A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912 Page: 16

16 A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
acquired, in some way, in the Houston East and
West Texas railroad. The interest owned by the
city was in that part of the road surveyed as far
west as the Brazos near Bellville, but which had
been abandoned and has never been built. There
were suits and counter-suits and the whole question
became very much involved. Finally the city sold
its interest for $35,000 and went out of the railroad
business for good. But it was a case of jumping
out of the frying-pan into the fire, for so soon as
it was known that the Lord administration had a
little cash on hand the court house feature became
aggravated and everybody was clamoring to get
hold of it. Old notes, old and new claims, popped
up from unexpected quarters and the situation became
desperate. Mr. Lord held office for two years
and then quit in disgust.
Mr. Wilson having had a two years rest was persuaded
by the citizens to try his hand again. This
was literally true for at that time a man had to be
persuaded to take such an onerous office as that of
the debt-burdened city. It required patience, honesty
of purpose and fine executive and financial
ability to keep the affairs of the city going, even
for a day, and those who were qualified to act were
not anxious to do so.
The second administration of MIr. Wilson resulted
in the establishment, or rather in the inauguration
of the movement that resulted in establishing
the water works here. Before that time Houston
depended entirely on underground cisterns for its