A volume might be written upon the struggles that Fort Worth went
through in securing the railroads that have contributed so much to its
growth and success. Mention has already been made of the failure of the
Texas & Pacific to reach Fort Worth on schedule time. A land grant had
been given the road by the State conditioned on its being completed to
Fort Worth by the first day of January, 1874. Generous and public
Spirited citizens of the city, Maj. K. M. VanZandt, E. B. Daggett, Thos.
J. Jennings and H. G. Hendricks had donated three hundred and twenty
acres of land lying along the south side of the city upon the same
conditions. As each succeeding legislature met, it extended the time for
the construction of the road for a year, and the grant of lands by the
above named citizens was renewed. This continued until the
Constitutional Convention of 1875, which passed a resolution further
extending the time until the adjournment of the First Legislature held
under the new Constitution.
This session of the Legislature convened on the second Tuesday of
January, 1876. Tarrant county was represented in that body by the Hon.
Nicholas Darnell, who had also been a member of the Convention that
framed the Constitution. In the meantime the people of this city
despairing of the road being constructed by the company, undertook to
build it themselves. They organized "The Tarrant County Construction
Company" and subscribed to the capital stock, assuming to make payment
in money, labor, material, forages, supplies or anything they had which
possessed a marketable value. A contract was entered into with the
railway company for the construction of the road from Eagle Ford, its
western terminus, to this city. The contract was let to Roche Bros. &
Tierney, of which firm J. J. Roche is still surviving and a citizen of
the city. The work was commenced in the fall of 1875. Maj. K. M.
VanZandt was the President of the company, John S. Hirshfield,
Vice-President; Zane-Cetti, Secretary and W. A. Huffman, Treasurer.
When the Legislature assembled, the railway company made application for
still another extension, but the opposition to it was very pronounced
and had a large following. It soon became evident that a sufficient
number of votes could not be secured to obtain the extension. The
company had expended large sums of money in surveying and platting the
lands in the west which amounted to sixteen sections per mile. It was
too rich a prize to abandon without a struggle. The company took the
contract off the hands of The Construction Company and put forth every
energy to the construction of the road to this place with a view to its
completion to this city before the Legislature should conclude its
labors and adjourn. Gen. John C. Brown, of Tennessee, was the
Vice-President of the company and he was on the ground day and night, if
his services were necessary. Maj. D. W. Washburn, the chief engineer,
was equally active and the contractor, Morgan Jones, is said not to have
changed his clothes or gone regularly to bed during that period of
unexampled activity. The Legislature had finished its labors early in
July and the Senate had passed a concurrent resolution of adjournment
and sent it over to the House. The rails of the Texas & Pacific were
many miles east of Fort Worth. An adjournment of the Legislature meant
the sacrifice of the magnificent landed domain which it had surveyed and
platted. Then commenced the most strenuous parliamentary battle recorded
in the history of this or any other state. The friends of the railway
company refused to adopt the resolution to adjourn. The vote was so
close that the absence of a single friend of the company might mean
disaster. Gen. Darnell, the member from this county, was one of those
who voted against adjournment and the General was sick. He was carried
into the hall every day, on a cot, and voted "no" on the resolution to
adjourn sine die; and voted "aye" on a motion to adjourn till the
following day. This was continued for fifteen days. The rails had
reached Sycamore creek just east of the city. Here was a long bridge and
a still longer trestle. The latter has since been filled up. Bridge
timbers and ties were converted into a crib upon which the rails were
laid. Then the track left the grade and took to the dirt road which ran
nearly parallel to the right of way. Ties were laid on the ground
supported at either end by stones picked up from the right of way and
the rails spiked to them. It was as crooked as the proverbial ram's
horn, but it bore up the rails. On the 19th day of July, at 11:23
o'clock a. m., the first train ran into Fort Worth. The train was in
charge of Conductor W. R. Bell who still pulls a rope on the T. & P. and
draws a monthly pay check therefrom. Mr. L. S. Thorne, subsequently
Vice-President and General Manager, had charge of the head brake.
Engineer Kelly, the father of Jack Kelly, who is now the Travelling
Engineer of the Fort Worth & Denver, was at the throttle. The name of
the rest of the crew is not obtainable at this writing.
It was a day of great rejoicing in Fort Worth and the gallant band who
had manifested so much patriotism and faith and worked so assiduously
for the city came into their reward. A great demonstration was had.
Lacking cannon, anvils were obtained from the shop of W. H.
Williams--for whom E. H. Kellar worked as an apprentice--Maj. J. J.
Jarvis was chief of artillery with P. J. Bowdry as his able assistant.
Business of every kind became active and the city commenced to grow and
prosper. Buildings of every kind and character were in great demand and
new ones were constructed as fast as men and money could erect them.
Pending the long wait for the Texas & Pacific other roads had been
chartered and organized. The Fort Worth & Denver City was the first of
these. It was organized August 12th, 1873. Its personnel came from the
active forces of the M. K. & T. and the Texas & Pacific. The first
President was J. M. Eddy, of the "Katy." W. W. H. Lawrence was
Vice-President and C. L. Frost, Secretary and Treasurer. It maintained
its organization intact during the period of depression and was found
ready for business when the effects of the panic were dissipated.
The Red River & Rio Grande from Denison to the Gulf was chartered as was
the Fort Worth, Corsicana & Beaumont. The first of these was absorbed by
the M. K. & T. and the latter was never given vitality, but later the
Fort Worth & New Orleans was organized and built by Fort Worth people.
M. C. Hurley and J. J. Roche both still living and residents of the city
were active participants in the promotion and construction of this road.
It was later absorbed by the Southern Pacific System, where the
ownership still remains.
The Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railway entered Fort Worth on the second
day of December, 1881. In the meantime work had commenced on the Fort
Worth & Denver City railway, which was chartered as early as 1873, and
the construction of which was delayed by the same panic that had wrought
such havoc to the fortunes of the Texas & Pacific. The grading was
commenced on this road in November, 1881, at or near the present station
of Hodge. The first rail was laid the following February and the work
was prosecuted with vigor until the road reached the State line at
Texline, where it met the Denver & New Orleans, which had been
constructed from the City of Denver.
The M. K. & T. came into Fort Worth over the rails of the
Trans-Continental Division of the Texas & Pacific in the early part of
1880. It continues to use the same line, there being a joint ownership
thereof.
On November 23d, 1886, work was commenced on The Fort Worth & Rio
Grande, a company organized and promoted by the writer.
In 1887-8 the "Cotton Belt" made its advent into this city and in the
90's came the Rock Island, the Frisco and the I. & G. N. The Trinity &
Brazos Valley followed soon after using the Santa Fe rails between this
city and Cleburne and later the Rock Island between this place and
Dallas.