Aransas Pass Progress (Aransas Pass, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, January 7, 1910 Page: 1 of 8
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"W-
i*
ransas
ass Progress
Volume I Number 38
Aransas Pass, Texas, Friday, January 7, 1910
% Will H.Vernor
*
i
Wilcox Is Pleased.
County Treasure W. H, Wilcox
returned from Aransas Pass bub-
bling over with the experiences he
had undergone while away. He
was absent from home about two
weeks, and was chosen one of the
trustees to handle the property of
those who had bought contracts.
Mr. Wilcox reports that the sale
was very much of a success, and
that a great many Oklahoma peo-
ple were' there and purchased
property.
Something more than eight
thousand acres of land were in-
cluded in the sale, which were
divided into six thousand town lots,
one thousend truck farms of from
five to twenty acres each, ten res-
idences were also included and
the large Bay View hotel, contain-
ing seventy-two rooms, and lo-
cated on five lots in the best part
of town. The sale was conducted
as an auction. Each one of the
six thousand purchasers having
paid one hundred dollars each for
an undivided interest in the proper-
ty, the method of division so that
each would receive an equal por-
tion as near as possible made
necessary the auction sale, which
continued for 10 days, as well as
each night until about ten o’clok.
The amounts in excess of one hun-
dred dollars bid by each partici-
pant is to be placed in a common
fund and equally divided among
the six thousand interested parties.
As the bidding was very spirited,
and something more than two
hundred thousand dollars bid
more than the contract price, each
contract holder will receive a re-
bate of from thirty to forty dol-
lars on each contract. This
If You Would
To exercise your duties and privi
|
leges
Be a Citizen
as such to be recognized in
the community as a man who is
worthy of the name of citizen
You Must pay your Poll
Tax before Feb. 1
storms and other disturbances.
The Aransas Pass Channel and
Dock Compauy, recently organized
with a capital stock of one million
dollars has for its object the
dredging of a channel to be twen-
ty-five feet deep and three hun-
dred feet wide from the mainland
at the town, directly to the harbor.
They are also planning to build a
spur from the Sap railroad, on
which the town is located, out
to the dock, and already have a
force of men working on the
wharves, docks and other shipping
facilities, which are to be estab-
lished at once. A ship agency
has been established, an agree-
ment reached with the Mississippi
Valley Transportation Company
of St. Louis for the entrance of
oce an go ing steamships and barges
and the town of Aransas Pass ex-
pects to be put on the map at
once as a very important town.
Mr. Wilcox is more^than pleased
that he purchased property there,
and there are many people in
Oklahoma who will rejoice with
him over the honors placed upon
him, and the general success and
amount is now being collected by bright outlook of the proposition.
the trustees, and will be divided
at the end of six months, which is
the final limit gHen for the pay-
ment o( all amounts overbid.
Mr. Wilcox is very enthusiastic
over the prospects of Aransas Pass
becoming a greqt sea port city.
According to his account, the har-
bor is one of the best natural
Jand-locked harbors in the world,
with a natural dockage of four and
one-half miles in length, by one
mile wide. He also states that the
government work is progressing
nicely, and the depth of water
over the bar at the entrance to
the harbor is increasing rapidly,
having been increased from thir-
teen feet in March to more than
twenty feet at the present time.
The depth of the harbor is from
thirty to forty-five feet, and the
deep water on the outside is close
enough that the jetties will not nec-
essarily be extended to a great
distance to accomplish any reason-
able depth required.
For instance at New Orleans it
is necessary to extend the jetties
more than twenty miles before it
reached the thirty-five foot con-
tour; at Galveston more than
seven miles of jetty work is re-
quired, while at Aransas Pass tne
1 n this connection Mr. Wilcox
desires to express his thanks to
the people who were instrumental
in selecting him as one of the
trustees.—Woodward Oklahoma
Democrat-
Burton 8 Danforth to Erect New
Office Building.
On a recent visit of Mr. E. O.
