The Velasco Times (Velasco, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, April 21, 1893 Page: 1 of 4
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Historical Data.
Water oil the lmr ut the mouth
of the Brazos :
Murcli 28, lKMi 4>i lii-l
Murch 1, 1HW0 10 fuel
December 1,1890 i:i feet
March 1. 1HIH lj feet
July 1. lHtfl. msfiH-t
SepcteUlber 1, 18U1 17 ft'Cl
September J, i(ty.> 17 1-2 feet
fbe pkffti ®ime
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VcIuhco'h Climate.
Coldest Day In Thrco Year ,
KidoRB. Above Zero.
Warmest Day tu Tlirou Years
92 degrees.
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VOL. 2.
"Cod Might Have Made a Better Country, but Surely Never Did."
VELASCO BRAZORIA COUNTY. TEXAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1893.
NO. 34
. A SEARCH FOIl TREASURE.
Hidden Wealth Held by a Placid Pool
in Texas.
In the early part of the present
century, when San Antonio was
the home ol' many wealthy Span-
iards and the commercial center
of all Northern Mexico, a mule
train started for this city from the
City of Mexico. There were thirty
mules, each loaded with 8,000
silver dollars, and a considerable
amount of gold coin, the total
amount of the wealth being about
$300,000.
The caravan was in charge of |
Captain Palacio Flores, a promi-
nent and trusted employee of the
Goveiment. Tu addition to the
drivers there were about fifty well
armed and equipped guards. The
old and well worn national high-
way through San Luis Potosi and
Monterey was taken, and the
dangerous mountain defiles south
of Saltillo were passed without
any attack on the train being
made. The Rio Grande was cross-
ed a few miles above Laredo, and
the train made its way rapidly
towards San Antonio.
In those days the national high-
way passed through what is now
Dimmit county, Texas, following
the bank of I'ena creek for sev-
eral miles. On the bank of that
stream* was a favorite camping
plaee, which is now called Brand
Bock Water Hole. This hole is
located at a sharp bend in the
stream and is of unfathomable
depth, although it evidently has a
natural bottom, as the water in it
does not pass into any enterior
cavity.
When this camping place was
reached Captain Flores decided
to remain there a few days rest-
ing the mules, preparatory to
making the 100 miles still remain-
ing between there and San Anto-
nio. He considered that all the
dangerous portion ot the country
had been passed through, and
only left ten. men on guard the
first night. Even this number
seemed unnecessary, as there were
no signs of any attack, and no
pickets were posted the follow-
ing day.
It was about noon on that day
when a band of brigands suddenly
rushed upon the unprotected
camp out of a dense live-oak
thicket. Captain Flores and his
men were taking their noonday
siesta when the attack was made?
but they did not submit without a
desperate struggle. The bags oí
gold and silver were piled in a
heap near the deep water hole,
and when, Captain Flores found
that the brigands were about to
get possession of the wealth he
ordered the drivers to throw it all
in the placid pool. The command
was obeyed and the brigands mas-
sacred every member of the mule
train party with the exception of
a driver named Alejondro Lajero,
who succeeded in making his
escape, proceeding to San Antonio,
where he gave an account of the
terrible adventure, a record of
which was made at that time and
is still in existence here. His story
was discredited until the parties
to whom the money had been
consigned made an investigation
and found the bones of the victims
and evidences that the bandits
had made efforts to recover the
wealth from the pool.
Attempts were then made to ex-
plore the hole, but without succeffi.
Heavy weights have been sunk to
a depth oí several thousand feet,
but the bottom of the hole has
never been reached. A few months
ago James L. Morgan, an Eastern
capitalist and the owner of an ex-
tensive ranch in southwest Texas,
was passing through Dimmit
county when he was told the
story of the hidden wealth in the
Brant Hock water hole. He visit-
ed the mysterious spot and became
so deeply interested in the
remarkable tale that he decided
to make a supreme effort to ex-
plore the depth of the hole in
search of the $300,000, and recover
the wealth if possible, lie is now
in the East superintending the
construction of devices and
machinery to be used in the pro-
posed work.
Penr Culture in Texas.
