Aransas Pass Progress (Aransas Pass, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 37, Ed. 1 Friday, December 24, 1909 Page: 1 of 8
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Progress
Volume 1 Number 37
Aransas Pass, Texas, Friday, December 24, 1909
By Will H.Vernor
Opening Sale a
Grand Success
Many thousand visitors were
pleased with what they saw
and purchased. — Bidding
very active.
NO PAPER ISSUED NEXT WEEK
The big auction sale is over, the
one the auctioneers in charge
declare it to have been the largest
aud most successful of its kind ever
held in the United States.
The Progress regrets its inabil-
ity to give the full details of the
sale from start to finish, to tell each
man just what he got in advance
of the information that will shortly
be sent out by Burton & Danforth:
and we regret as well that we are
unable to chronicle all of the many
pleasant events and incidents of
the sale, disregarding any unpleas-
antness that might have occured.
As far as we know there was no
unpleasantness, no dissatisfaction,
but one throng of investors who
realized before the sale was fin-
ished that they had received all
they had paid for, and some to
spare, a thing that is very unusual
and rare in large land sales of this
kind. Often the man gets his
money s worth, sometimes more,
but in this particular instance, the
value is greater than can be real-
ized on the face, and time alone
will tell just what the final value
will be.
At the beginning of the sale,
possibly ninety percent of those
in attendance expressed them-
selves as being willing to allow
each piece of property to be bid
off to the man who might have
the bid in turn, and for a few
minutes after the first lot sold for
$ 100, it seemed as if that would
be the plan, but not many sales
had been made before a very val-
uable lot was put up for sale,, one
of the contract holders exercised
the rights given in the contract,
and exceeded the $100 bid. From
that time on the bidding was lively
and the sale that was planned to
be pulled off in four days without
working nights, required the full
time of ten days, with a night ses-
sion daily.
A slight timidity was shown in
the first bidding, many having
come from abroad not having had
time to carefully study the map,
but as the sales increased, the bids
grew higher, the unacquainted
were made sure of their ground
by the seemingly reckless bidding
of local parties who were well
acquainted with the property and
had made a careful study of the
plat, even in instances going out
to look carefully over the property
and making out the particular
piece of land he desired.
Each day of the sale, each ses-
sion of the day seemed to show
the bids going higher on the prop-
erty as the value began to be ap-
preciated. This was the rule until
Wednesday, the closing day of the
sale, when the contracts began to
be few and the bidding necces-
#prily not so high. The sale ended
Wednesday night long after mid-
night, those who held contracts
remaining game to the last, and
showing a spirit good to see when-
ever a valuable lot or tract would
make its appearance. The spec-
tators who held their contracts for
fee last night, as a few did, really
reaped the cream of the auction,
there being but few to bid against
them excepting the club captains
representing the absentees, and
without authority to bid very high.
Every expression we have heard
is «ne of satisfaction over the prop-
g||
FTER due deliberation and consideration, our Christmas proclamation
is hereby made. For the past six months we have worked, some-
times right hard for the upbuilding of the town, and for the good of
the community in general. For the past three weeks it has been a
night and day game with us all, and we are pretty tired. In fact, we
are so tired that we have decided that there will be no issue of The Progress
next week. We do not intend to spend the entire week in idleness and mis-
chief, however, for there is considerable work to do in recovering from the rush
of late, there are a few subscriptions running out whh the last issue that we
want to cut off the list, and there is some cleaning up to do.
^ Then we want to rest the editorial mind for a spell, and trust that none of the readers will be-
grudge it of us, for we do so with the promise that we will be here on hand with the beginning of
the New Year, with the single purpose of doing more for our community and for our fellow man,
and for making such improvements in The Progress as will proclaim it the best country weekly
paper in Texas. ^ So we take pleasure today in wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very
Happy New Year. May the year just approaching be the p k 1 P) T"^
best you have ever seen, and the worst you will ever see, I jQC I f OfflfCSS JL OlfCC
Auctioneers are
to Locate Here
Smithheisler and Thomas each
purchase homes in Aransas
Pass, being much pleased
with the town,
erty as a whole, the manner of
placing it on the market, the ar-
rangements for the distribution,
and the future outlook for the in-
crease in value of each particular
piece.
Many who secured the property
they desired are even now laying
their plans for building. Those
who received their truck farms
are making their arrangements for
clearing the land and making it to
bring forth the products for which
it is already renowned. Those
who have residents lots are pre-
paring to make their homes.
Those who bought for speculation
have now a perfect right to be
happy, and the sum of the entire
sale can be said in -Six thous-
and satisfied investors.
