USA > Texas > Bexar County > San Antonio > San Antonio de Bexar; a guide and history > Part 8
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This ditch, the Upper Labor, taking its waters from the west side of the head waters of the San Antonio river, takes the course of the Rock Quarry Road, reaching around Tobin's Hill, across San Pedro avenue, joining the San Pedro ditch at the Rodriguez property near the west extremity of Laurel street, and by an overflow here really joins, across the narrow strip of land intervening, the San Pedro creek. From a point soon after it leaves the Rock Quarry road, a branch issues from it in a direction towards Madison Square, watering lands between that point and the San Antonio river. It has another more important but quite mod- ern branch in the Alazan ditch, this was constructed from plans made by Mr. Giraud in 1872, and in reality carries the Upper Labor water north up San Pedro Avenue and around the San Pedro Springs to the west, then taking a southerly
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SAN ANTONIO DE BEXAR.
course irrigates all those lands west of the San Pedro creek. The I. & G. N. R. R. follows pretty closely its line as far as the ditch goes. This ditch finally joins the Alazan creek some little distance before that creek joins the San Pedro creek. It was finished and opened June 9th, 1875. It cost the city with the Valley ditch, a branch of the Alamo Madre ditch, mentioned before, and constructed at the same date $33,000. The Alazan was a bold and practical conception, but the work seems to have been inadequately done.
The control of the ditches has long since left private hands. The first Amer- ican manager of ditches was Capt. J. H. Beck in 1850. In 1858 the city took them in hand and on January 1st of that year John Fries was appointed first Ditch Commissioner by A. A. Lockwood, mayor. That office is at present held by Mr. Frank Huntress.
The San Antonio River.
But then I love its lazy days' Perpetual blaze of bluest blue, And love to bask as oft I do Down where the river winds its ways, Where giant trees the Summer through Seem halls that echo wizard lays, Where all day long those lays are heard From throbbing throat of mocking bird Above the chorus crickets raise, Where most I miss the purple hue And scents of heaths and heather, And where I love to sing the praise Of Texas Summer weather. -THE B. B. IN TEXAS.
The story of the river as applied to the public interests of our city is a story to make angels weep and to cause the alligators, if our river had any, not only to shed crocodile tears, but to actually feel sad, and this is all the more touching when it is considered that sadness must be a feeling strange to animals of such proverbially good digestions. Of course the alligators are hypothetical, they were never pets of our Saint Anthony. The good saint in the first place made his river too crooked for their comfort and in the second they concluded that he and his river were entirely too fresh for them, so they returned to the muddy bayous of Eastern Texas. But this is not to be a history of angels or alligators, but a word or two about a subject we are just a little chary of handling without gloves ; this accounts for our quoting poetry and dragging angels in by the nim- bus and wandering off to such irrelevant subjects as alligators.
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THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER.
"We would a round unvarnished tale deliver " but it is just this way with us-we don't know exactly whether to feel glad that the Head of the River is not a beer garden-or to be sad that a city could sell so grand a birthright, not only to sell it but to be so blind and remorseless that it refused to buy it back when it had a good chance. And as
" To mourn a mischief that is past and gone Is the next way to draw new mischief on "
we won't be sad about it. There is such a variety of ways of looking at this subject that we will just state some incidents and particulars that we know about, nor rashly rush into any unseemly display of high spirits. The worst that can be said about our splendid system of water supply is, that "it gomes a leedle high." The City of San Antonio is a credit to its Water Works.