The horticulturists of this State
are iiegining to realize the value
of the pear, and many thousands
of young trees have been planted
this year. California pears
have long been favorites in this
market, but Texas is now pro-
ducing some veiy fine fruit, al-
though in most parts of this State
pear culture is an experiment yet.
Those vvho plant good varieties
and give them good attention
are receiving a rich reward.
Many hesitate to plant pear trees
because they have to wait so long
tor fruit; yet those who had pears
sold them at $500 to $000 per acre.
Along the coast the Keifer and
Lo Conte produce wonderfully
and the tices are very healthy.
In North Texas the Le ! Conte
blights badly and Dlooms early,
but the Keifer produces ex'ra
crops oí fruit. Few of the Euro-
pean or native American types of
pears seem to produce well. The
pear of Japan is being experiment-
ed with, and some skillful horti-
culturist may in time produce a
hybrid suited to this latiude.
Pears do well in deep clay soil
if water is found • ten to forty
feet. The soil for pears should be
well prepared—the deeper the
better. It should be harrowed and
the trees cultivated for three or
four years, and kept clear of grass.
The Keifer has proved so far the
best pear for general cultivation
in Texas, as it is excellent for the
markets being of large size and
rich, golden color. The other
varieties recommended by the
best authorities are: Bartlett,
Clap's, Duchess, Howell, Seckel,
Le Conte, Anjou and Early Har-
vest. If all signs do not fail, in
the next few years Texas pears
will be in all the markets of the
South, as well as in thrse of New
York and the British colonies.—
Champion-Press.
It is easier and cheaper for the
swine raiser to use all precautions
towards the preventing of disease
in his heads than to fight disease
once established. While ho may
not always be successful he can
lessen the risk to a very small per
cent. Men who have been very
fortunate in escaping disease in
their herds have for years pro
vided the following mixture where
the hogs can have free access to
it. It should be in a box with a
cover on to keep the rain from it,
the hogs reaching it from the side.
Take one bushel of charcoal in
small pieces, three bushels of
charcoal in small pieces, three
bushels of air slacked lime, one
fourth of a bushel of salt, five
pounds of saltpetre, one-half a
pound of copperas; pulverize the
last two and throughly mix.
Keep it well moistened.
While bleak New England was
made to blossom as the rose a
century ago, milljflps of acres of
our soil, as faygpmd fruitful as
was ever kisseu by the golden
sunlight of God, still awaits the
plow.
WONDERS IX COTTON.
Rubber, Cotton Oil anil Cotton Goods
From Cotton.
Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser.
Some one has discovered that
in Savannah, Ga, there is a manu-
facturing establishment which for
some time has been secretly turn-
ing out tons of rubber, worth
#2000 a tou, and that this rubber
is being made of crude cotton!
seed oil. It is difficult to givej
credence to this Aladdin like
story, but if it is true, what a
future there is in store for the
southern cotton planter. It was
but recently that a stock compa-
ny, with a capital of #">0,000,000
was organized to manipulate the
product of a rubber tree forest on
the Beni river in South America;
but it rubber is to tie made of
crude cotton oil the rubber tree
will soon be ancient history.
The extensive use of rubber can
be judged from the fact that $50,-
((00,000 of American capitul is to
be employed in haudling the
crude product of one South Amer-
ican forest. The United States
consumes more rubber than all
the rest of the world, importing
about $25.000,000 worth of the
crude article a year, which is val-
ued at 00 cents a pound.
If cotton oil is to be converted
into rubber another $1000,000,000
will soon be added to the cotton
nutritious feed that fills and fat-
tens. It requires a little more
labor than the grass hay to mature
it, to the extent only, however, of
planting the seed.
Take the laud from which you
havejust cut au oat crop, prepare
it in the cheapest manner possi
ble—in fact if the land was well
broken when you put in the oats,
the peas could be put in with a
disc-harrow aud seeder. The
whipporwill or Carolina clay
either will do perhaps for hay
purpores, alone the former is
preferable, sow pretty heavy,
and as soon as the tirst peas be-
gin to ripen put in your mower,
cut and let lie until pretty well
cured, say two or three days, rake
late in the evening and leave there
for a couple'more days in shock.