Notes.
Isiaah Campbell, of Chicago and
San Antonio, got the first piece of
property that was sold. A good
lot for one hundred dollars.
The photographers have had a
busy fortnight, and postcards and
views of “almost everything” in
the community have been on sale
at the stores and studios.
Oklahoma people are well reore-
sented in the purchasers, possibly
more being from that state than
any other.
Trustee Amos Moore bought in
one of the premium houses, and
sold it before the day was over
making a nice profit on the trade.
H. G. Gardner of Woodward,
Oklahoma, is just as proud of his
possession of the big hotel as he
can be. The name has already
been changed to the Oklahoma
House, which will go into effect
as soon as he assumes charge.
$203,600 surplus is the official
figure. Figure it out for yourself
just how much you will have com-
ing back to you. But in the
meantime just think of property
being sold to some people for
$600,000, and then the purchasers
running it up about thirty percent
more.
The big tent will be moved
soon after the first of January. It
will go up in the Panhandle,
where fv^essrs. Powers, Thomas
Smithheisler & Co., have a few
auction asles they intend to pull
off. It seats a pretty good crowd,
and while it had to be abandoned
for the last few days of the sale
on account of the extremely cold
weather, it answered its purpose
well in the beginning, . when the
crowd was the largest.
Chas. Hoffman, who lived here
eighteen years ago and is going to
do s again, together with H.
Brooke, who bought some proper-
ty during the sales and wished he
could buy more, were the last con-
tract holders. Two pieces of
property were offered for sale, and
the two gentlemen named gave a
splendid reproduction of “Al-
phonse-Gaston” over which should
accept the honors. A. D. Powers
finally assisted in deciding for
them.
The bidders did not loose sight
of their religion in the scramble
for property, and the unfortunate
were well provided for. It wes
announced that Mrs. Lena
Sonderson, of Clovis New Mexico,
was in bad health and would like
to have a five acre tract on which
to make her home. No sooner
was it announced than a good one
was picked out, the trustees bid
$100 for her, and the auctioneer,
listening carefully to ascertain if
there were other bids, slowly drop-
ped his hand to his desk and de-
clared the property sold.
Hartman Renk, of Alva, Okla.
was fick and could not atteed the
sale. He was looked after to the
tune of a five acre tract.
Arthur F. Fuller, a musical
composer of Fort Worth, Dallas,
San Antonio and other places,
has been an invalid for years,
making it necessary for him to be
wheeled about in a rolling chair.
His portion was a premium house,
price, $100.
Possibly the last notable act of
charity was demonstrated on
Wednesday morning, during the
“love feast” that was being held.
Some one announced that a man
was here from Oklahoma, was
sick, down and out and needed
some money. No one asked his
name, but some one grabbed a
hat and went through the crowd.
Result, $105.94. Everybody felt
better.
Mrs. Matilda C. Vennick, wh©
formerly lived in Coloma, Mich-
igan, owns a valuable bay front
lot, possibly worth from $800 to
$1000. It cost her a hundred, be-
cause it was what she wanted and
did not have the money to pay a
higher price. She did not ask
for the property. It was not
necessaay for her *o do so in that
crowd. Some one who knew her
circumstances stated the case, the
regular bid was made, and there
was no increase.
The two lots adjoining the Bay
View hotel in block 511 brought
the highest prices of any individ-
ual lots in the sale, being $2665
for two lots. One ten acre tract
brought $1800, while one 5 acre
tract brought $1 150.
December 9th has been voted
as a memorable day, and will
hereafter be celebrated as a red
letter day in Aransas Pass. This
much has been decided by the
contract holders in the meeting
assembled. Committees were
appointed, and the suggestions
offered met with such ap-
proval that it shall not be forgotten.
The Progress promises herewith
and now, that about the first of
next September it will begin the
agitation, and December 9th of
next year will be celebrated as
Aransas Pass Anniversary Day.
Great changes will have been
wrought by that time. The Prog-
ress does not dare predict how
great the change will be, excepting
that it will be great, but we believe
that every man who purchased
property in Aransas Pass will have
reason to be glad, and will take
some pleasure and satisfaction in
celebrating the 9th of December
anniversary day in Aransas Pass.,
What is proclaimed to have
been the most impressive event of
the entire occasion was the joy
meeting held in the exhibit hall
Wednesday morning. The sale
closed Tuesday night, and it had
been announced that an independ-
ent auction would be held begin-
ning immediately after the other
sale, but the big auction had con-
sumed so much time, the people
were so near tired out,, and it was
decided to postpone the independ-
ent auction sale indefinitly.