It is said that the first permanent settlement on the San Antonio river was near its head in the year 1692. Nearly two hundred years ago. For years after this the river source to mouth belonged to the Crown of Spain .* The first char- ter granted to San Antonio was given by the King of Spain in the year 1733 or '34. It only has to be remembered that the Recapitulation of the Indies con- tained strict laws and rules concerning public water rights, to be certain that the wonderful resources of our river in relation to public comfort and welfare were duly remembered. True, to the Missions were granted the prior priviliges, but then the Missions were one of the many starting points of our City's history. Forty years afterwards neither these privileges nor those alleged to have been conferred upon the Canary Islanders were held to interfere with the rights of any other citizens or settlers in and about San Fernando. And it came to pass in later days when Texas had changed hands the new City Government found it necessary to establish the boundaries of San Antonio. This was finally done in the courts, all about which doings can be found in Texas Reports, Vol. 7, page 288 et seq. And Giraud made the " Original City Survey." The lots contain- ing the Head Springs of the river, or the Worth Springs as they were called about that time-because General Worth had camped there with his Military force-were accounted, with much other land, as belonging to the City's public domain. Now, the finances of the City in the years preceeding 1850 were not in the most flourishing condition. The Council hardly knew to what quarter they should turn for funds to build the long talked of Court House, Jail and School House. The Council felt themselves to be "land poor." In section eight of the City Charter of December 14th, 1837, it was permitted that certain parcels of Public Land might be sold. The proceeds of any such sale to be appropriated to the erection of the buildings mentioned and the endowment of a Public School. The land was not ordered to be sold until August 24th, 1849. It was decided on October 29th, 1849, to erect such buildings and in the following year, September 6th, they were begun on the northwest corner of the Military plaza. This, the old "Bat Cave," is to be removed soon or as soon as the New City Hall is completed. And this old 'Bat Cave ' furnished the excuse and grounds upon which were sold the City's lands. Shortly after this there was appointed by the City " a committee to regulate the sale of the City Lands " and on November 4tlı,
* Observe with regard to this in the article on " The Upper Labor ditch."
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1852 when the folly was ripe another committee which had been similarly ap- pointed "to decide the manner of selling the City property " reported to the Council that they had chosen Martin H. Campbell licensed auctioneer to sell the City lands by public outcry. To Giraud's everlasting credit be it said, that he saw the mistake that was about to be made and the wrong that would eventually revert upon the City, and to a meeting of the Council on November 8th, 1852, he presented a report * which was adopted strongly advising the reservation of certain lots at the Head of the River to the use of the City. He thought it would be a good place for the U. S. Arsenal and other public works. Whilst he was on the subject he wished also to recommend that a Square be kept at the San Pedro Springs for " a male college." Also that certain hard stone quarries on the City properties be not sold, and the wise Engi- neer continues to beg the Honorable Body to reserve and make a road upon the east bank of the river, twenty varas wide, also a similar road on the east side of the Alamo Madre ditch, " as near the river and ditch as they may be placed con- sistently with public interests." But alas ! on that very day, November 8th, 1852. Lot 31, Range 1, District No. 2, containing 11-8 8 11%% acres had been sold by the auctioneer upon the usual terms, 20 per cent. cash down, the rest in fifty years bearing interest at 8 per cent. per annum, for the sum of $820. Also lot 30, same Range and District containing 12,33, 10 0, same terms, for the sum of $655,-both to Alderman J. R. Sweet. Lot 31 is the land upon which was erected the old Sweet Homestead, and the lot upon which the fine residence of Mr. Brackenridge now stands adjoining it. These lots were the nucleus of that most desirable property that is generally known as the "old Sweet place," with- out doubt one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, places in Texas, its woodland grace and parklike beauty so heightened by the perpetual mystery of its profound and noble springs. This is the Head of the River. There are other fine properties in this neighborhood with exceptional water advantages and privi- leges, but this property was really the key to the situation, the Ojo de Agua, the birthright of the city. The "Sweet place" included besides the two already men- tioned, five other lots, originally sold at the same time by the City to various pur- chasers, but all finally acquired by Mr. Sweet by the summer of 1859, and by him sold on August 29th 1859, to Mr. G. W. Barnes, of Savanah, Ga. These other lots were Nos. 30 and 31, Range 1, District 3; something over twenty acres apiece sold by the City to Francois Marchant, Marchant and City to Sweet through the sheriff. Lots Nos. 28 and 29, Range 1, District 2, sold by the City to T. J. Devine, Nov. 8th, 1852, by Devine to O'Hara, by O'Hara to Sweet. Lot 32, Range 1, District No. 2, sold by the City to Geo. M. Martin, by Martin to Sweet in 1859. These seven original City lots formed the "Sweet property" and this, G. W. Barnes owned for just ten years when he sold it to Mrs. Isabella H. Brackenridge, September 15th 1869. It is now owned by Mr. Geo. W. Bracken- ridge, the well known banker and president of our Water Works, who has by many improvements, additions and wise investment, made it what it is to-day- an invaluable possession. If the story of our City's negligence and folly had %
* It would be interesting to hear what good the adoption of this Report ever did for the City of San Antonio, and further to learn why the members of the Honorable Body themselves paid so little heed o1 respect to its purport. And was it not this same question which so agitated the honest soul of our good Alderman Mackey, some two years ago. ?
