The Texas Miner, Volume 1, Number 10, March 24, 1894 Page: 5
14 p. : ill. ; 32 cm.View a full description of this newspaper.
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THE TEXAS MINER.
BIGGER THAN SOME STATES.
Very few people at a distance, in thinking of Western Texas,
understand that nearly the whole of it is at present fenced up in
mammoth pastures, yet such is the case. Many of them are
larger than ordinary counties, and some of them embrace large
parts of three or four counties. Just west of Belcherville, Tex.,
come the Silverstein, the Ikeard and the Worsham pastures.
This latter contains 50,000 acres and has one line of fence
twenty-three miles long.
Pastures of about this size continue in almost unbroken suc-
cession until Armstrong county is reached. There is found what
is known as the Goodnight ranch, the southern boundary of
which is a little string of fence eighty-three miles long. Charlie
Goodnight, as the owner is familiarly known, is considered one
of the richest men in the Panhandle. Mr. Goodnight lives in al-
most baronial style. His park contains deer, a drove of elk and
one of the few herds of buffalo to be found in the United States.
Another fair-sized holding of land is that of the Espinella Cattle
company.
This contains over 1,500,000 acres, and takes in parts of Dick-
ens, Crosby and Emma counties. If the land were in the form
of a square it would be about fifty miles each way. The Matter-
dere is smaller, but still includes rather more than 1,000,000
acres. These are both owned by syndicates, with headquarters
in London, and they are only two selected at random out of a
large number. They have had their bearing on state politics.
If it we're not for the railroad commissioners, the uniform text-
book bill and the alien landholder question, Texas politics would
not be worth shucks.
The largest of these alien land holdings belongs to what is
called the capitol syndicate. A few years ago the old capitol at
\ustin was burned down, and it was decided to build another on
a magnificent scale. An English syndicate agreed to put it up,
and in payment therefor they received 3,000,000 acres of public
lands. Does the reader realize how big 3,000,000 acres of land
is? Imagine a slice of land twenty-four miles wide and extend-
ing across the state of Missouri a': its northern border. Such a
strip would include the whole northern tier of counties, and would
be larger than several states of the Union.
This would be about the extent of the capitol syndicate's pas-
ture. Few people have any idea that there is such a thing as a
single pasture, in one body and within one fence, larger than
some states in the Union, yet such is the fact. More than that,
it is owned by a foreign syndicate. It takes in half of Deaf
Smith county and parts of several others. Another large pasture
is that of the X. I. T. Cattle company. It begins with the Colo-
rado line and extends several counties back this way.
The Fort Worth & Denver railroad runs through it. Some
idea of its size may be gathered from the fact that the regular
night express train enters on the south side of the pasture at
11:05, and after continuous running, leaves it at 3:20 next morn-
ing. A pasture which it takes an express train four hours and a
quarter to cross would be considered large in some countries—
[Memphis Commercial.
MINES AND MINING.
dustry along Lake Champlain, during almost the entire year,
have so diminished the receipts from these sources that the net
results permit your managers to report a credit to the profit and
loss account of only $11,414, as compared with $227,812 for
1892." The additions to equipment during the year were 27
passenger cars, 1 officers' car, 1 dining car, 500 coal cars, 100
box cars, 8 locomotives, and 7,442 tons of steel rails were paid
for.
The annual report of the Delaware & Hudson Canal company
has iust been issued in pamphlet form. President Olyphant says.
"The coal trade has been an exception to the general depression
that has characterized the industries of the country during the
vear i8<h, and more coal has been mined than during any pre-
vious year ir. the anthracite history, while prices, though not high,
have been fainy maintained. The total output was 43'°^9'537
tons. Of this amount the company produced 4,467,346 tons,
and transported for others 1,710,312 tons, making a total of 6,-
117 650 tons The amount of anthracite coal carried over the
leased lines again records a gratifying gain, but the unprecedented
dullness in general trade and the enforced idleness m the iron m-
In 1865, when the Nova Scotia miners were shipping largely
into the United States, the price of coal was very much higher
than it is now. Free coal promises to give the thousands of Vir-
ginians, engaged directly or indirectly in the coal trade, cotton
goods at 22-1000 of a cent cheaper a yard, but at the same time
takes away from these Virginia miners the only means they have
of buying a shirt and drawers.
