Landmarks, Dallas County, Texas, 1903

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1903
AN OLD LANDMARK
IS BEING REMOVED

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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.
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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.
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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

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Serious Conflagration Oc-
curred in Dallas in
July, 1860

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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-
 

THE TROLLY CARRIAGE
AND ITS DEVOTEES.

________

Popular Belt Lines and Places of Amusement Patronized
by the Can't-Get-Away Class and Visitors Who
Drop In--Ten-Mile Ride for a Nickle.

     "The Lord made the country and man made the town." With up-to-date accessories of civilization, the city dweller has it within his power to make his environments beautiful and home life attractive. Only the few can afford to go to distant states when the blistering rays of a Texas sun descends. The few can flee at will; the thousands remain to wrestle with the bread problem, or to grow wrinkles over business cares. The city should be made beautiful for those who remain behind, the bread-winners, the wealth producers, the men who plan with their heads, or toll with their hands. The movement for more parks has enlisted the active co-operation of rich and poor; the merchant prince as well as the hard-working mechanic; the opulent banker stands with the laborer whose hands are begrimed with the stains of honest toil. Texas is a favored spot. The summer is long, but the nights are cool. The heat of the midday sun is blistering, but cooling zephyrs come at nightfall and then the sons and daughters of men, free from care, seek recreation under the starlit sky of the Empire state before sleep woos them to calm repose. With additional parks, shady spots where the grass is green, the feathered songsters fill the treetops with Nature's own melody, Dallas will take first place with the cities, where the hands of man and the magic influence of money well spent has made toil a blessing and living a "happiness." Dallas is a new town, not an old one, and the active men and women of to-day are called upon to bear their share of the pioneer burdens and to build wisely for those who are to come after them. Man was not made to be a money grub, nor was he made to be an idler. The grub and the drone are the two extremes of civilized life. Man owes something to society, to the age in which he lives, to the Architect who planned all things. Therefore, he should not be selfish, grasping, or non-progressive. Dallas, to-day, has superb street railway facilities, and with the coming of new parks, the city will become all the more inviting to the man in search of a home, or the financier on the lookout for a safe field for investment. Churches, newspapers, railroads, schools, public libraries, graded streets, parks and popular places of amusement are potent factors in town-building and, in the end, tell the story. The man of to-day expects something for his money; he pitches his tent where Opportunity, Convenience and Luxury go hand in hand, and where the blood circulates and does not congeal in the veins of his fellow-mortals. Dallas has everything in its favor. It is the chief commercial city to-day of the Southwest, and is leaving its erstwhile rivals far behind. With navigation of the Trinity a certainty, the city should touch the 100,000 mark within the next ten years. Land will not be available then; prices will be beyond the reach of the city, and as a result, it will be necessary to go far beyond the center of population for park sites. And, the parks should be where humanity is the thickest; where the toilers are crowded by force of circumstances wand meagreness of wealth. The cost will be a mere bagatelle, and now is the time to plant a ballot in the box for a measure which vitally concerns every homeowner in this wonderful city of the blackland paradise.

     Dallas has fifty miles of street railway, and the pleasure-riding belts of the city are not excelled in any city of its population in the United States. This is a broad statement, but one which is rock-bottomed in a bed of facts. The trolley car is not only a necessity. It is a luxury. It conveys the people to and from their homes, the thousands who live in the suburbs and learn their bread with the crowded confines of the city streets. This is business, riding to and fro from the store, the factory, the work shop, or the "job." It is only after nightfall when Old Sol has hid his blazing face and the stars twinkle in the heavens, that the thousands turn from toil to pleasure and fill the handsome cars on the popular pleasure-riding belts. From 8 till 11:30, "riding around the belt" affords recreation for thousands, old and young, rich and poor, regardless of color, caste or condition. It is then that the nickels pour into coffers of the company and the conductor is kept busy looking after his passengers. It is a relief to get away from hot and stuffy homes during these hours after nightfall; to drink in the fresh air and to inhale the odiferous incense from flowers and shrubbery in the suburban sections of the town. Whole families go out for a ride, from grandma with her snowy cap and gold-rimmed spectacles, to the lusty-lunged boy or rosy-cheeked girl who perches on the doting mama's knees. They go to the parks and places of amusement and they are brighter, healthier and happier as a result of their after-twilight outing. God bless the man who invented the trolley car and long-distance pleasure rides. He did something for humanity.

