The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-07-15
DEEP WATER AT THE MOUTH
OF THE BRAZOS.

The STATESMAN is indebted to q CIV
il engineer, highly informed upon the
subject, for many notes of interest
touching the creation of a port of entry
and harbor at the mouth of the Bra
zos. We have before attempted to
show the value of this point on our
coast to the commercial interests of the
state, and we feel satisfied that the
time is not far distant when it will
loom up as an important seaport. Late
ly there have been some quite instruc-
tive letters upon the subject in the
Houston Post. and only the other day
some New Orleans correspondent told
what he knew as to the value of an
improved port of entry at the mouth
Of the Brazos. The advantages of the
Brazos river, as sffording interior COM
munication and fine harbor connected
with the open sea, are strengthened by
the fact that there are many streams
which could be turned into this river
at small expense, and which could so in.
crease its volume as to perpetuallY wear
q channel across its bar, and thus give
simple and inexpensive aid to engineer
ing skill frat applied to the point. Ex-
perience has demonstrated the fact, that
upon this coast, when q smaller stream
lie emptied into larger one, the mouth
Of the former closes and Its waters are
henceforward carried to the gulf along
with those of the latter. This has
been the case with Oyster creek and
with Caney, the first of which has been
turned into the Brszos, and the latter
into Matagorda bay, by means of canals.
The streams that can easily be turned
into the Brazos drain O country as
large, if not larger, than those which
discharge themselves into Galveston
bay, and the productlveness of the
country tina. could thus be reached by
9 system of canals is unsurpassed. IL
this vast fertile region are llmitless
forests of live oaks, suitable for ship
building, and the finest timbers in the
world for the manufacture of wagons
and carriages and of all kinds of fur.
niture. Corn, cotton, sugar cane, oats,
Nicaragua wheat millet and barley
produce Overwhelming crops, and the
pecan groves OF this region are the
finest in the world. In Brszoria, Mat.
Agorda. Fort Bend aud Wharton
counties hundreds of .shoussnds
Of dollars worth of palmetto
could be gathered In sea-
son. and ell the vegetables that NAV be
grown IN this climate, thrive there as
in native soil OF the fruits peaches
In the greatest perfection, strawberries |
Of unequsled quality, grapes, black. |
berries. oranges, bananas and almond,
may be grown in the greatest profu. |
sion and with the smallest expense
In the four counties named there are
about e00O square miles of rich alluyi:,
lsAds. rich enough 70 more than give |
Iustenance to every man, woman ana
,hild in the State Of Texas. A topo
graphical examination Of this country
'hows that even the Colorado river
night be turned from itsccurse. below
and its waters conveyed to
he bed Of the Bernard river, again TO
y diverted towards the Colorado r;v-
and enptied theso in nearcolunbi..
'uch utilization Of waters in = canal
ystsn wonld make Of this rsr,on
mother Holland, without in dan
- q inEosds from the ,s..ll
LEds fson al this sPseulsti0n sbout I