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THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER.
ended here in the sale of her finest heritage, it would hardly be worth while to waste further space. But there is a sequel, a lesson it is well for the rising gen- eration of electors and embryo aldermen to take to heart.
It is highly probable that Mr. Brackenridge, with his keen instinct for real values, did not underate the prize. It is moreover not wholly surmise upon which it might be averred that he saw that the City ought to be the owner of this mag- nificent property. He sees it to-day, but now as before he does not underate his possession, as far as their value to the City is concerned. The Head of the River property and the Water Works are too closely linked together by mutual interesst, to allow a consideration of them apart. That Mr. Brackenridge was willing to part with the Head of the River at all, is an indication of some disinterestedness, but what speaks more loudly for this, is, that he was willing to part with it at not an immoderate price. His terms are sufficient proof of this to-day. The area of the Sweet tract was altogether 108 acres more or less. This with im- provements and some important additions, Mr. Brackenridge on January 16th 1872, offered to sell to the City for the sum of $50,000. He offered it upon easier terms than those upon which the City had sold its lands twenty years before, ex- cept that he was the better judge of values. He did not even ask for the 20 per cent., cash down, it appears. He would, he said, rent the place for $4,000 per annum, the exact amount of interest he asked, viz 8 per cent., the money in fifty years. It seems almost incredable, yet if the very full reports and large corres. pondence may be relied upon, these are true particulars. His offer was read and accepted on January 22d by some members of the council and Mayor Thielepape, yet there must have been a division of opinion among the members. The matter at once became a subject of consuming interest in the town. The newspapers were full of it. People for the time talked of nothing else. A most prophetic letter, viewed in the light of subsequent developments, appeared in the San An- tonio Herald over the signature of "Citizen" on February 2nd 1872. It strongly urged that the purchase be consummated and pointed out that the price and terms were reasonable. The misguided faction won the day. Governor Davis on March 12th put a check upon the proceedings. The Secretary of State with many others unfortunately, threw what influence they possessed, unwittingly, against the best interests of the community. On March 27th Governor Davis appointed Mr. Newton in the place of Thielepape removed, and effectually threw the business into abeyance. Thielepape, as long as he had the power, without doubt had done all he could to clinch the bargain. He said he saw that the purchase would prove to be a bargain for the City. It must be acknowledged that the odds are that he did, and that he was much more of a prophet than the majority of his fellow citizens. Another clear case of the minority being in the right. On April 3rd a special committee of four-Their names ?- It matters not-was appointed by the council "to test the finality of Ex-Mayor Thielepape's contract with Mr. Brackenridge. This committee on May 6th, causes the alleged purchase to be revoked and rescinded. Of course this proceeding does not satisfy Mr. Bracken- ridge so on August 3rd, he tenders the rent for the property he has been occupy- ing. This is refused by Mayor Newton. Not even content with this and fear- ing a cloud on his title, Mr. Brackenridge enters suit to try and compel the City
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to its obligations. This suit was however very amicably settled in November 1874. The alleged contract being declared null and void.
This is the true story of how and why the City of San Antonio to-day does not own the property commonly called "The Head of the River." And where, O where are your twenty vara roads-good honest hearted Giraud ?!
It has already been said what a lovely river the San Antonio is, what a source of blessing it is, and how it meanders and winds up and down, "in and out and around about" the City, that this is mentioned again must be excused for we have acquired the San Antonian love for this dear stream, and we leave the sentiment with regret to talk of iron pipes, contracts, engineers and incorporaters, and suchlike soulless articles and beings.
The Water Works.
That our best water brought by conduits hither. -Coriolanus, Act ii, Scene iii.
