USA > Texas > Johnson County > A memorial and biographical history of Johnson and Hill counties, Texas : containing the early history of this important section of the great state of Texas together with glimpses of its future prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens of the present time, and full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of this section > Part 7
USA > Texas > Hill County > A memorial and biographical history of Johnson and Hill counties, Texas : containing the early history of this important section of the great state of Texas together with glimpses of its future prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens of the present time, and full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of this section > Part 7
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The lower strata (below the Cretaceous) have been upheaved above this ridge. Brown haematite ore is abundant.
In places throughout the cross timbers there is the most beautiful fire elay in the world,-a bright cherry red. A brick com. posed of this elay can be thoroughly heated white hot, and never afterward changed by fire. There are also traces of coal in that region.
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AND HILL COUNTIES.
In two of the Caddo peaks there is a quan- tity of iron, defleeting the needle of a com- jane when brought in that vicinity.
In the western part of Johnson county there are traces of gold, in quartz. Mr. R. II. Adair, the county surveyor, as well as others, has found specimens there. There are indi- cations of gold-mining having been done in former times, in outcroppings near Mr Rosh's place, near the junction of Walnut creek with the Brazos river and two miles from Acton.
In the western, or prairie, portions of Johnson county sulphur springs are unmer- ond. Along the Brazos are springs of pure, cold water, from the saudstones. The river is several hundred feet below the general level of the country, and these springs are under cool bluffs covered with cedar. Near the summit of these bluffs is some of the tinest building stone in the country.
In the eastern portion of the county the well water is generally soft and in some places impregnated with minerals, while in the western part the water is harder. In both sections well water is obtained at a depth of twenty feet or a little more.
The borings of the artesian wells at Cle- burne give the following strata: The first fifty or sixty feet, the cretaceous,-same as the outeroppings of the country; a more homogeneous blue lime-stone for 250 or 300 feet; blne marl or soapstone, fifteen feet; 150 feet further down, the first vein of artesian water; then blue limestone again, with ocea- »ionally a little slate. At a depth of about 885 feet, sand, extending down to the depth of
1,006 feet from the surface of the ground. Next was a red, tenaciouselay, which is prob- ably 300 feet in thickness.
One artesian well at that point is 1,300 feet deep.
From the borings of the artesian well at Itasca, we ascertain the following: First twenty feet, drift; 130 feet, black slate; thirty feet, sandy lime; two feet, hard lime; forty feet, black slate; thirty-five feet, water- bearing roek; forty-five feet, caving black slate; twenty-two feet, blue slate; 119 feet, white slate; and the rest of the way down to a depth of 1,150 feet from the surface (the depth reached at this date, January 25, 1892), shale in layers alternating in colors between blne and very white, including five or six feet of pipe clay. Most of this shale is considered "too dry" and chalky to be deemed true soapstone.
Very few fossils have been discovered in our district. The most noted, of which we have account, are Ammonites ten to fourteen inches in diameter along the Brazos, where other fossils also are most abundant.
Gold and petroleum have both been found in small quantities, in Hill county.
CLIMATE.
The climate of this seetion is generally mild. During the long summer seasons there is a constant breeze sweeping over the prai- ries which tempers the day and renders the night cool and refreshing. In the hottest weather there is scarcely a sultry day without some mitigating breeze. On this account sunstroke is almost totally unknown, and
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the effects of heat less overpowering and de- struetive than in the northern States. The winters are short and usually dry. A few frosts and sometimes an inch or so of snow is the extent of winter weather. Most of the days during the winter season,-which ox- tends from about the middle of December to the middle of February,-are sunny and cheerful, while the wind is not disagreeable, except during an occasional "norther." At all other periods the northers are not unwel- come. For at least five months in every year they drive off the malaria and bring in a pure and bracing air from the higher plains and mountains. The traveler from most other States is partienlarly impressed by the bright sun from sunrise to sunset, the tonic quality of the atmosphere and the haleyon character of the weather. The buzzards and carrion crows devouring the carcasses of all dead animals before decomposition contaminates the air, and there being no cellars under the houses,-the most productive factories of malaria, universal among Northerners, -the people in this part of Texas ought to be more healthy than those of any other part of the world. The sickness from which they suffer here, therefore, must certainly be due to their own bad habits. The air of all Spanish America is indeed so free from bacteria, the source of decay, that fresh meat is easily enred by simply drying out doors, without salt. The best country in the world for dys- pepties to recover is in this great Southwest.
