Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1914 — William Donnelly Writes From the Lone Star State. [ARTICLE]

William Donnelly Writes From the Lone Star State.

Houston, Texas, Dec. 17, 1914. Jasper County Democrat, Rensselaer, Indiana. In answer to your request for a few lines from former residents of old Jasper, I will give you the following Irom this, part of this big country of ours, as this part of XJncle Sam’s domain is not perhaps as well known as other parts thaUyou will hear from. - We have been having very hard times here for the past six months, and especially since the war commenced, as the cotton crop is the staple crop here, and it stopped the sale of it almost entirely for sixty to ninety days, consequently making dull times here, perhaps more than in localities where their crops are more diversified. Our banks here are full of money,

and one of our Houston men is the president of the Regional Bank at Dallas, Texas, the government reserve bank for this part of the country.

We have just lately had the Deep Water Jubilee here, celebrating the completion of the deep water way from the Gulf of Mexico to Houston, and we have ocean steam ships coming to Houston now from all parts of the world, as the channel is 25 feet deep and 125 feet wide and was completed at a cost of $2,500,000, it being about CO miles long. Our city is still building skyscrapers, and the Texas Company, one of the largest oil companies in the United States, is just completing a 1 6-story building covering one-fourth of a block, and the city is just finishing a $500,000 addition to the city hall. The basement of the new part is occupied by the heating and light plants for both buildings, and the first floor of both buildings is used for the city market. The old and new buildings occupy an entire block. } The park system of the city has just recently been added to by the donation of a tract of over 300 acres of land in the best part of the city, for park purposes, the donation amounting to over $2,000,00 0 in land and money, and the same man gave the city something over $3,000,000, principally in money, for a charity hospital. This hospital is to be free to Houston and Harris county residents, and if there is room for more people, then free to any resident of the state of Texas.

The city of Houston ihas spent over $6,000,000 on street, sewer and bridge improvements in the past three years, the county over $3,000,000 in the past two years for shell and gravel roads. This will give you some idea of what this part of Texas is doing in modern improvements. We have been having very little cold weather here this winter, the lowest temperature we have had here so far being 26 above. But we have ihad one of the heaviest rains, about ten days ago, that has occurred here in many years, the fall being something over 7y 2 inches in afbout eight hours.

Well, I will have to close, as I will be getting over the limit of the length of letter allowed, so wishing all our former friends and relatives a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, we remain, Yours very truly;

WM. DONNELLY AND FAMILY and Mrs. Wm. MEYER.