     A representative of the Times Herald made the rounds of the popular "trolly car pleasure ride belts" the other day, and it kept him going for several hours. At night, he again attempted to cover the same round, but there were no owl cars running. There is the South loop, or, as it is better known, the Rapid Transit. It is an eight-mile ride for a nickle and takes one through shady trees and pastures green. All for a nickle, or less than a half-cent a mile. The South loop touches at the entrance of the Cycle Park theater, Dallas' leading summer amusement resort, with popular-priced performances every night without intermission, except for refreshments on account of fire. The Acme theater is also located on this line. Every night, from 1000 to 2000 passengers are hauled on the South loop trolley cars, which are big double-truck affairs and are very commodious, as well as easy riding. Forest Park is located on the line of the South loop as well as all resorts in the vicinity of the State Fair grounds. The North loop covers eight miles of track and is composed of the Metropolitan lines and Pearl street, the famous Bone street connection, which was before the mayor, the council and the municipal commission for months and months and was settled two or three weeks ago after a most protracted and stubbornly contested fight. Conflicting interests were brought together, a compromise was agreed to, and both sides smoked the pipe of peace. To-day, this is said to be the most popular pleasure route in the city. In the evening, the big cars are loaded to the guards and all East and North Dallas pleasure-seekers or trolley car enthusiasts give the preference to this line. The cost for enjoying a ride around the North Belt is a nickle and eight miles for a nickle is not a costly price to pay for long-distance rapid transit in pursuit of pure ozone and much-needed recreation. Next in point of popularity is the McKinney avenue line. Beginning on South Harwood street, the cars run west on Main and out McKinney avenue, to and around beautiful Oak Lawn park, the private property of the street railway people. This park was conceived by Charles K. Bonta, who purchased the land, and plans were perfected and carried into execution by J. Peyton Clarke, the present manager of the lines. Nature and man combined worked in harmony, and one of the prettiest parks in all the Southwest is this idyllic place, most appropriately called Oak Lawn. Six miles covers the round trip, and the cost is single nickel. Oak Lawn park has a handsome pavilion, and dancing and picnic parties have already popularized it, although Oak Lawn park was thrown open as late as the Fourth of July last.
     The Exall lake line is another favorite with the public. The cars carry one from the heat and glare of the city to the cool and quiet of the country, through green fields and woody dells on out for miles to the beautiful lake and grove, which bears the name of a well known citizen of Dallas. Exall cars are caught at the down town loop, the conductors accepting transfers from all other lines. The route is out McKinney avenue and Cole avenue and thence to the lake, where boat-riding and other amusements and sports are the programmed festivities. The line from Fairland to the lake was constructed by the late Garrett Van Ginkle, who was run over and killed by one of his own cars. He was a quaint character, with many virtues and but few faults, and his newsboy dinners made him the patron saint of the small waifs who ply their calling in the busy streets. Speaking of long-distance pleasure rides, the distance to Exall lake and return is ten miles, and it is certainly a most pleasurable, as well as exhilarting outing when the atmosphere is oppressive, even under the shade of the sweltering fans. There are other short-distance pleasure route, but these specifically mentioned are the heavy traffic and long-distance belt lines, operated by Stone & Webster's Dallas representative. There are business lines, such as Bryan and Ervay and others "too numerous to mention," to draw from the vocabulary of the society editor. Eakins park is located directly on the line of the Ervay street railway. It is a model park, well patronized by the people of that neighborhood. Free band concerts are given at Eakins park at stated intervals, which attract thousands, and demonstrated the absurdity of the statement that only the select few are capable of appreciating the harmonious melody produced by trained musicians or cultivated voices.

- July 26, 1903, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 7, col. 1-6.
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TO CHANGE
SOME NAMES.

______

Awkward Situation in Annex-
ation of Oak Cliff.

_______

There are Forty-Nine Streets in
the Two Municipalities
That Bear the
Same Names.

