners every year by the commission houses
to supply home demand. Dallas offers a magnificent market for
home-grown products. Fort Worth is another excellent home market,
and truck growers are few and far between in Tarrant county.
The bacon-and-corn-bread farmer believes in cotton and sneers
at the grower of vegetables, who always has ready money in his
purse and grows a safe and sure crop. In time, the Tarrant county
farmers and the farmers of all the big cotton counties will come
to their senses and march in the middle of the road. Dallas has
a population of 75,000 and Fort Worth, 30,0000. One hundred and
five thousand stomachs are hard to fill three times a day, but
the truck farmer is doing his level best. There is money in the
business, and new truck farms are being put in cultivation every
year. If Dallas continues to grow, the time will come when Dallas
county will be one vast aggregation of truck farms, orchards
and flower gardens.
The man who wishes to keep up with
the procession should visit upper Elm street between the hours
of 3 and 4 a. m., and then he will realize that there is something
doing in the country as well as in the city. And, some fine day,
he should mount his auto and go out on the Oakland road, where
the truck farms are very much in evidence. On Oakland road, three
miles from the city, he will find thirty acres owned by the Thall
brothers, who grow everything that Texas soil will produce for
the table. They are disciples of irrigation and use pipes instead
of ditches. This is a model truck farm, and one of 300 or 400
in Dallas county. While about it, the Commercial club should
sound the people on a big market house, as well as a produce
exchange.
There is a Babel of chattering
and a bedlam of noises at the market place during business hours.
One interested in problem studies finds plenty of raw material.
The hawkers and peddlers are mostly Italians and Greeks. There
are Syrians and Portuguese represented, but the bulk of the vendors
of vegetable and fruits are from the Mediterranean ports. Sicilians
are very much in evidence. The Teuton is an ideal truck grower,
but when it comes to hawking it about the residence streets for
buyers, he is left at the port by the beetle-browed sons of the
Latin race. The Swiss are excellent gardeners and dairymen. As
fruit growers, they are hard to outclass, but they are like the
Teuton when it comes to street work. The Italian leads as a street
vendor, and he is a close buyer and a quick seller. There are
many unique characters engaged in the business in Dallas, and
one finds them at their best during the hours before dawn while
engaged in haggling and haranguing the truck farmers in an attempt
to get easy bargains. The truck farmers knows a thing or two,
and it is a "diamond cut diamond." The stuff they handle
is perishable and losses are avoided by quick sales. There is
said to be a sort of a free masonry which binds the peddlers
together. Each one has his own territory and a long list of patrons
in the suburbs. The peddler's greatest enemy is the street gamin,
who never hesitates to lift a peach, a watermelon or a cantaloupe
when the peddler's mind is occupied elsewhere and his lynx eye
is turned in another direction. When a culprit is detected, there
is always a volley of horrible imprecations fired at the offender
in musical Italian and the long whip cracks viciously as the
scion of the Latin race dances and curses young America. The
chances are that young American will rock the Italian next day
and do his level best to hit a human mark. An aged Italian visited
police headquarters the other day and asked permission to carry
a pistol.
"Damma boy. He rocke me yesterda'
", groaned the old fellow. "Damma boy hit me on heda
an' runna way. Me needa gun. Scara hella outta damma boy, who
no goods."
Capt. Hughes warned the Italian
that there was a law against the carrying of deadly weapons and
he would be arrested if he were caught with a pistol on his person.
He walked away muttering something like this:
"Damma the boy. Damma the
cappa. Damma the countra."
It is a waste of time for a man
to tell his troubles to a policeman. The policeman has stone
bruises on his own heel.
- July 12, 1903, Dallas
Daily Times Herald, p. 19, col. 1-4.
- o o o-
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