Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-02

viii found a new city on Padre island,
twenty miles from Corpus Christi,
which will be the Gulf terminus Of
the great system Of roads centcring at
San Antonio and tapping the cattle and |
,ool districts. After crossing Padre |
island the company viii build an iron pier
200 Yards into the gulf, and thus reach |
thirty feet OF water. The company has
obtained title TO Padre island and bought /
large quantity OF land opposite II. II
has a capital o. els 100000
The above items following In order as
stated, and Viewed by the light Of recent
occurrences and rumors, such as
The abandonment Of Harbor Island, as
It's gulf shore terminus, by the San Anto.
Mo 4 Arkansas Pass railway, on account OF
large losses suffered during two severe
storms, which swept away large quantities
of track material, buildings, tracks, etc.
The rumored good understanding be
tween tho San Antonio & Aransas Pass
railway aud the Gould Southwestern sys-
ten.
The terrible devastation OF property
and destruction OF life by the recent
great storms b ~ created such feeling OF
| Insecurity az 10 make capital r, luctant
/ 70 invest In the recognized Texas porte,
which have heretofore been greatly boom
| ed and received government assistance,
The immense tide OF railroad coustTuC-
tion heading for the Southwest and
| Texas, which reilrOads viii need, when
constructed, an absolutely safe port on
the gulf coast, at which 10 erect per-
manent improvements 10 handle the
immense business that Will
surely follow on their completion
The necessity Of maklnR choice quick
! ly, no as 10 occupy the best position,
coupled with profound knowledge OF
the lower Texas GUT coast, probably de-
Clded President Lott Of the San Antonio
& Aransls Pass railway, 10 locate the
Gull terminus Of his road on Padre iel-
and, the north thirty miles Of which, by
reason Of its formation, IL rendered aoso-
lutely safe from overflow.
The choice by Huntington Of ROckport
"probablY the next best point" as the
gulf terminus OF his system, all
seem TO point 10 speedy shifting OF the
great trade centers on the Texas gulf
coast, ana careful study OF the United
States government "Grneral chart of the
coast, No XVI gulf coast, from Calves.
ton TO the Rio Grande," will convince
the reader that such change IL likely TO
occur, us from Arkansas Pass TO the
Louisiana line, series Of low-laying I'll.
ands or sanduars fringe the coast, be-
hind which are immense shallow
laguneH penetrating far into the rualn
land and forming almost Islands Of the
vast peniusulas Of low lands that jut out
into them; all the rivers Of Texas drain
Into these lagunes, bays o. lakes from
and including the Arkansas 70 the Sabine
rivers, and Us there are but few narrow
passes into the Gulf OF Mexico, a strong
, southeast "blow" not only drives the
waters Of the gulf into tbs lagunes be-
hind the islands, but thanks up" all the
' waters for great distance inland, and
, In many instances when the
, "blow" is unaccompanied with rain, the
passes are Gllod with sand 10 the depth Of
} one or two feet This southeast wind,
y "whipping rOundv In almost n moments
F, time, and blowing just az hard from the
northwest, drives the thanked up' wa
ters with llconceiyable rapidity 10 the
y gulf, and not finding space for It's vol
a ume In the narrow passes partly Choked
with Fand spreads out over the low Islands
carrying everything before IT, And such
tales Of horror are again enacted, as
I were so graphically and only truthfully
l. portrayed 10 make them so) In Tur
! GAZETTE few short weeks since. These
"blowsn have occurred so often OF late
J years on the coast named, and with such
i serious results, as TO make residence
d on any part Of " appear matter OF nc
ordinary danger.
The coast from Arkansas Pass to the
u Rio Grande IL Of different char
y acter But ono long lagune (tbc
/. Laguna del Madre) stretches from
Corpus Christi bay TO the mouth Of The
Rio Grande, has an average width o.
y eight miles aud only a few insignificant
r streams empty into II, The Widest stormi
o effect It's depth but little, and only drives
the water u short distance up on tn,
shores OF Padre Island, aga INST whichever
- side tho wind happens to blow. Tn,
/. north end OF the island is from twenty
" feet to thlrty.Aye feet above high water
, and has not changed preGeptbly in shap,
/, since az least 1876, as field notei
j. that were then made Of the
10 Santa Maria ranch were run over again In
ia 1885, and the same bearings obtained, TN
y hpmc conformation Of coast was found
. The trend Of the Nueces river liz to Tn,
D. south, and the water liz an average o
eighteen Inches deeper on the south ehof,
Of Corpus Christi bay than II ION tn,
north shore, The iriPh'inl storms tina
are matters OF such terrible disaster Il
J, other harbors on The coast, only alS
" Corpus Christi pass, as what waite
~ dllNtH III from inc quiz W
Corpus bay and iato Nueccs bay
oycrflows but very little land, as ther,
? are high banks on either side OF the rive
20 and bay, and when the wind turns TO Thu
7, northwest the water Is driven out through
NJ Corpus Christi pass with such force anC
ly volume az to deepen the channel over tn,
Of bar (Which by the way is only very mar
nc row one) some two feet or three feet
re Even then the greater pat Of the force O
In tho water Is spent down the Laguna Ma
80 DIRE, which ough. not to be, az II coult
I'd be utilized TO great effect In securing gu
u. the channel, In way that | will try I,
IA explain,
al The Nuecos river emptes into Corpu
o. Christi bay towards the northwest, and 1
ca appears the deepest water or channel Il
the bay Is from the rlver's mouth, follow
O. Ing the southern shore OF the bay /,
On Flower Bluff, theiIextreme eastern poln
IL Of the mainland. Here good part o
no the water flows into the Laguna Madre
d, A prolongatlon of straight line iron
~ Corpus Christi To Flower Bluff and theme
"a a.. Ft...a