Macaroni Station

“Macaroni” Line Receives Write-up In Houston Paper
By Milton Brown
Special Writer

When the first train left Houston enroute to Victoria over “the Macaroni” on July 4, 1882, the townspeople and the newspapers were enthusiastic. They saw prospects of expanded business opportunities for Houston following the opening of the hitherto untapped rich resources of the most fertile and promising sections of Texas.

“The Macaroni” is now a part of the far flung Southern Pacific. But recently the Railroad Commission of Texas granted S. P. permission to take out of service the day passenger trains between the two points—a train that had been in operation ever since the first run was made 67 years ago.

This severing link with the past brings to mind the trials that beset the European nobleman who built the road, the greatest social event in the history of Victoria, and the development of the country between Houston and Victoria.

A chain of circumstances is responsible for the fact that there are such towns as Rosenberg, El Campo, Edna, Hungerford, Louise and others in the Houston trade territory. A vacation trip to Europe in 1879 by an American millionaire and his wife; their chance meeting in Italy with Count Joseph Telfener, and the count’s conviction that Texas offered the most promising opportunities for railroad construction started the ball rolling.

J. W. Mackay, a mining millionaire, married one of the daughters of D. E. Hungerford who had just returned from South America where he built a railroad.

The Count had become interested in Texas and, good psychologist, that he was, he saw in Mr. Mackay the opportunity for financial backing, so necessary to the successful completion of such a project.

Not only was Mr. Mackay interested, but his wife was charmed at the thought presented directly by the count, of having a town named for her.

There was little to be gained from building a railroad through the rich country if the lands were vacant, so Count Telferner suggested that it be settled with Italian immigrants known for their thrift and industry.

The deal was made!

All that remained was to handle such details as securing a charter from the State of Texas, obtaining the right-of-way on which the railroad would be built, and getting the necessary materials and labor to do the work.

The count, accompanied by Mackay and Hungerford, came to Texas in 1880 to put the project over, making their headquarters in Houston.

The New York, Texas and Mexico Railway Company was organized and bonds, backed by land grants from the state were sold.  It was a ambitiously named project, though there never were any serious intentions of building to New York. Plans were definite, however, to build into Mexico. The N. Y. T. & M., would run from Richmond, 30 miles southwest of Houston, to Brownsville and the Mexican Tamaulipas Railway Company was organized to run from the border in Tuxpam, a city on the Gulf Coast between Tampico and Vera Cruz.

A charter was granted the N. Y. T. and M. by the State of Texas on November 17, 1880, and the following year actual construction was begun. The original plans to start at Richmond were changed, and the road began three miles farther west where it connected with the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway Company at a point called Rosenberg Junction.

Rosenberg existed as a settlement with few inhabitants until the N. Y. T. and M. began building. A letter dated October 1881, described the activity there. It reads in part: “Rosenberg at present is quite a stirring place. New buildings are springing up like magic. It already has one store open and several are selling goods in tents. Every indication seems to warrant the belief that at no distant day it will be a town of considerable importance.

It was only natural that, with the construction crews being made up almost exclusively of Italians, the road would quickly acquire the nickname of “the Macaroni,” from the favorite food of these people. Today, after the passage of two-thirds of a century, the nickname still sticks.

After completion of the line, these workers settled on the land along the railroad, but principally around Victoria. Today their descendants are prominent citizens of the community, well liked, respected and an integral part of the section’s economic life.

Construction was carried on from Rosenberg Junction west and from Victoria, east, the supplies at the latter place having been brought by ship to Indianola and from Indianola to Victoria over the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway. This line, like the N. Y. T. and M., had an ambitious name, but only ran a total distance of about 67 miles from the terminal on Matagorda Bay to Cuero.

At length the 91-mile line was completed, the part that was intended to be only the first leg of the railroad. The rail ends met at Garcitas Creek, but the driving of the last spike was delayed for an appropriate ceremony.

Arrangements were made for a special train to run from Houston to Victoria on July 4, 1882, and general invitations were extended by County Telfener to chosen Houstonians to make the trip.

Departure from the Sunset Depot, where Grand Central Station now stands, and breakfast was served on board after the train pulled out at 9 o’clock.

After a stop at Rosenberg, where the party was joined by Count and Countess Telfener, their son, and officers and directors of the new railroad, the trip over the N. Y. T. and M. began.