As to the rainfall, it is acknowledged that it comes a little too much concentrated at certain seasons, withont much regard to the
necessities of the planters; yet the agricult- ural class have adapted themselves to this fea- ture, and are prosperous in the raising of cotton and corn; while fruits and vegetables of all kinds are easily raised in great abun- dance and of good quality.
On one occasion, when a family was on their way to Texas, they met a woman and her family leaving the country. She was asked why she was going away, and answered, that although Texas looked all right and was healthy and productive, yet she did not care to have all the dry weather at onee, nor all the rain at once, but would like a mixture, as it were,-a streak of lean and a streak of fat; that "it never rained here, and that when it did commence it would rain forever!"
There was some truth in the woman's rea- ! son. For several seasons nearly all the rain fell within a few days, or weeks, frequently a month. For a number of years from 1846 and onward, the most of the rain fell in No- vember and March, about two weeks each, and the balance of the year was dry. It is not so uniform of late years, the wet spell coming in January, sometimes in May, June or July. Here, in this part of Texas, it has been quite a common occurrence for it not to rain for five months, yet good crops are usually made, sometimes better, sometimes worse. This state of affairs is due to the superiority of Texas soil.
RECORD OF THE WEATHER 1846-'91.
Following is a record of the weather in this region, from the fall of 1846 to the fall of 1891:
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AND HILL COUNTIES.
1816-'7 .- Scarcely any winter weather until spring.
1847 .-- A few northers which lasted from two to three days, accompanied with a few light frosts,-so light that the cotton stalks put ont sprouts near he ground.
1548 .--- December 3, a heavy rain, accom- panied with lightning and thunder, and fol- lowed by cold weather, freezing and sleeting lively until evening. when it began to snow, and continued until the ground was covered to the depth of some four or five inches with ice and snow, which remained on the ground about ten days or two weeks. It was so cold that it not only froze the branches and ereeks, but the rivers. The Brazos river was frozen over, and persons crossed it on the ice below Waco. Red river was also frozen over to such a degree that the ferryboat was stopped about a week and the people erossed on the ire. North of Bonham they erossed it in a boat on December 26, and it was still cov- ered with ice above and below where the boat croceel.
1.19 .- May the 15th corn was killed as far south as Austin. There was but little rain recept in the fall and spring; weather dry; pleasant and salubrious.
1850-'51 .- Dry and mild.
1552 .-. This was a very wet year from July the 1st till the fall, and a vast amount of sickness prevailed. Chills and bilious fevers prevailed. The spring was dry.
1553 .- Dry in spring and summer; a cold bfell in winter; quite cool in the spring; farmers harvested with overcoats and mittens on, with cradle, -" arm-strong's reaper." 4
1853-'54 .- The springs of these years were extremely cool, so cool that the farmers harvested with " arin-strong reapers" (scythe and eradle) all day with overeoat and mit- tens on, and did not suffer with heat from the 10th to the 15th of May.
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1855 .- Quite a cold snap in January; heavy snow in places for this section; snow remained about two weeks,
1856 .- Normal temperature, but dry and water scarce.
1857 .-- April 5th of this year a heavy norther blew up, killing vegetation clear down to the ground. Wheat was headed ont and in bloom, which froze in waves in daylight, and as soon as the clouds passed away and the sun shone out the wheat, grass, corn, and in fact all vegetation wilted and fell to the ground. In a few days it would have burned, and some persons did really burn their wheat off; others, with the hope of facilitating its suck- ering from the root, mowed the wheat; others turned their stock in upon it and grazed it off; some let it alone, trusting to Providence for the result. On the 11th it snowed all day, making a depth of about four inches. Those who decided that the eorn was all killed, planted over after the freeze, and be- low the snow. The snow made moisture enough to bring the crop np, and to the as- tonishment of all the wheat sprouted up and made from three to ten bushels to the acre. Corn that was not planted till after the snow lay in the ground as sound as if in the erib till the last of August. No rain the entire sea- son till that time, and still there was made wheat and corn enough from the moisture
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON
of that snow, supplemented by the gulf fogs. There were many long taces that spring, in proportion to the population, and no wonder, for it surely did look like starvation for all; for there were no means of transportation save by ox teams and wagons, and of course the people could get nothing from other States by that means in time to save them.