Burton to the Commercial Club,
he made the very important an-
nouncement that the Channel &
Dock Company and Burton & Dan-
forth would, in the immediate
future, begin the construction of a
modern fire proof office building
to be used by the two bompanies,
and for the handling of such other
business as might require space.
This is possibly an item of
more interest to the people at
large than anything else that could
be dene in the building line. Mr.
Burton states that he has often
been asked the question: “Now
that you have sold your property
in Aransas Pass, are you finished
with the town?” In answering
this‘query to the general public,
Mr. Burton told the anecdote,
which properly belongs to Gov.
Wheeler, of the negro who had a
thirty-five foot contour is less than : race with the ghost. The ghost
run way into the hundreds of
thousands, and their real financial
interests are here more than at
any other place.
This is the reason given for the
announcement of the soon erection
of the building, which will no
doubt be a pride to the town.
The location for the building has
not as yet been announced, and
thereby hangs another story. In
selling the property they owned
about town, they did not look
sufficient into the future to retain
property on which to build. In
other words, when the proper'
location is found, they will buy
back the property they sold for
$ 100 a lot, and the price^ they will
pay in return will without doubt
run into the thousands.
It has not been announced of
what dimensions the building will
be, but by a hint casually dropped
by Mr. Burton, it seems that the
intention is to cover up at least
two lots, the building to be two
or more stories in height, and to
be of the most modern and fire
proof structure all the way
through. This is made necessary
for the safe protection of their
valuable records and books.
The next upon the completion
of the building, the Progress pre-
dicts that Burton & Danforth, and
the Channel & Dock Company
will announce the moving of the
general offices of the companies
from Sari Antonio to Aransas
Pass., Their interests here are
increasing so rapidly as to make
their important office really belong
to this place, and the Progress
expects to see them handling all
their business from this place in
the not distant future.
Aransas P^.ss Investors.,
There is a hint in the Rockport
and Aransas Pass papers that
there was a roar from investors at
Aransas Pass who had gone into
the scheme under the impression
that it was “Uncle Sam’s town”—
that the government was spending,
millions at and for that village.
The Crony has more than once
in time realize good returns, even
though he bought under an entire
misapprehension, as hundreds did.
There will be no city there in this
generation, if ever, but a home on
the gulf coast of this section is
worth what it cost those who in-
vested, if they can pfford it. The
quasi-deception practiced may
make man “hot under the collar”
to the extent of sacrificing their
investment but they should not
do this—Aransas Pass town is
all right or will be some day.—
Corpus Christi Crony.
Nothing could be further from
the truth thari the first paragraph
in the above article. As is some-
times customary with the free
lance, the article is written with-
out a knowledge of fhe true state
of affairs, and without an investi-
gation of the real facts.
The Progress, although it has
done so before, again denies that
Aransas Pass has ever been
mentioned by any of its pro
moters, or large organization of
boosters, as ‘"Uncle Sam’s town.”
Rather, the only agitation of that
phase of that question we have
ever seen has come through the
Corpus Christi press, in denying
that Aransas Pass town was
“Uncle Sam’s town,” when none
had ever claimed it was. The
Progress does not believe that one
single investor in the Aransas
Pass townsite proposition came
here expecting to see the govern-
ment dumping money into the
town. They expected to see a
town located on the mainland,
nearer than any other settlement
to the Harbor, to the “pass,” to the
actual government work, and to
see on this aforesaid mainland
spot, the location for the future
center of activity. None of them
were disappointed in what they
found.
“A hint in the Aransas Pass and
Rockport papers that there was a
roar from the investors” is as far
from the truth as it could possibly
be, unlees it be meant that after
course of organization for some
weeks, and has at its head men
who are well known locally, and
who are known to be both finan-
cially responsible and personally
able to make the bank a successful
business venture in every detail.
The officers who have been
elected to serve for the first term
are as follows: -.A. H. Danforth,
president, H. Brooke, vice presi-
dent, J. J. Todd, cashier, with
Messrs. E. O. Burton, of San An-
tonio, and C. W. Holmes, of
Peoria, 111., on the board of
directors.