     In the annexation of Oak Cliff to the city of Dallas as the ninth ward, there will be many obstacles outside of those to be settled by the courts that will confront the city council for adjustment. There is one in particular which, in the vernacular of the street, will "cut considerable ice," although it is safe to assert that it has probably never been considered or taken under advisement by that august body, owing to the presence of so many other important matters. Nevertheless, be that as it may, the proposition is bound to present itself sooner or later for attention. It will not be necessary within the next few months if the annexation bill should be held unconstitutional and invalid by the higher courts, but it will be necessary, sooner or later. A duplication in the names of forty-nine streets exists, which will have to be remedied if Oak Cliff ever becomes a part of Dallas.
     It has been repeatedly predicted that in the course of the next fifteen or twenty years, there will be as much of the city of Dallas lying south of the Trinity river as is now north. The bottom lands will be reclaimed and the waters of the commercial stream will be restricted to certain boundaries by levies, such as have been constructed at Cairo, Memphis, New Orleans and other river points. In that event, imagine the discomfiture of a travel-stained citizen returning home on a late train who has ordered the "cabby" to drive him to 999 Washington avenue. He is taken to the extreme northern part of the city, when in reality, he desired to be driven to 999 Washington avenue in the extreme southern portion of Oak Cliff. He would no doubt declare himself in very strong terms then and there. Or, suppose a party residing at 222 Second avenue (Exposition park) should phone one of the ice factories to leave ice at that number each day and Mr. Man at 222 Second avenue, Oak Cliff, would be wondering all the while, how it was his ice was costing him nothing, but afraid to breathe his thoughts in words lest the spell be snapped asunder, while the other party would also be engaged in some thinking himself. Or, worse still, suppose some young fellow should follow the address engraved upon the sweet-scented card of a divine creature whom he had recently met and should disastrously discover that he had gone to the wrong end of town, after having been thrown over the fence by an irate husband who failed to comprehend.
     Many vexatious and annoying matters would grow out of the failure to re-name the streets. Quarrels, fights, divorces, murders, and no telling where it all might terminate.
     The following list, which shows the names of the forty-nine streets in Dallas and Oak Cliff, also the directions in which they are laid out, will give some idea of the magnitude of this matter, of which nothing has heretofore been said:

Dallas. Oak Cliff.
Annex Ave. Annex St.
Browder St. Browder Ave.
Carlisle St. Carlilse Ave.
Cedar St. Cedar Ave.
Cleveland St. Cleveland Ave.
Davis St. Davis St.
Elm St. Elm Street
Ewing Ave. Ewing Ave.
Fifth St. Fifth St.
First St. First St.
Fourth Ave. Fourth St.
Good St. Good St.
Grand Ave. Grand Ave.
Greenwood St. Greenwood St.
Harrison Ave. Harrison Ave.
Hickory St. Hickory St.
Highland St. Highland St.
Hill Ave. Hill St.
Hord St. Hord St.
Hughes St. Hughes Ave.
Hugo St. Hugo Ave.
Jackson St Jackson Ave.
Jefferson St. Jefferson St.
Johnson Ave. Johnson Ave.
Lake Ave. Lake St.
Lancaster Ave. Lancaster Ave.
Lee Ave. Lee St.
Lewis St. Lewis St.
Lincoln St. Lincoln St.
Main St. Main St.
Mary St. Mary St.
Oliver Ave. Oliver St.
Pacific Ave. Pacific Ave.
Park St. Park St.
Park Ave. Park Ave.
Peak Ave. Peak Ave.
Pearl St. Pearl St.
Pecan St. Pecan St.
Pierce St. Pierce Ave.
Polk St. Polk Ave.
Prospect St. Prospect St.
Second Ave. Second Ave.
Short St. Short St.
Sixth St. Sixth St.
St. George St. St. George St.
Sutton St. Sutton St.
Taylor St. Taylor St.
Third St. Third St.
Walnut St. Walnut St.
Warren Ave. Warren St.
Washington Ave. Washington Ave.

 
- July 26, 1903, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 9, col. 1-2.
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HISTORY OF THE BRIDGE.
_______

Commerce Street Crossing
Established Thirty-two
Years Ago.

_______

It has, at all Times, Been Heavily
Traveled. Removal of
the Old Toll Station.