Hence, when the crowd gathered
Wednesday morning, .instead of
hearing the cry of the/ auctioneer,
each was called on to make a
speech, many responded, and as
A. D. Powers said, it was a gen-
uine old-fashioned experience
meeting. Everybody was happy
and glad, the feeling of fellowship
was in their veins, satisfaction
reigned throughout, and the hap-
piness many held was more than
they could withhold, so they pour-
ed out their joy to each other.
The Progress must again regret
that it is unable to fully give the
expressions of gladness, of thanks,
of blessing and thanksgiving that
were made. On paper it would
seem menial to the general feeling
of the meeting. Those even read-
ing of the good talks could not
feel the meaning without being
present to see the happy express-
ions on the faces of those assem-
bled. In short, the meeting was
one that can only be appreciated
fully by those who were in attend-
ance. To those, the hours shall
always remain in memory as
notable.
Wichita Kansas furnished more
live boosters to the opening than
any other far away town, and high
in rank among these was
J. Blankeney, who spent the time
here. Mr. Blankeney not only
represents a number or investors
in Kansas, but as one of his
friends explains to the Progress,
he can furnish quite a little colony
among his own family of sons,
daughters, sons-in-law, etc., and
that he will likely advise the
whole bunch to pack up and
come to Texas.
Duties of Trustees
W. Amos Moore, chairman of
the board of trustees for the con-
tract holders, left Wednesday
evening for his home at San
Antonio.
Before leaving town, he made a
”ery pleasant visit to the Progress
office, and seemed to be very
much relieved that the stupendous
task of the trustees was drawing
to a close. He states that the
trustees have yet to sign thier
names to the six thousand deeds
which are to be made out cover-
ing tfie sale of Aransas Pass
property, and outside of the gen-
eral supervision of the affairs until
they are wound up and the check-
ing over of the account, their tasks
will have been, finished.
The trustees are to have np part
in the collection of the amount
The first premium house went
to Elmer E. Klahr, of Higgins,
Texas, the price being, $675.
Others were purchased by various
people, but the peculiar incident
of the premium house affair is
that two were sold one the last
night of the sale, one each Dr. D.
S. Smithhisler and Col. A. W.
Thomas, the efficient and oblig-
ing auctioneers of the sale. They
had both been so generous, so
obligi ng and courteous during the
entire sale that they have made
friends of everybody, hence when
they were bidding on the houses
there were none who would bid
against them, and they came cheap,
Smithhisler paying $425, and
Thomas getting in for $1 5 less.
Both the auctioneers declare
that they are going to move to
Aransas Pass to live, and that’s why
they bought the premium houses.
They are planning to form some
kind of a combination with A. D
Powers, it is suspected, an<i if
they don’t keep things lively down
on the coast, the Progress has
missed its guess. Yes, they bought
the houses to occupy themselves,
and we can’t for the life of us
think of any one we would rather
have gotten them. •
which has been overbid. Burton
and Danfortd have consented to
collect these amounts at their own
expense, and are already entering
into the work. Notices are being
prepared to send out to each one
who has bid more than $100 on a
piece of property, and payment
must be made within a period of
six months from the fifteenth of
December, intrest will be charged
at the rate of six percent, and
the funds are to be handled
through the State Bank and Trust
Company of San Antonio. . The
deeds are being prepared, and to
save confusion afterwards, it has
been decided that none will be is-
sued without first being recorded.
The recordtng fee is one dollar for
each deed, and an office for the
county clerks of both counties has
been established with Young &
Emery of this city, who are look-
ing after the recording.
Weather records for the past
j fourteen years were shattered on
| the gulf coast last Sunday, when a
slow drizzling rain, freezing as it
fell, played havoc with the winter
vegetables, caused consternation
in telegraph and telephone circles,
and put a doubt in the minds of
the visitors whether or not this
was really the land of pleasant
winters as well as summers. Lee
Steagall, who has b^en here for
fourteen years, is authority for the
statement that the weather has
never been so severe before
Christmas in the time he has mado
his home in the community, and
others who have lived here as
long and longer bear him out in
his contention.
The Jennings Dramatic Com-
pany spent several days in town
this week, and gave nightly per-
formances in a large tent which
was stretched upon the carnival
grouqds. Fairly good crowds
were in attendance at the per-
formances, and the show was
pronounced as good by those
who attended.
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Aransas Pass Progress (Aransas Pass, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 37, Ed. 1 Friday, December 24, 1909, newspaper, December 24, 1909; Aransas Pass, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth973989/m1/1/?q=%22~1~1~1%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ed & Hazel Richmond Public Library.