The first "Water Works" of San Antonio were of course the early irrigation ditches, supplemented by shallow wells. The abundance of water, apparently pure, but really impure by reason of generations of drainage over and through accumulations of filth, was a stumbling block to the minds of the less enlightened citizens. The constant preaching however of those who knew to those who wished to know, at last made a system of Water Works possible in the community. Very gradually the conversion went on, until to-day every citizen of us is alive to the importance of the handy profusion of sweet pure water, and keenly sensible of the tremendous growth year by year in monetary value of "The Water Works" property. The water question was in constant agitation from the date of the last visitation of cholera in 1866. Many suggestions and offers were made and discussed, but the first really definite proposition was made in May 1873, by Mr. Geo. M. Maverick, but it fell through. In April 1875 there was a meeting to consider an offer made by "The National Water Works Company" of New York. The offer was refused. The matter did not abate in interest, how- ever, for on May 3d, 1875, a meeting was called, and held on the 6th at the Menger Hotel, at which much was said in favor of a system of Water Works for the City. It was hard Missionary work. September 3d a company was sug- gested, in spite of apathy and indifference prevailing, of which Mr. H. B. Adams was to be President and F. Giraud Secretary. The time, however, was not quite ripe, and this company was never probably fully organized.
On April 3d, 1877, the City of San Antonio gave the original contract of the San Antonio Water Works Company to J. B. Lacoste and associates, in which the latter were to supply the City of San Antonio with water, using the Head of the San Antonio River as a source of supply. The work was to be begun " six months from the date of the arrival of the Railroad," and to be finished within
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THE WATER WORKS.
fifteen months from and after April 3d, 1877. This arrangement as to time was literally carried out. The storage reservoir was to be completed within two years from April 3d, 1877. The City of San Antonio agreed to lease to J. B. Lacoste and associates for a reservoir, six acres of ground on the upper or western part of Rock Quarry Road, and also the property at the head of the Upper Labor Ditch, " heretofore set aside by the City for the purposes of Water Works," so long as this contract continues in force. Permission for the Company to use rock from the City quarries was also given.
The contract "shall subsist " for a period of twenty-five years from the com- pletion of said works, at the end of which time the City shall have the right to buy the works at an appraised value, but if the City does not buy back at the end of twenty-five years, the contract shall run until the works are purchased, and the right to purchase the same shall intre to the City every five years thereafter, the City to give twelve months' notice of its intention to buy.
The amended contract or ordinance was made on January 29th, 1881, when Mr. J. H. French was mayor, and when Mr. Brackenridge had acquired the con- trol of the Water Works Company, he being President of the Company at that date. The features of the amendment were the relinquishment by the City of the rental of $500 per annum, that the Company was to pay taxes on an assessment up to the amount of $250,000, and that at the expiration of the contract if the City should " avail itself of the right to purchase, and the parties cannot agree as to price, the matter is to be decided by arbitration."
To return to the work done by J. B. Lacoste and associates under the original contract. Credit must be given to the first engineer of the works, Mr. W. R. Freeman, for the simple and effective scheme to utilize the water power of the River to pump the water of the Head to a still higher level, to obtain sufficient pressure. The reservoir, was not constructed upon the site originally selected, but on the summit of a hill higher in the eastern vicinity of the Head of the River. The raceway, however, was constructed as designed without interfering to any appreciable degree with the supply of water to the irrigation ditches. And the turbines did good service for many years. The works were duly finished under the original contract, and upon completion, they were tested and re-tested, and on July 5th, 1878, Mr. J. P. Newcomb, Chairman of the Cont- mittee on Water Works, etc., reported to the Council that the Water Works had been duly finished on July 3d, 1878, and recommended that the following reso- lution be adopted : "Resolved, That the City of San Antonio hereby formally accept the Water Works constructed by J. B. Lacoste and associates under the contract made with the City under Section 560 of Digest of Revised Ordinances. This acceptance to date from 3d day of July, 1878." This report and the accompanying resolution was unanimously adopted July 5th, 1878.
There was for some time but poor patronage for the Water Works. People had to be educated to the importance of their new acquisition. Prejudice had to be overcome. Mr. Lacoste disposed of his interest, and the Works took a new lease of life under the Brackenridge rule. With a serene faith in the future of the City, Mr. Brackenridge has yearly put and advised his Company to put thousands
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and thousands of dollars underground, until to-day the City has a vast network of iron pipes.