At that time the only town between Rosenberg and Victoria was Wharton. Edna had just been founded, but had not progressed to the point where it could be termed a town.

There was no El Campo, in fact, nothing but empty prairie.

After witnessing the ceremony of driving the last spike at Garcitas Creek, Victoria was reached at 6 p. m. Here the party was greeted by a large delegation from that town, from Goliad, Cuero, Port Lavaca and Indianola, though the citizens viewed the event with grave misgivings. They realized that the new road would siphon business away from their port to the rapidly growing town of Houston, which then had a population of 19,000.

Practically all of the people of Victoria had turned out for the event. They were lead by Governor F. S. Stockdale, who had traveled by stage coach from Austin to Cuero, the terminus of the G. W. T. and P. and on that railroad the remaining 26 miles to Victoria.

The town was lavishly decorated with the blended American and Italian colors. A residence had been turned over to Count and Countess Telfener and their son and visitors from out of town were taken care in private homes. Victoria’s hotel accommodations in that day being rather meager.

In the courthouse square, tables were literally groaning with good food. Ten sheep, 10 calves, 15 hogs and five beeves had been roasted whole, there were cakes, pies and coffee.

At the conclusion of the meal, the crowd moved to the public square to see an exhibition of elaborate fireworks. This was followed by a speech by Governor Stockdale after which Major Crank Houston, L. N. Levi of Galveston and W. H. Crain of Hallettsville talked. The lamps in the hundred of Chinese lanterns which lighted the square were beginning to burn low when the announcement was made that a ball was ready to start at the Casino, the large hall at which all social events of note were held. While the gentlemen had been making speeches, the ladies had been putting the finishing touches to the Casino for the ball which, in elegance had no peer in that section of Texas.

As the honor guests entered the Casino, the orchestra which was seated on the stage, played the Italian National anthem, a tribute to the road’s building.

But trouble was already dogging County Telfener’s heels.

Under Texas laws, in effect at the time secured the N. P. T. and M. charter, for every 10 miles of road completed the company was entitled to receive 160 sections of land. This meant that the N. Y. T. & M. would be entitled to receive 950,000 acres of public land for the track between Rosenberg and Victoria which was less than one-third of the proposed rail line in Texas. It was this land which was used as security for loans made to the railroad for construction purposes.

However, before Victoria was reached, the legislature discovered it had been generous to a fault, that it had granted to roads then building in the state certificates of several million more acres of land than there was vacant.

The bubble burst. There was a land security. The loans were called and a financial crisis of such magnitude faced the N. Y. T. & M. that its southward progress was stopped.

What was the outcome? The line which so ambitiously proposed to build to Tuxpam ended at Victoria. Count Telfener finally returned to his native Italy a sad and disillusioned man. But his name has gone down in history as one of the greatest benefactors of the Texas Gulf Coast area. Without his New York, Texas and Mexico Railway the development of that section probably would have been delayed a generation and many of the fast-growing towns now in Houston’s trade territory would not even exist.

Count Telfener’s name is perpetuated only by a siding eight miles east of Victoria, and even there confusion is evident, for the state highway which parallels the track has a sign reading “Telferner,” the mis-spelling of which shows how quickly people forget.

The Countess Telfener was honored in naming the little town of Inez, 15 miles east of Victoria. Edna and Louise derived their names from the daughters of D. E. Hungerford and not, as is the popular belief, from Count Telfener’s daughters. Edna was Mrs. Mackay’s name.

Mr. Hungerford’s name was given to a small station east of Wharton, and that of Mr. Mackay’s to one of Shanghai Pierce’s cattle loading stations.

*          *           *          *

Why Texana Was By-Passed

In this connection, it might be interesting to note why the new railroad did not go through Texana, the county seat of Jackson County, situated on the Navidad River 8 miles south of the present town of Edna.

It is said that the railroad people contacted the business men of Texana—a thriving little city of about 600 people—and asked that a bonus of $9000.00 be paid the railroad for coming through the town. At a meeting of the business men of Texana it was decided that the railroad would have to come through there, as it was the only town in the county, and that because of this fact, no bonus would be paid the railroad.

Instead of bending south a few miles after leaving Wharton to go through Texana, the railroad was built almost on a straight line to Victoria, leaving Texana 8 miles to the south without a railroad. The result was Texana was killed as dead as a door nail, and in 1882 Edna was born—the new county seat.

Edna Weekly Herald, February 16, 1950
 

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