On March 1st, says the New York Sun, the Central Railroad
of New Jersey and the Philadelphia & Reading will withdraw
their coal tariff rates to points in New England, and after that
date will bill coal only to the Hudson river, which, from the mines
in Pennsylvania, is $1.65 per ton. East of that line, extending
from Jersey City to Albany, the railroads and transportation com-
panies must make their own tariff rates to points in New Eng-
land.
For some years past the Connellsville Courier has annually
printed and distributed among coke operators, coke consumers,
railway officials and others interested in the coke trade a list ot
the ovens in the Connellsville region, their ownership, shipping
stations and railroad connections. The list just issued is one of
the handsomest yet put out. It contains some advertisements on
the margins. The firms represented are the H. C. Frick Coke
company, McClure Coke company, Heckla Coke company.Brown
& Cochran and associated interests, Hostetter & Connellsville
Coke company, Boyts, Porter & Co., and Joseph Soisson Fire
Brick company. The list shows that 17,519 ovens in the region
are reached by the railroads, as follows : By the Pennsylvania
railroad exclusively, 8,187 ovens; by the Baltimore & Ohio ex-
clusively, 2 658; by the Lake Erie exclusively, 1,487; by the
Pennsylvania and Baltimore & Ohio jointly, 4,5l2; by the Balti-
more & Ohio and Lake Erie jointly, 625. One plant, the frank-
lin works of B. F. Keister & Co., has connection with all the
railroads. It appears from these figures that the Pennsylvania
reaches 12,743 ovens, the Baltimore & Ohio 7^39, the Lake
Erie 2.162.
At Cincinnati, Ohio, the retail coal trade continues quite fair,
and is a vast improvement over the business up to two weeks
ago. The uniformly colder weather probably had much to do
with it, but still the warm days of this week have not thus far
affected sales. But then the season for naturally large sales is
nearly here, and the consumers may be just awakening to the
fact that coal will probably not be cheaper. Navigation on the
Ohio river is now almost uninterrupted, and coal is hauled from
the mines at Pittsburg to the consumer here without delays,
which are so costly in the river trade. Trade generally is not
booming, and prices are low to be sure; but, taking everything
into consideration, the coal business here is not in a worse condi-
tion than other industries. Some more cheap contracts have
just been taken. The Indianapolis Gas works will use Pittsburg
coal the coming year, and will get it placed in their yard for $1.86
a ton. The coal will come here in barges and be elevated to
cars and hauled to Indianapolis. The contract calls for 18,500
tons. A small contract was let this week by the city for supply-
ing the "out-door poor" with fuel. The price agreed upon for
2,000 tons was $1.60 a ton at the elevator, and has two years to
run. These are considered remarkable bids. The bids for sup-
plying the city water works this year are being anticipated, but
the contract is a very large one and few concerns have the facili-
ties for filling it, and it may not be cut very low. In the strictly
retail trade prices are being maintained, and it seems that only
he larger and particularly public contracts are being cut. While
he supply of coal on hand wholesale is now pretty large and
constantly increasing, prices are firm. Pittsburg lump is 4 3-4
and 5 cents a bushel by the barge, and nut and slack 3 cents.
Kanawha lump is 5 to 5 1-2 wholesale. lhe retail prices are
$1.75 a ton at the elevators and $2.25 delivered, lhe railroads
are doing next to nothing With the present prices for river coal
they are not able to compete except in places difficult to reach
by river. Anthracite is very slow sale at old prices—$7 to $7.50
a ton delivered.—[Black Diamond.
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McAdams, Walter B. The Texas Miner, Volume 1, Number 10, March 24, 1894, newspaper, January 27, 1894; Thurber, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth200457/m1/5/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.