The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-03-10
TEXAS uARBoR IMPROVEMENTS.

The project which Judge Crosby, Of Hous.
ton, Vice-Prosdcnt of the Texas and New
Orleans railroad, has been advocating at
Washington for the improvement Of the bar
Mt Sabine Pass is one Of no slight import
ance to Texas. There is no question but that
the harbor at Sabine Pass is the best on the
Texas coast. II it deep enough and large
enough to float the navies of the world and
is rs safe in storms and cyclones
MS any harbor Texas can boast.
II is land locked though an
open, treeless prairie surrounds il and reaches
to the Gulf The bar is pronounced by sea-
men, familiar with every inlet on the Texas
coast, as the best one of all of them. There
is natural depth Of twelve feet of water at
high-tide over it, and it is of soft mud which
can be scraped away to the depth of six or
eight feet to hard bottom, making from
eighteen to twenty feet of water. We are not
prepared to say whether jetties could be
used on this bar TO contine the current so as
to keep it secured clean or not, but
presume they could, MS both the Neches and
Sabine rivers come together in Sabine lake,
some few miles above, forming combined
current swifter than that ofeither of the two
rivers, which runs through the lake and on
out through tho pass into the gulf What
Texas wants badly is at least one good har-
bor one good seaport that the largest sized
ocean steamers and sailing vessels may enter
with ease, to discharge their cargoes and re-
ceive our exports in return. We incline to the
opinion that Sabine Pass offers all the facili-
ties for such a seaport, for the reasons given
above. And we incline to the opinion also
that if Congress will make the necessary APP
preparation for the improvement Of the Sa-
bine Pass bar that it will ut once become the
seaport the commerce of Texas so sadly
needs. If this appropriation is made rail-
roads will be built to the Pass as
rapidly as money and men can con-
struct them. AT least, this is
the assurance of Judge Crosby to the
House committee on Commerce, and he is not
gentleman to make statements at hap-haz-
ard. We would not say anything to preju-
dice the claim of Galveston if we could. The
seaport of Galveston is an important one TO
Texas now, because it is the only one The
State can claim that amounts TO anything,
and will always be of importance to the
State, even though a mighty city should
spring up and flourish at Sabine Pass,
and We earnestly desire to see that
city get all the aid from Government
for the improvement of her bar that she asks.
But with all the aid that money will COM
mand towards deepening the bar ut the
mouth of Galveston bay it can never be made
as good one nor as safe q one as that at
Sabine Pass can be made. The Galveston
bar is of hard sand requiring labor and time
to remove it, and it is exceeding doubtful ii
any engineering skill can do for it more
than dredge boat can accomplish. What
ever can be done for it though, we hope
to see done. Texas is entitled to
fair share of the Governments
assistance in the matter of harbor improve
ments, and of that share Galveston is en-
titled to what she needs, and while we ear
nestly hope to see Sabine Pass improved to
the highest state of perfection possible, we
do not want Galveston neglected, nor any
other port on the coast requiring assistance.
Millions have been spent for harbor improve
ments in the various other coast States ofthe
Union and for river Improvements in the in
land States, and it is the right of Texas TO
ask that as much be done for her harbors as
has been done for the harbors of her sister
States.