The hauling in should also be
done early or late in the day so as
to avoid the shattering of the
leaves which are a very important
part of the forage. If grass grows
up among the peas so much the
better, as it will aid in the curing
and prevent mold. If salt is scat-
tered over each wagon load as it
is housed it will add to the nutri-
tious and appetizing qualities of
the hay.
Peas for Stock.
Frceniuu's National Former.
In discussing the pea as a i ""d
for horses, cattle, sheep and hogo
crop of the south and millions of 0l,r contemporaries put
all varieties of peas in one single
class. The pea for all northerly
climates remote from a semitrop-
iep.l sun for stock, is the marrow-
dollars will be yearly expended
among the laboring classes of the
south. With one-fourth or one-|
third added to the value of the!
cotton crop raising cotton for the¡fat or ^ har,,y greeri Po-
seed will become almost as much I 1,1 il southern latitude what is
of an item as raising cotton fur
the lint.
It is to be hoped that the re-
ported discovery is true. The
mere contemplation of it adds a
silver lining to the future pros-
perity of the cotton planter and of
the entire south.
Another item of special interest
to the south is the announcement
takes more of the appearance of
the bean in stem and leaf, the
pods growing from ten to twelve
inches in length, will flourish in
any latitude where therp is suffi-
cient sunshine to mature the late
varieties of Indian corn.
Excepting the principal grain
crops, there is no more important
crop that grows than the field pea.
that a process has been discover ,
cd for manufacturing the liner "at "f d'ff8re"1 varieties
qualities of writing paper
from cotton seed hulls, and that
an extensive plant is soon to be
in operation in a southern city.
This discovery will itself prove of
immense value to the south. The
work of manufacturing paper em-
ploys millions of dollars and is
one of the most important of all
industries. ¡
With the market of the world
for paper, rubber, cotton oil and
cotton goods in the control of the
cotton planters of the south, then,
indeed, will be cotton king. To
these add the control of the iron
the three or four sorts known as
the Crowder pea are considered
best for stock, on account of size
and keeping qualities. Besides its
value for all domestic animals and
j poultry it isa most superior table
food, and is sold by all grocery-
j men of the eastern and southern
! states in the whole and cracked
state, by the sack or barrel.
There is no crop more produc-
tive on a soil of an average'sandy
loam than the field pea; it pro-
duces from 30 t« 50 bushels an
acre, and is easily cultivatec.
It is generally planted between
. i . . . .J the corn towb, or in the saine row
and steal rail markets, which isi , . ..
, ' . . at the last plowing of the corn,
sure to come, the hum of machín- ... ., , .
... . . . The growth is so rapid and vigor-
ery will be heard everywhere, .7 . ..... ■
J , ... , . ous that very little cultivation is
and the south will be the center ¡ . .
¡ required.
The farmers of the United
; States have not yet become suffi-
ciently acquainted with the Eng-
lish and American, or green and
field pea crop, to appreciate it
of the great manufacturing in
dustries of the world
Pea Ilay.
Texan Live Stock Journal.
Stock feed is becoming an inter-
esting subject, even in Texas,
where we have always had so
much grass as to cause our people
hitherto to be some what indiffer-
ent on the subject. It is evident,
however, that we will have to get
out of this comatose state pretty
fully. The time will come when
it will be as staple and indispensa-
ble as the corn crop.
The State Capitol of Texas is
the largest State building in the
United States and the seventh in
soon, as the great grass pastures ¡ «'ze among the buildings of the
are being curtailed annually for ¡ world. It is a vast Greek cross
the benefit of the agriculturist, of red Texas granite, with a central
For alljround forage there is noth-1 rotunda covered by a dome 311
ing in the Journal's opinion that j feet high. It was begun in 1881,
surpasses pea bay. The crop ex- ¡ aI,d finished in 1888, having cost
ceeds in pounds per acre that ofjabout $3,500,000. It was paid ior
any other grass grown. It is not with 3,000,000 acres of public land,
mTATlO#s,
RANCHES! '
Farming1 Lands!