The bank has been incorporated
with a capital of $10,000 fully
paid in, and starts off with very
flattering prospects. The new
furniture arrived this week, and
will be put in place by Mr. Frank
Arrington, of Kansas City, an ex-
perienced interior decorator. Mr.
Todd states that the interior ap-
pearance of the bank will be one
of the best in the State of Texas
for a small city, and he is also
much pleased with the good pros-
pects for his concern enjoying a
very satisfactory business.
Street Lights.
The committee appointed by
the Commercial Club to look after
the lighting of the city has done
some good work, and . reported at
the last meeting that they had pur-
chased and received six of thq
large street gasoline lights at a
cost of something more than $150.
These lights were immediately
erected, and were lighted for the
first time Tuesday night. They
give a very fine light, and the com-
mittee is entitled to much praise
for the excellent work they have
done. However, now that the
six new superior lights have been
received, they have on hand ten
of the old oil lamps, which, while
each giving good light, are not to
be compared with the new ones.
Not being able financially to keep
all the lights in service, the com-
The Town Of Aransas Pass.
(A. D. Powers is accused of this.)
You can talk about your cities with
their steady growth and size,
You can talk about deep water
and business enterprise,
There’s Galveston and same other
towns located on the sea,
But the town of Aransas Pass is
good enoueh for me. >
There hain’t no style in oUr town,
its little-like and small,
There hain’t no knockers now,
jest boosters, that is all;
There was some knockers that all
could plainly see,
But the knockers of Aransas Pass
went fast enough fo£ me.
Some says we are stuck up like,
I’m willing .to admit
Cause we have got a telephone—
a gal a keeping it;
And some office gals as fine
as fine can be—
O, the gals of Aransas is good
enough for me.
You can laugh and turn your nose
up and joke and scowl and frown
And holler “gardner” at us when
we come inter town;
If the city suits you better, why
thats where you oughter be
But the town of Aransas Pass is
good enough for me.
You can harp about your churches
with their steeples in the clouds;
And gas about your trolly lines and
blow about your crowds.
But we have a new harbor that
people come to see,
So the town of Aransas Pass is
show enough for me.
Let me register a solemn oath,
right here afore you now,
And raise my right hand fearlessly
to consumate the vow.
"When Gabriel blows his mighty
horn and beckons “come to me,”
Plant me deep in Aransas soil—
thats where I’d rather be.
deprecated the misleading state-1 the^property was worth more than
it cost them, and instead of taking
, it- . , mittee decided to make an unique
thoroughly investigating the prop- di sition of the ten lights in for.
osition, the investors decided , , a ■
and they are ottering
brie mile, and the
tour is less than
deep sea con-
a mile and a
chased the
goes, until
negro, so the story
he was . completely
quarter. More than'.one thousand ; exhausted, and sat down upon a
square miles of water bay have j log-tov rest. The ghost came up
•V- their only connection,with the gull 1 arid sat by the negro,land remark-
through the jetties, and the stream ’ ed that it had been a very, exciting
. } of water caused by the tides is ; arid" speedy race'. “Sure was,”
,4T wearing away the bar at a rapid, answered the negro,.“but nothing
v rate. J like it is going to be as soon as I
"4 Aransas Pass’has grown very . j get my. breaths” ,,That explains
; rapidly in the past six months, anti, the position of Burton & Danforth
■( s still growing. More than chrbe in AiJahsas Pass today.' Instead of
i hundred hb.uses have been erected, disposing of all their property in
in a period of six months, and now I this community, Mr. Burtori de-
that the sale is over and the people j dared that the property they yet
have come into possession1 of the j retain i^. now worth more in dollars
property, more building than ev r and cents than the.:!, entjre
is contemplated? ; - :j proposition they commanded here
Aransas PassT.toym is six miles j.a year ago. On ^ either sidp of
from the deep water, and is locat- town they still own a large amount
ed on the mainland, free from i of property, their channel tnterests
ments made in advertising Aran-
sas Pass. We have seen scores of
men interested in/the place, but
who had never been there, and to
a man, they thought the village
and the Pass were one and the
same.