Numbers of persons, however, who came to Texas at an early day lived without bread for as long as a year in some cases, or until they could make a erop.
1858 .--- More than ordinary rain; tempera- ture mild, but unpleasant in winter, owing to the rain.
1859 .- The sminmer was fearfully hot, the winds having the characteristics of regular siroceos. It was so hot that numbers of buildings in town and country were burned to the ground. The burning was charged to the negroes, as at that particular time, not long before the war broke out between the Northern and Southern States, abolitionism was exciting the people. Although the negroes were ignorant and easily deluded, yet, be it said to their credit, they were peaceable and attended to their work as a general rule. Whilst this was the case, the mass of the people thought otherwise, and they went " crazy " on the subject, to use an exaggerated expression. A number of negroes, as well as some whites, were roughly dealt with. It was thought that the fires were the work of incendiaries, as in most instances no canso could be traced whereby the buildings could have taken fire from accidental causes; but finally matches in old Uncle Billy Oldham's
store in Waxahachie tock fire whilst lying on a shelf, right under the sight of the clerks and proprietor, in broad daylight. The cat was out of the bag; the explanations of all the mysterious and alarming conflagrations was plain-spontaneous ignition. To test the matter, and that all might see the cause for themselves, matches were placed on the side- walks and in other situations, which in a short time burst into flame. In fact, as soon as the matches, in many ins.ances, touched the heated pavements they ignited.
1859-'60-'61 .- Almost no rain for three years, and still good erops, especially wheat, rye, oats, barley, etc .; eorn, moderate, but very little of it planted. Wheat made from twenty to forty bushels per acre, weighing from sixty-eight to seventy-two pounds to the measured bushel. The question naturally arises, Ilow could such a erop be prodneed with almost no rainfall? We had what was known as sea or gulf fog, which came up nearly every morning about daylight or shortly after, and continued until abont eight o'clock. All vegetation would be wet with it. These fogs have very nearly disappeared. From 1816 to the '603, they occurred almost every morning; but they have become fewer and fewer until now, 1891, they seareely ever appear. As to the cause of their eessa- tion we have not as yet been able to solve the the problem. We never saw one of these fogs beyond Red river, and have been on this side amid a heavy one, whilst across the river there was no sign of a fog. They originated in the gulf, but just why they eame then and not now, is one of those inscrutable mysteries
AND HILL COUNTIES.
which seem beyond our ken. What the cli- matic change or changes ean be to produce ro marked a difference, not even the Vennors, the Fosters, nor the Oldl Probs ean tell us. ON Earth goes rolling right along, appar. ently the same as she was 5,000 or 6,000 years ago, but we must remember that Egypt hot much over 2,000 years back was a land towing with milk and honey, and one of the most magnificent empires of the world, with stately monuments and an advanced civili- zation, whilst to-day she is almost a howling wilderness. The winds that apparently brought those fogs still blow, but whether so strong as formerly is doubtful. One thing is certain, however, that a breeze seldom blows how which prevents one from carrying an umbrella. A further evidence of some great change in our meteorological conditions is the prevalence of those pestiferons little guats, which very seldom annoyed one at work outdoors. For instance, in " chopping" cotton, as it is termed, in those former days. it was rare that any one was annoyed, but now the little insects are so numerous and persistent that one at work in the field is often compelled to wear a veil over the face. Even in traveling . it was rarely the case that vhe was annoyed, the wind blowing the gnats off; but now they are extremely bad at times.
The beautiful phenomenon of the mirage accompanied these gulf fogs; that is, they preceded the fog. Pictures suspended in the low clouds, consisting of landseapes, hill and dale, groves, farms, houses and farms, ap- peared, and would last for some time. They were similar in principle to the mirages seen
on deserts and in the Arctic region, and were formerly thought to be optical illusions, super- indueed by the wants of the traveler, as in passing over a desert when water was needed. These would see beautiful streams, and those in the Aretie region see boats of reseue; but investigation has shown that these images of the mirage are the reflection in the elonds, under peculiar circumstances, of real objeets. The summers of 1860 and 1861 were dry and hot, but without hot winds.
1862-'63 .- Springs cool and backward Men ran reapers with overcoats, comfort and mittens on, and still suffered with cold.
1864-'65-'66 .- Ordinary as to tempera- ture, but dry and hot in the summer season. 1867 .- This year the spring was also cool and backward; had a sleet and snow during the last of March. In Hill county the snow was deeper, but the weather was not so eold, and little damage was done. Peach trees were seen in full bloom several times in Feb- ruary and March, enveloped in ice, when they looked exquisitely beautiful, the full bloom expanded, yet solid, with the petals glistening in the light. Of course it seemed that not a peach would be borne upon the trees, but, strange as it may appear, the erop was a good one. At other times a " norther," no colder, and with no iee, would kill every blossom on the trees, as well as the oats and garden vegetables. The iee protected the fruit from the cold winds.
1868 .- Wet, cold winter; heavy hail the 17th of March; summer hot and dry.
1869-'70-'71 .- Ordinary as to rainfall and temperature.
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON
1872-73 .- Wet, very wet in harvest; rained six weeks almost withont intermis- sion.
1874-'75 .-- But little rain; dry and cold snap during both winters.
1876 .-- This year was a remarkably cool one, with frost every month but two, July and August. The eorn was killed about the 20th of June. It is needless to say there were no garden vegetables that year.
1878 .-- Same as preceding year.
1879 .- Very dry and but little corn made.
On the 5th of October, this year, Mr. Lewis and family, who were in eamp two and a half miles from old Buchanan, had a narrow escape from drowning in a flood. Sunday night about ten o'clock, in the short space of seven minutes, Noland's river was overflow- ing, and, with the back water from a sluice, soon had the family entirely surrounded, and almost submerged. A fearful gust of wind had swept the tents away upon the first appearance of the rain, and only by the use of blankets thrown over the children and the slight protection afforded by the trees were the smaller children saved from being drowned. When the rain had ceased the lit- tle boy was despatched for assistance. Plung- ing into the sluice on horseback with an intrepidity that would have done honor to ono of more mature years, amidst the impenetra- ble darkness, he landed safely on the oppo- site shore. Arriving at the house of Mr. Hooker, who lived near by, he aroused him and notified him of the danger that menaced the family. Mr. Ilooker quickly repaired to the scene and by swimming his horse back
and forth across the stream succeeded in tak- ing the family one at a time to high land. / Mr. Ifooker says that in a few minutes after the last one had been resened the little island was entirely covered with water sufficiently deep to have carried away the family. They were conveyed to Mr. Ilooker's, where they received the cordial hospitality of his family, and, from his own statement, a more grate- ful people it was never his fortune to enter- tain.
1880 .- Ordinary as to rainfall, but tem- perature above normal.
1881 .- Wet in winter and spring; tem- perature above normal.
1882 .- More than ordinary rain; tempera- ture ordinary.
1883 .- Normal.
1884 .- Very wet in spring, and cool.
1885-'86 .- Weather dry and hot.
1887 .- More than ordinary rain. About midnight of Monday, August 29, the rain began, and during the day following it fell in torrents until half past twelve o'clock. The waters in Hackberry ereek, Hill county, arose fifteen or eighteen feet. The fifteen-foot railroad embankment just south of the Hackberry bridge succumbed and about forty feet was washed out, leaving the rails and ties suspended. The flood is thonglit to have been three feet higher than that of 1860. It was four feet deep in Mrs. IIaley's residence on the slope beyond her gin on the west side of the Hackberry. The stream was over one mile wide. It reached the second story of the mill. Nearly every building in Hillsboro suffered from leaky
AND HILL COUNTIES.
roofs. Bridges and dams almost everywhere in this section of Texas were washed away. No less than five washouts on the railroad between Hillsboro and Waco occurred. The bridge across Aquilla creek, on the Aquilla und Hillsboro road, costing over $4,000, was demolished. All the bridges between Wood- bury and Cleburne were washed away, hot even a eulvert remaining. It was esti- mated that during the sixteen hours 164 inches of water fell. The western portion of the town of Blum was badly damaged and two lives were lost, and many also had a narrow escape.
At Cleburne a considerable number of small dwellings along both the West and East Buffalo ereeks, were carried down- There seemed to have been a "cloud-burst" northeast of Cleburne, raising these ereeks to an unprecedented height. Several build- ings, as well as the bridges and a lumber. yard, were carried down about daylight. This tlood is supposed to have been anginented by a railroad dam above town, collecting a large quantity of water, and then breaking. Among the dwellings carried down was the two-story residence of Mr. T. L. Sanders, the prosont propriotor of the Enterprise at Cleburne, who had in it a printing office. He and his family (there were seven persons altogether in the house) had a narrow escape with their lives. The women were reseued by being placed two or three at a time upon the back of a horse, their weight holding the animal down so that he could make progress through tho furious waters. A honse just above them was swept away, in which all the inmates lost their
lives. For the rescue of the survivors great credit is due to the heroie efforts of Messrs. C. R. Dill, Thomas Childress and Joseph Churchill. Afterward Mr. Dill was presented by the citizens with a gold medal, costing about $100, as a token of his bravery.
On the East Buffalo ercek buildings, wag- ons and machinery could be seen coming down until nine o'clock. The railroad bridges on the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railroad near Cleburne, on a level with twelve-foot embankment, were all washed away. The oldest citizens at Cleburne say that the water was five feet higher than ever before known.
Of course the erops were badly damaged everywhere. Fencing and tanks in the low grounds were carried away, but after all some good incidentally resulted to the farmn- ers from this great devastation.
1888 .-- Wet in winter and spring; tem- perature normal.
1889 .- In January had a fearful norther --- rain, freeze, sleet, which lasted over two weeks. It was a very wet winter.
1890 .- Cold and dry; freeze 28th Feb- ruary; killed oats and very nearly all the wheat; wet in spring.
1891 .- Cold and light rains in winter first part of year; dry in spring and summer; more than ordinary hot; "norther" Angust 20; frost 21. Spring cold and back ward, so much so that it was a common saying, "Did you ever see the like?" In August, about the 29th, there was a norther and some frost in places on low ground, though the summer had been one of unusual heat, owing
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ILISTORY OF JOHNSON
to the calmness of the atmosphere and the wind generally from the east, sometimes from the north. No wind but a south wind seems to allay the heat.
PRAIRIE FIRES.
The most exciting and fearful scenes of early days on the frontier were those when the prairies were on fire. It being generally very dry during the summer, the grass dried up as though it had been mown, and was ex- cellent forage for stock. They kept fat on it when they could get plenty of water, which was obtained by digging holes in the ground in the beds of the creeks after they dried up. Sometimes the water had to be drawn for them, which was done by turns by the settlers, or some one was hired by the com- munity to attend to the matter. Fires would break out from camp-fires of travelers, or was started by smokers emptying their pipes, and occasionally some reckless fellow would set fire to the grass to see it burn. The wind was generally strong at that season of the year, so strong that there were but few days one conld carry an umbrella. And when the fire got headway, so fearful was its march that it was difficult to keep out of its way. It leaped branches and ereeks, and to save one's home and the range for his stoek about the only remedy was to "fire against it," as it was termed, which had to be done in time. The fact was accomplished by using plows, wet blankets, ete., and after it was headed in this way the next thing was to drive the stock out of the ring of fire, which was fearful and hazardous, for the flames would be cight and ten feet high if the wind was not strong
enough to keep them closer to the ground, and fifty feet or more from rear to front. / The fire roared like low, rumbling thunder, weeds and grass stems whirling in the air, rabbits and rats passing, and birds sereaming in the air; birds of prey, as thick as buzzards over a carcass, taking advantage of the terrible situation to catch their prey and seeming to add consternation to the seene; cows lowing, horses neighing and running helter-skelter. Amid this excitement men well mounted would enter the arena, equipped with spurs and whip, and by hallooing and snapping their whips would get the stock on a run at full speed, and crowd the rear ones on the front so that when they struck the fire the front ones could not stop, but would be pushed through the fire, and the rear ones and men followed all together at a fast speed: the flames would be pressed to the ground by the herd and the air put in motion by the men. But whilst it could be and was done, yet amid such a scene the men would tremble, for it seemed that not only the fire but all nature joined in the carnival of destruction.
WILD ANIMALS, ETC.
In primeval times vast herds of animals roamed at will over the prairies, ruminating upon the luxuriant and succulent grasses, both wild and domesticated. Buffalo, cattle, deer and antelope were all fat and sleek as though kept in the stalls of some breeder of fine stock, and when they roamed, either in play or from friglit, it looked as if the whole surface of the earth was moving, the very ground seeming to tremble with their tread, the sound of their feet being as the sound of
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