For several years there have been factions, each having a different opinion as to the proper mode of settling this question as to the ownership of the Works. For a long time previous to 1885 attacks on the validity of the contract were constant from certain quarters. This, however, was temporarily set at rest by an exhaustive opinion by Mr. S. G. Newton, who was City Attorney in that year. He decided : "I am of the opinion that the City Administration was authorized under its Charter to make the contract, and that the contract contains no pro- visions that invalidate it." Others again now advocate that the City should con- demn the property. This policy could not be defended upon any just ground, for it behooves a City Council or Corporation to be as just and honest as the indi- vidual. The purchase of the Water Works is, as we go to press, the burning question of the hour. An offer from the San Antonio Water Works to sell the Works for $2,000,000 is before the people. Mayor Callaghan with characteristic foresight is strongly in favor of the purchase. Being a man of progress and hav- ing in view first and foremost the best interests of the City, he nrges upon the citizens the necessity of a system of sewers. Such a work he argues cannot be economically carried out unless the control of water is in the hands of the owli- ers of the system of sewers. Water is indispensable to the best systems. "Recognizing," he says, "the growing needs of the citizens for proper sewage works," he held, "that a water supply was of utmost necessity and consideration, and to this end he would urge the purchase of the Water Works plant." The citizens trust him. Nothing he has done has forfeited this confidence. He has done much to win it. Yet no one knows better than he that from some quarters he will get hard knocks for his pains. No one cares less for hard knocks when he thinks himself to be in the right. It is this independent and progressive spirit that has earned for him a long lease of the Mayor's seat. A lease that is not likely soon to expire unless he seeks or has thrust upon him the honor of repre- senting this district in the National Congress. His influence is almost an assurance that the purchase will be favorably voted upon by the citizens on Sep- tember 30th. It has been shown how on a former occasion, the citizens by opposing a farseeing Mayor (Thielepape in 1872), upon a similar question, in a great measure sowed the seeds of the harvest that to-day has to be gathered. It is wisest to make the best of the crop as it stands.
It is not within the scope of this sketch to discuss the financial aspect of the question. But it occurs that the Water Works enjoys a large income (which has hitherto been spent in developing), therefore the purchase could not actually be a burden on the City, although theorists would try so to prove. Not to mention the value of Real Estate which the offer includes. Many of the City's influential men favor the project. The question is to be decided by a vote of the tax-pay- ers, on September 30th, 1890. Mr. Brackenridge in a recent interview, expressed himself decidedly as follows :
"Now, the stockholders, after sowing for thirteen years, with the hope of ultimately harvesting, think it a little hard that their large expenditure of patience and money should be met by public clamor, as though they had perpe-
UNIVERSITY
OF CALIF NISI
AN INLET OF THE RIVERS
FOURTH STEET BRIDGE Se SAN ANTONIO RIVER
ON THE DE
A SCENE SAN ANTONIO JEVER
OLD ACQUEDUCT
OVER THE PIEDRA CREEK NEAR THE 3 MISSION
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THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER.
trated some great wrong upon the community, instead of having added a valuable and necessary property to the City. Yet they believe strongly in the justice of mankind and feel confident that the stockholders of the Water Works will be permitted to reap the benefits which they feel are due them. Should it be con- sidered necessary for the public good to deprive them of their property, and rights under their franchise, they think they will be honestly and fairly dealt with."
" The Water Works were constructed in 1877, at a time when the City was unwilling or unable to do anything, and the citizens would have nothing to do with the scheme, giving it neither countenance nor credit, believing that it would be a very great advantage to the city, and of little benefit to the stockholders. These were, I believe, the views entertained by very nearly all the citizens, including myself. At present the Company is completing what the stockholders hoped would be the last large addition in the plant, necessary to be made during the continuance of its contract with the city. I can say truly, that, so far, they have received less interest on their investment than any citizen in San Antonio would be willing to accept, even upon the most undoubted and infallible invest- ment. There has been paid them less than 2 per cent. per annum upon the amount invested to the present time. For the first seven years the officers contented themselves to work without salaries. I traveled over the country at my own expense to make contracts for pipe and material."
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