This deception may have been
unintentional, but when it was
known to be so widespread, it
should have been corrected, The
Gronyhas never decried the propo-
sition itself. It believes Aransas
Pass towri" to be a venture of
sufficient merit to stand on. its own
bottom. The most. doubtful
feature of the business is per-
mitting a false idea to obtain wide
circulation and profiting thereby.
The Crony has always been on
the alert for anything savoring of
deception in Southwest Texas,
arid'" will expose it wheriever it
occurs. . There has been little of
it—it is1' unnecessary. The plain
truth at out conditions there is as
flattering as one could desire.
The Crony believes every man
who invested at Aransas Pass will
it at $ 100 per lot as they had
agreed, they held an auction sale,
and ran the property up some in
excess of $200,000 more than it
had been sold to them by Burton
& Danforth. That was really the
“roar” they made. The construc-
tion the worthy contemporary has
put up in this “roar” is in general
keeping with the spirit of fairness
with which Arahsas Pass town
has repeatedly been treated by
the press of its sister city, Corpus
Christi.
The New Bank.
j! J. Todd announces that the
charter has been granted for the,
new Bank, which is to' be ' known
as the First State Bank of Aransas
Pass, and that the new concern
will be ready for business about
the first of March in the new brick
building he is erecting at the cor-
ner of Commercial and Nelson
streets.
The new
hank , has. been in
mer use,
them to such communities about-1
town, to such churches and other
organizations, as will make appli-
cation for them and will agree to
keep them in order aud burning.
This makes an excellent oppor-
tunity for the resident districts de-
siring street light to obtain them
at the cost of maintainance only,
and they should make application
to the light committee at once for
further particulars. Mr. Geo. L.
Rykert is chairman of this com-
mittee, and Messrs. O. C. McLeod
and N. M. Cole are associated
with him. See one of them
if you want a’ light near
residence.
shon
%,
youri
. Nq\y. that it has been decided
to incorporate the town under
the. commission form of govern-
ment, there are canidates, and rum-
ors of more canidates. The
riirire- the better, for ? it gives the
people a chance to pick the mate-
rial for various offices, * and here’s
hoping that the best man will win
in every instance. . K
It was the pleasure of the editor
of the Progress to enjoy Christmas
dinner with Mr. L. M. McCain,
who conducts the popular restau-
rant just across the street from the
Progress office. A number of
times Mr. McCain had extended
the invitation to dine with him,
and it had long been our intention
to do so, but the great rush of
business during the opening had
kept the matter put off until
Christmas day, when Mr. McCain
called at our home, and Insisted
that the invitation should be
accepted. It was with much
pleasure granted so, and after the
dinner was over, it was time we
should congratulate ourselves, fpr
the repast was samptuous, the
greeting extended was cord.al,
and Mr. McCain and his estimable
family proved themselves even
more of entertainers and providers
than their former good reputations
had p renounced them. Thanks,
again.
The Socia-ist party will have a
meeting in the Moffet building to-
night, and especially request that
all membersr of the local, as well as
all sympathizers of their cause,
should be present at the smeeting.
The socialists have qujte a well or-
ganized local’at this place, and it
is possible they will debide to en-
ter into politics, with a will, espec-
ially" in the 'County arid ‘State elec-
tions, even if not in the city affairs.
They, invite you to be present at
the meeting tonight, where import-
ant business and discussions will
come before’the body. ,}■
I 1 Reception.
' The Aransas Cemetery Club will
givereceptipn at .tfie Bay View
Hotel Thursday evening, Jan. 20,
and the publi,c is cordially invited
to attend; Mrs. M. M. Hays, Pres.
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Aransas Pass Progress (Aransas Pass, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, January 7, 1910, newspaper, January 7, 1910; Aransas Pass, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth973572/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ed & Hazel Richmond Public Library.