City Property in
li®)$
Veta
If you want REALTY of any kind
-IN-
BRAZORIA
COUNTY,
APPLY TO
J.R. MARMION, JR.
Real Kstiiti: ;uul A^eiu for Investors,
Velasco, - Texas,
Finnie, Douthit & Jones,
Real Estate Dealers.
A * an < 1 O p p o r 111 n i ty f o r a 11 to
Secure a Good Home,
OR MAKE A PROFITABLE INVESTMENT IN IHL GUY OR COUNTRY BY CALLING UPON
Finnie, Douthit & Jones
General Ffcal Estate Agents,
Velasco, - Texas
UNIMPROVED LANDS TIMBER AND PRAIRIE IN ANY SIZE TRACTS.
Plantations Large and Small.
Truck ai)d Dairy Farnix
In the, V icinity of Velasco and Aiigleton.
Town Lots at Velasco,
Quintana and Angleton.
mild j mi cómo ¡to liriizorlii county cull on us. unit \v<- uTll tnke pleasure I
Sli
through the county.
í In showing you
THE INTERNATIONAL ROUTE.
SHORTEST, QUICKEST? BEST ROUTE
TO THE NORTH AND EAST.
vnr Only One Chango of Cars to the Principal Cities. ■*««
Tho Direct Route to MEXICO via Laredo. *
BUI1KJH7LK MARCH ft, IMM.
NORTH BOUND — LICA VK.
MOUTH IIOrNU— AHRIVK.
2:H5 p. iri.jl.iv Veluseo Arvi 1:10 p. Ill
p. in.j'' Chenango .tunc "
1:4S p. ni. i ít'líin m. H-15 il. ni. Mil p. m.|" Uiilvcxton
11:55 |i. in ii, ill.i 1(1:15 p. in. 11:1*
I 0:20 il. in. 7:20 ii. Ml
tl;6ft p. in. 10:.'HI 'i in
: 0:10 p. in.1 !>:0.'i ti. iii. i'
0:15 ii. in.1 7:'¿r> il. ill. I'
| 7:50 It. m.
1 ii. in.
H
1 0:05 p. ill.
! 5:it0 p. III.
! 7:10 p. in.
H:'J0 p. in.
18:20 p.m.:
7 01) p. In.' 10:50 ii. III.
5:20 p. 111. 0:10 II. III.
10:fK> il. in.
<!::I0 n. III.
7: 50 ii. in.
U:.')0 p. in. I
U"
1 II ll'Htl III'
I/OIIKVll'H'.
Mi'inphk
Id
The Oiilck Line between How-ton ami (liilvextun- Time I hour iui'1 10 mlnutex. Trnlii No. 0
leavlnu uftlventon lit M5 p. in. nnil Hoiintoii m 11:10 p. m, eiurlcs n Pull mini Huflct Sleeping Cur
through to 81 l.ouls. Ii..I. PUK-'K.
• ' K WOOI , As*t Uen Puss Agent, l'ftlcntllie, Texas.
Traveling l'imn Agent, 1'iilcntlne Texan
.1 B tíAMJKA ITH,
lion. Freightuinl I'iwh. A^-ent, 1'ftlentlne, Tuxnc.
City Freight inn! Ticket Offlcn So. 31 Main street
THE LIVE OAK SALOON
JOHN WINCHES, Proprietor.
THE FINEST AND HEST SALOON TN THE CITY
list opened two doom south or the Times. Nothing hut the hest grades of tine wines and
ll<|iiors kept In stock. lee cold beor on tup. Finest brands of cigars.
alone a hay that serves the pur-
pose of "roughness," but it is a
deeded to the capitalists
executed the work.
who
Velasco Export Commission Go.
Represent Stratton & White's line of
g aggies ar?d \]/etgon§
And have some line samples 111 that line on hand. Call and see them
and get prices. Can get anything you want, from a bicyclo to a
wagonette. Houston prices duplicated. We do a general commis-
sion business.
Martin Armstrong, M'g'r.
&WM
wky. ■
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Leonard, W. A. The Velasco Times (Velasco, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, April 21, 1893, newspaper, April 21, 1893; Velasco, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth185369/m1/1/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .