USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912 > Part 8
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The Houston Light Guard generously offered to turn over the $5,000 first prize to the visiting com- panies to help pay their expenses, but the offer was refused with thanks, of course.
During 1885 the Houston Light Guard, under the able leadership of Captain Scurry, won three first prizes in interstate contests. These footed up $12,000. The first was at Mobile, Alabama, in May and the second a few days later in New Orleans. The third was in Philadelphia in July at the great drill that was held in Fairmount Park. In this drill and encampment nearly every section of the coun- try was represented, there being seventy-five com-
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panies there, about one-half of them entering the interstate contest. The Houston Light Guard was an easy winner, the judges stating that there was enough room between their score and that of their nearest competitor to place three or four companies.
From Philadelphia the company went to New York, where they were royally entertained by the famous New York regiments. It is only an act of justice to give here the names of the officers and men who made the Houston Light Guard "World Beaters." They were:
Captain, Thos. Scurry; Ist Lieutenant, F. A. Reichardt; 2nd Lieutenant, T. H. Franklin; 3rd Lieutenant, Spencer Hutchins; Quartermaster, W. A. Childress; Surgeon, Dr. S. O. Young; 1st Ser- geant, George L. Price; 2nd Sergeant, R. A. Scurry ; 1st Corporal, H. D. Taylor; 2nd Corporal, W. K. Mendenhall; 3rd Corporal, George N. Tor- rey.
Privates-Byers, Barnett, Bates, Bull, Byres, Cook, Dealy, Foss, Golihart, Hodgson, Hutchins, Heyer, Reynaud, Swanson, Johnson, Journey, Wil- son, R. Kattman, E. Kattman, Lewis, Mahoney, Mitchell, Mckeever, Powell, Randolph, Steel, Saw- yer, Sharpe, Tyler, Taft, Taylor, Torrey, Wisby. Perpetual drummer, John Sessums (colored).
The next great victory of the Light Guard was at Galveston in 1886, where they took the first prize, a purse of $4,500, in competition with such com- panies as the Montgomery True Blues, San An- tonio Rifles, Branch Guards of St. Louis, Company
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F, Louisville Legion and Belknap Rifles of San Antonio. That drill of the Light Guard was the most perfect ever witnessed in the United States and excited widespread wonder and admiration among military men and the general public.
The Light Guard went to Austin in 1888 and took first prize, $5,000, in competition with some of the crack companies of the United States. The next year Galveston had another great interstate drill and in order to not bluff off other companies the Galveston people barred the Houston Light Guard, thus paying them the highest compliment they ever received. They gave the Light Guard a special prize of $500 for an exhibition drill.
The Houston Light Guard showed that they were not merely fancy soldiers when the war with Spain began. They volunteered promptly and un- der command of Captain George McCormick, went to the front. They saw service in Florida and Cuba. When peace negotiations began, Captain McCor- mick returned home and R. A. Scurry became cap- tain of the company, returning home with it soon after. The Light Guard owns its armory, the hand- somest in the State. It was paid for partly with money won as prizes and partly by issuing bonds. The property, being in the business section of the city, has become extremely valuable and could be disposed of today at many times its cost to the com- pany.
The following are the captains who have com- manded the Houston Light Guard from its organi-
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zation to the present day: Fairfax Gray, John Coffin, Joe S. Rice, George Price, James S. Ba- ker, Jr., Thomas Scurry, F. A. Reichardt, George McCormick, R. A. Scurry, C. Hutchinson, Milby Porter and Dallas J. Mathews, the present able cap- tain.
Troop A has always been the crack troop of cavalry of the Texas National Guards. This is a Houston company and during the war with Spain was part of the First Texas Cavalry, United States Volunteers.
The Jeff Miller Rifles, which belonged to the Second Infantry regiment, was also a noted com- pany, that saw service during the skirmish with Spain.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
Houston's First Sawmill-The First Cotton Com- press-Early Foundries-Ice Making-Meat Packeries-The Big Establishments of Today.
While there was quite a large sawmill and grist- mill, blacksmith shop and lumber yard at Harris- burg, established there by Mr. Robert Wilson, the father of the late Mr. Jas. T. D. Wilson, who came to Texas in 1828, it would not be exactly fair to claim these as the first Houston manufacturing en- terprises. The first, strictly Houston concern in the manufacturing line, if a sawmill falls under that head, was the old sawmill that stood just about where the Milam street bridge crosses Buffalo Bayou. That mill was built in the early forties.
Mr. Elim Stockbridge built a cornmeal mill at the foot of Texas avenue in 1844. The Morning Star was greatly pleased with this evidence of prog- ress and gave quite a glowing account of the mo- tive power which was three oxen on a treadmill.
During the same year Mr. N. T. Davis erected the first compress in Houston. The Morning Star speaking of this compress in its issue of March 11, 1844, says: "A few days ago we visited the cotton compress lately erected in this city by Mr. N. T. Davis, and were agreeably surprised to find that the machine used for compressing cotton bales ad- mirably answers the purposes for which it was con- structed. With the aid of only two hands, Mr. Davis can compress a bale of 500 pounds into a
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space only 22 inches square in 15 minutes. The fa- cility with which the work is done is truly surpris- ing." Since the best modern compress can turn out a 500-pound bale compressed into a space of 22 cubic feet, it is evident that the editor of the Star got his notes mixed when he wrote of "22 square inches."
In 1845 there was a rope-walk on the block now owned by the Houston Turnverein. It was used for manufacturing rope until about 1853 or 54. The first iron foundry was established in Houston in 1851 by Mr. Alex McGowan on the north side of Buffalo Bayou and on the banks of White Oak Bayou. For the first year or two its principal work was in making kettles for the sugar plantations near here and in constructing light machinery for farm and plantation use. However, after the Houston and Texas Central road began operation the work of the foundry increased and it was kept busy doing repair work for the road. For several years this foundry was the largest and best in Texas and did an immense amount of all kinds of foundry work. Even during the war it was enabled to continue a regular foundry business, something that others were not able or willing to do. About 1858 or 59, one of the best and most expert foundrymen in the business came here from the North. This was Mr. Cushman, the owner and manager of Cushman's Foundry, which was located on the south side of the west end of Preston avenue bridge. Mr. Cush- man put up extensive buildings and established suit-
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able machinery for doing all kinds of pattern-mak- ing and foundry work. About the time he got everything going smoothly, the war came on and as his workmen volunteered almost to a man, in the Confederate army, he was left with an expensive plant on his hands and no labor to use it. He strug- gled along in a hap-hazzard way for awhile and then converted his plant into an arsenal and began man- ufacturing cannon, shells and such things for the Confederate government. The commander of this department detailed skilled mechanics to do the work and before long Cushman's Foundry became one of the most important concerns in the State. After the war Mr. Cushman restored his plant to its original use and did a large foundry business for many years, finally disposing of the plant.
Perhaps the most successful manufacturing en- terprise from an insignificant beginning is the Dick- son Car Wheel Works. When Mr. Dickson first announced that he was going to manufacture car wheels here he was laughed at and certain defeat was predicted. He persisted, however, and today the Dickson Car Wheel Works are among the largest and most profitable establishments of that character in the South. There is a steady and con- stantly growing demand for their output.
The first artificial ice made in Houston was at a plant established by Dr. Pearl, who was associated with two young Englishmen. These gentlemen established an ice-making plant and also a meat packery on the Bayou below the city in 1869. Lack
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of experience, being rather in advance of the times and other causes combined to frustrate their designs and after a year or two of hopeless struggle the plant proved a failure and went out of business in 1873.
During 1875, Mr. E. W. Taylor and one or two associates bought some of the abandoned machin- ery of the Pearl plant and established a regular packery. The next year Mr. Geiselman estab- lished another packery, and both of them did a good business for some years. The transportation facili- ties were unsatisfactory and that limited the field of operation of the two plants to such an extent that both voluntarily went out of business. Not until 1894 did Houston come to the front as a pack- ing house center. That year the Houston Packing Company's plant was established here. This is the largest independent packing house in the United States and does a business of about $4,000,000 an- nually.
Both the Swift and Armour companies main- tain branches here and own their own buildings.
Every large packing house in the United States has either a branch office or agency in Houston, being induced to come here by Houston's admira- ble facilities for receiving and distributing their products.
The packing house part of the Pearl plant hav- ing been, in a measure, resurrected through the ef- forts of Mr. Taylor and his associates, one would have supposed that attention would have been given
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to ice-making also. That was not true, however, for it was not until 1880 that an ice manufacturing plant was established. That was the Central Ice Company, organized by Mr. Hugh Hamilton. The first machinery was a dilapidated and abandoned ice machine. This is today one of the largest and most successful plants in the State. The American Brewing Company is another large and flourishing concern. It was chartered in 1894 and its principal owner is Mr. A. Busch of St. Louis.
Today Houston has a number of large ice-mak- ing plants, the chief being the Houston Packing Company, the Henke Artesian Ice and Refriger- ating Company, the Crystal Ice and Fuel Company and the Irvin Ice Factory.
Shortly after the close of the war one or two at- tempts were made to establish cotton mills here. Not until 1872 was the movement successful. In that year the City Cotton Mills were erected in the Second ward. Mr. B. A. Shepherd was the principal stockholder, owning slightly more than half of the stock. The mill was just beginning to do a good business, when, in August, 1875, it was destroyed by fire. The loss was complete, being $200,000, with no insurance.
A few years later Mr. E. H. Cushing and Mr. James F. Dumble started another cotton mill out at Eureka, five miles from Houston on the Hous- ton & Texas Central railroad, but after a struggling existence of a year or two, they were forced to abandon the undertaking.
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From that time until 1903 no further attempt was made to build cotton or textile mills here. How- ever, in 1903, the Oriental Textile Mills were estab- lished, and this institution now ranks among the largest and most successful textile mills in the United States.
At the close of the war there were several small wagon and vehicle manufacturing concerns estab- lished here, and there were also one or two planing mills and sash factories. The planing mills and sash factories of Bering & Cortes and of Henry House were the principal ones, and both did an im- mense business. As remarked, the manufacture of wagons, while one of the earliest of Houston's manufacturing enterprises, was never carried on extensively until a year or two ago, when in 1910, the Eller Wagon Works were established here. This concern does an immense business and manu- factures heavy trucks, oil-tank wagons and such things, which are distributed over the State.
Aside from having several skillful cabinet makers who did fine work, but only in a small way, no at- tention was paid to the manufacture of furniture on a large scale until in 1904, when the Myers- Spalti Company established their plant here. This is one of the largest and most prosperous plants of its kind in the country. The firm makes any and everything in the way of furniture, and employ only the best and most expert workmen. They have branch offices in all the leading markets, and the amount of their business is immense.
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A fact not generally known is that Houston has the only piano and organ manufacturing plant in the South. It was established here in 1909 and is now doing a good and lucrative business, the work turned out by them being of the highest order of excellence.
Houston's standing and importance as a manu- facturing point are well shown by the United States Census Report. Following are the figures for Houston, for 1909, the year when the figures were taken by the government:
Number of establishments, 249; capital invested, $16,594,000; cost of material used, $14,321,000; salaries and wages, $4,254,000; miscellaneous ex- penses, $1,942,000; value of products, $23,016,000; value added by manufacture, $8,695,000; number of salaried officers and clerks, 725; average num- ber of wage earners, 5338; total number of steam laundries, 9; capital invested in laundries, $270,- 000; cost of material used, $74,000; salaries and wages, $256,000; miscellaneous expenses, $129,000; value of products, $500,000; number of salaried officers and clerks, 34; average number of wage earners, 422.
When the government figures were taken in 1909 comparison was made with those of 1904 to show percentage of increase and decrease. The comparisons for Houston are as follows:
Increase in cost of material used, 88 per cent; in- crease in capital invested, 87 per cent; increase in number of salaried officers and clerks, 75 per cent;
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increase in miscellaneous expenses, 72 per cent; in- crease in value of products, 70 per cent; increase in value added by manufacture, 46 per cent; in- crease in salaries and wages, 24 per cent; increase in number of establishments, 19 per cent; increase in average number of wage earners employed dur- ing the year, 6 per cent.
In many ways Houston is an ideal point for man- ufacturing enterprises. An inexhaustible supply of the purest artesian water can be obtained any- where in or for miles around the city, while the question of fuel is almost as easily solved, since Houston is just on the edge of the great oil field and is connected by pipe lines with all the fields as far north as Oklahoma. Water can be had at the small cost of sinking a well, while there is an abund- ance of the best and cheapest fuel. When to these advantages is added the superb transportation fa- cilities possessed by Houston, it is surprising that there are not a hundred-fold more great manufac- turing enterprises here than there are.
CHAPTER NINE.
Early Literary Efforts-Splendid Work Done by the Ladies-Sketch of the Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library-Labor Organizations and Their Work.
Perhaps no city in the United States had among its early settlers so many prominent and distin- guished men as had Houston. As a rule, new cities as well as new countries are settled by pioneers who are distinguished more for their brawn and muscle than for their culture and intelligence. Hard work, requiring strength and endurance counts for more in a new country than courtly manners and scientific ability. These latter belong rather to the children of pioneers than to the pioneers them- selves. Houston affords a striking exception to this rule, for among her early settlers were some of the greatest, most prominent and intellectual men in America. This was as true of the foreign ele- ment as of the native-born Americans; in fact the latter, as a whole, contrasted rather unfavorably with the distinguished Germans who were among the first settlers. While the Americans excelled, naturally, in statecraft and in the legal and med- ical professions, being far more accustomed to the needs, requirements and customs of this country than their foreign friends and associates, yet the latter contributed more largely to the arts, sciences and general literature and thus, between the two, Hous-
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ton was placed on a most advantageous plane at the very beginning.
It must not be supposed that the learned profes- sions, the arts or anything that related to literature occupied the stage to the exclusion of everything else, for that was far from true. There were lots of typical pioneers, rough men, but all men; and in addition to these there were typical "bad men" and toughs. These latter were in a woeful minority and in the mass of citizens, were too few and insig- nificant to stamp their individuality on the com- munity.
While Houston and Galveston have always been strong business rivals and have never failed to give each other commercial black eyes when opportunity presented, still the people of both cities have always been the best of friends in a social way and have done much good for each other. The first literary society, lyceum or what ever it was called, in Texas was located in Galveston in the early forties. While nominally a Galveston institution this society was loyally supported by Houstonians who contributed regularly to the monthly entertainments that were given.
In 1848 the Houston Lyceum was chartered. Almost before it was born it went to sleep and did not wake until 1854. That year it was revived and showed considerable animation for awhile but soon lapsed into inocuous desuetude. At that time 382 volumes had been gotten together and a bookcase had been purchased.
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For a short time considerable interest was taken in the affairs of the Lyceum by the gentlemen hav- ing its management in hand, but these soon grew weary and the Lyceum was allowed to die again. During the war nothing was, or could be, done, but at the close of the war an attempt was made to re- vive interest in it, but with only partial success. Spasmodic attempts were made to establish the Lyceum firmly on its feet, but it was not until 1895 that such an attempt was crowned with success. In that year Mrs. Looscan, president of the La- dies Reading Club, brought that Club to the assist- ance of the Lyceum. Every member of the Club became a member of the Lyceum and the books were removed to a room in the Mason building. Through the efforts of these ladies the city offi- cials were induced to give official recognition to the Lyceum in 1899 and to make an appropria- tion of $200 monthly for its support. The next year Mr. Carnegie gave $50,000 for a building fund, providing the city would donate a suitable building site. The conditions were complied with and the present library building was formally opened to the public in March, 1904. In 1900 the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Association was chartered and took the place of the old Houston Lyceum. About the same time Mr. N. S. Mel- drum endowed the children's department with $6,000 as a memorial to Norma Meldrum.
Miss Julia Ideson, the librarian, stated in her re- port for 1904 that there had been 59,751 books with-
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drawn from the library for home use. At that time there were between eight and nine thousand volumes in the library. In her report for the mu- nicipal year ending February 29, 1912, Miss Ideson says: "The circulation from the main library amounted to 102,580 volumes, an increase of more than 8,000 volumes over the circulation of last year. In addition to the above 5,177 books have been dis- tributed through the other distributing agencies."
There were in the library May 1, 1911, 31,678 volumes. During the year just closed there was a net gain of 3,657 volumes making the total number of volumes in the library May 1, 1912, 35,426.
The officers of the Houston Lyceum and Carne- gie Library Association are: Mr. E. L. Dennis, president; Mrs. H. F. Ring, vice-president; Mrs. I. S. Meyer, secretary ; Mrs. E. N. Gray, treasurer; Mrs. E. Raphael, corresponding secretary, and Miss Julia Ideson, librarian.
The Ladies Reading Club, organized in 1885 by Mrs. M. Looscan and Mrs. C. M. Lombardi, is the oldest and largest of Houston's purely literary clubs.
The Ladies Shakespeare Club was organized in 1890 with Mesdames E. Raphael, I. G. Gerson, I. Blandin, Blanche Booker and Misses C. R. Red- wood, Lydia Adkisson and Mary Light as charter members. This club has kept its organization and has been in active existence since its formation.
Another Shakespeare Club was organized in 1904 by Mrs. A. G. Howell, Mrs. J. W. Lockett and
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Mrs. J. W. Carter. This club is very active and great interest is taken by its members in the work they have outlined for themselves.
Perhaps the most interesting of the women's clubs in Houston is the Current Literature Club, which was organized in 1899 by Mrs. Si Packard. The club was originally organized for the purpose of reading current novels and light literature, but the members soon grew ambitious and more substan- tial books were taken up and discussed, until to- day the club represents through its members the cultured literary taste of Houston.
The Houston Pen Womens' Association was or- ganized in 1906 by eighteen ladies who met at the residence of Mrs. William Christian for the purpose of forming an association composed of ladies en- gaged in newspaper and literary work. Mrs. Eliza- abeth Strong Tracy was chosen as the first presi- dent and Mrs. Dancey as first secretary. The mem- bership consists of historians, poets, authors, journ- alists and newspaper workers and the association has been wonderfully successful, showing a consistent growth and influence ever since the day of its or- ganization.
A Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized in Houston in 1899 by Mrs. Seabrook W. Sydnor, who had been appointed regent by the general organization. The chapter took the names of Lady Washington Chapter. The organization has been in active operation since its organization and has accomplished a great deal in
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the way of patriotic work. San Jacinto Chapter No. 2, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, was organized in 1901. The chapter has accomplished a wonderful amount of valuable work, having for its object the perpetuation of the memory of those who fought for Texas' independence, and has col- lected valuable historical data. This chapter has taken under its care San Jacinto battlefield and has marked with suitable monuments and tablets, his- torical points and localities associated with early Texas history.
Robert E. Lee Chapter, 186, United Daughters of the Confederacy, was organized in 1897 and Oran M. Roberts Chapter, 440, United Daugh- ters of the Confederacy, was organized in 1901. Each chapter has a large membership and their meetings are always largely attended. Since their organization they have accomplished much good, both in the way of collecting and preserving historical data and in looking after indigent and disabled Confederate veterans.
There are a great many charitable, musical and literary associations in Houston, nearly every one having been organized and kept alive by the ladies. Nearly all the societies, in the beginning, had meet- ing places of their own, but since the completion of the Library building nearly all of them meet in the elegant quarters provided for that purpose, by the Library Association.
The Labor associations of Houston are numer- ous and are thoroughly organized. The following
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facts are taken from a statement published by Mr. Max Andrew, editor of the Labor Journal:
The total number of industrial workers in Hous- ton is 25,000, graded as follows: Men, 15,000; women, 6,000; children fifteen years and under, 4,000. Organized: Men, 55 per cent; women, 2 per cent.
Of the skilled trades, 85 per cent are organized and 15 per cent unorganized.
During the last ten years the hours of labor have been decreased, all along the line, from ten hours to eight hours.
During the last ten years there has been an aver- age increase in wages of 25 per cent. However, against that increase is placed the increased cost of living which amounts to 40 per cent.
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