     The announcement of the sale of the old toll station at the east approach of the Commerce street bridge by the county to the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway company means that the quaint old brick house that rises from the river bottom to a distance of some eight or ten feet above the street level, and that was constructed more than thirty years ago, is soon to be torn down, and that a line of eighty-pound steel rails of an important system will soon take up the space formerly occupied by the domicile of the collector of tolls, whose services have been done away with many years, as the bridge was purchased by the county from its owners and converted from a pay bridge to a free one.
     The history of the Commerce street bridge dates back to the beginning of the seventies, at which time, a company was formed, and a charter secured from the state to construct a bridge across Trinity river at the foot of Commerce street. The company was known as the Dallas Bridge company, and had for its president, A. C. Camp. The directors of the company were, J. W. Crowdus, George M. Swink, John H. Bryan, W. H. Prather, J. W. Haynes and J. K. P. Record. The undertaking of the company was considered a stupendous affair in those days of early frontier life, and limited shipping facilities, and when patrons of the little ferry boat operated by Mrs. Sarah Cockrell, across the river at the point where the bridge was to be built, were informed of the organization of the company and its object, as they were ferried across the stream, their lower jaws dropped in astonishment, and prophesies were ventured by the more reckless settlers that Dallas Town would some day be in a position to boast of two-story brick stores and three or four wagon yards.
     After the formation of the company, its members cast about for a suitable location for the spanning of the stream, and the foot of Commerce street was unanimously decided upon as being the best point at which to build the bridge.
     The decision of the company was made known to Mrs. Sarah Cockrell, and that very estimable lady encouraged the project to the extent of entering into an agreement with the company on the 29th of April, 1871, to furnish gratis, a right of way of 100 feet in width, through and across her lands, beginning at a point near the foot of Commerce street "in the town of Dallas," on the east bank of the Trinity, thence in a westerly direction across the river, and the bottom beyond. The company was given permission to fell and use all timber growing thereon, and to dig, excavate and raise embankments upon the same, as was found necessary in the construction of their bridge, and the causeway therefrom across the river bottom. She did not stop at this, but further agreed to carry, and convey free of charge across the river on her ferry boat, the employes, wagons and teams of the company during the work of construction. Mrs. Cockrell also granted permission to the company to use all the rock, stone, earth and gravel from her lands that were required in the construction of the bridge. She agreed to issue a deed to the property to the company when the bridge was completed, and according to the records of the Commissioners' court, this deed was recorded in June, 1872, the company having compiled with the terms of the contract or agreement. The ferry beneath the might bridge was soon discontinued. The country settled up very rapidly, and hundreds of ranchers, planters and stage drivers coming to and going from Dallas, used the Commerce street bridge. The affairs of the company rocked along in a very satisfactory manner for about nine years, and then matters began to become adverse. At a meeting of the Commissioners' court on Dec. 20, 1881, evidence was introduced before the court that the Dallas Bridge company had failed to erect a good and substantial causeway across the river bottom, as required by the terms of their charter, and a resolution was introduced ordering a suit against the company for forfeiture of charter. This was not deemed expedient, and considerable discussion upon the subject followed. It was finally decided that a committee of two be appointed to confer with the directors of the bridge company with a view of ascertaining upon what terms and considerations the county could purchase the bridge. This committee was composed of N. O. McAdams and J. W. Keller, and they were instructed to report back to the Commissioners' court at the next term, which convened the second Monday in February of 1882. The committee conferred with the directors, and the stockholders of the bridge company signified their willingness to dispose of the bridge for the sum of $41,600 cash, or its equivalent. The county officials demurred at this price, and they immediately set about to make diligent inquiry and investigation as to the value of the bridge. Estimates from bridge-building concerns were also secured as to the cost of constructing a similar bridge with a turnpike from the bridge to the high ground on the west side. It was learned that the work could be done at a cost not to exceed $27,000, being $14,000 less than the price asked by the Dallas Bridge company for their bridge. The Commissioners' court then decided to offer the bridge company $25,000 for the property. The proposition met with a refusal.
     The bridge was finally transferred in August, 1882, to the county, the consideration being $38,000, and bonds were issued by the county judge for the purpose of making the purchase.
     After the bridge passed into the hands of the county, the collection of tolls was discontinued, and pedestrians and vehicles were permitted to come and go at their pleasure, free of any charge.
     The old bridge finally began to weaken under the heavy traffic of years, and in 1890, its two iron spans were torn down and converted into two separate bridges, one being placed at Miller's ferry, five miles south of Dallas, and the other at Gar Wheeler crossing, six miles north of Dallas. This work necessitated an outlay of about $11,000. The contract for the present bridge was let in 1889, and the bridge was erected in 1890. The bridge now used is considerably larger, and somewhat longer than the old bridge, and is beyond the heaviest traveled bridge in Dallas county. Its length, including the approaches, is seven hundred feet, and it is the second largest bridge in the county, the longest bridge in Dallas county being the old wagon bridge across the river running south from Cadiz street.
     A large force of men have been busily engaged in relaying the floor of the present bridge during the last ten days, and the work of repairing will amount to something like $2500. A great many new timbers have been placed in the bridge, and it will be practically as good as a new bridge within a week's time.

- December 13, 1903, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 20, col. 1-2.
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