Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-03-25
DEEP WATER FOR TEXAS.
Afsalnent Of Hon. william wa,,er
Phelps Before the Rivers and
iiarbOrs Committee.
~" &c "Hd 10 Say m Favor Of Dvep.n.
"E the Channel at The Mouth o.
the Brasos Rlser.

] 49,. - "aiper Inelps Of New
Jersey who is greatly interested in ,ba
welfare of Texas and its oomme,r,.,
prosperity, made an argument before ~
committee on rivers and harbors rece,,,,
IN iayor OF deepening the channel A ~
month Of the Brazos river. Mir pbe,rs
was formerly president Of the ln,Trna.
.lonal railway and Is well posted on tho
resources OF the great state Of Texas W.
print MS remarks on this subject N mi
said: ''''SAes'' ne
Lest seem strange that NEEDLE with
matter outside OF my own state i,
might be well to say that the interess
Wnlcn take in the Brazos harbor Texas
Tor which shall speak few moments 4.
based upon the fact that for fifteen vesrs
nave had more or less Intimate 80
qualniance with that great state Nd M.
sources aud its wants. For m ieas.
as many as fifteen years hsve
stuaied these matters. For a while
! hau connection, as incorporsior
director or trustee In all its PRINCIPAL
| railways. ! was president OF the Great
Northern during part Of its ronstrnc.
ton. What troubled me al the very no.
ginning, having then in mind a very larse
possible investment In the STATE, was. thai
u lacked any respectable harhor. Tho
great empire of Texas and north Of n
Colorado Kansas, Nebraska, New Me,.ico
and Arizona, all were pressed TO deliver
their wealth at the seaboard. But tho
long line OF seaboard which marked the
southern boundary OF Texas was
without a harbor, and apparently with.
out the possibility Of a harbor. Inyes.
legations which | then made on The spot
convinced me that this want was NOT In.
remediable; that there was one harbor
or the possibility of It thut only one}.
which could answer the requirements OF
the commerce that was seeking 10 be
sent 70 the gulf. | found, too, that the
advantages OF this harbor were unknown
To all except the few people who had yis-
tied 1t, or TO the United States engineers,
VINO Tor many years--indecd for more
IMAM quarter OF century had been
reporting upon the wonderful but un-
recognized possibilities OK the spot. This
spot, the mouth Of the Brazos river. II
started with two advantages II was the
harbor nearest the center Of the state,
torty-three miles nearer than Galveston
1t was also the mouth OF the only river
which went directly into the gulf. L
might except the San Bernard, but this
river Is too small to be included Ia the
discussion. The BraZos river flows d.
rectly into the gulf all the other rivers
as they approach the guilt are met by an
intervening island or bench, or lagoon,
separating the mouth of the river from
the waters of the gulf and checking and
separating their currents. The Brazos
had not only the advantage Of direct
entry into the gulf, but others nearly
as valuable As soon as ship
crosses the bar It enters the chan
mel TO find that this river offers
deep harbor fifty miles long. Its width
varies from 700 to 400 feet. The depth of
the water Is never less than fifteen feet
and reaches for many miles a depth OF
forty feet. need not enlarge upon the
advantages of this harhor 70 the Gulf OF
Mexico which is without real harbor
from New Orleans TO Vera Cruz. But
what was of the greatest advantage to
practical engineering and TO the imme-
date adaptation OF the river to the pur-
poses Of 4 port is the fact that the bar is
extraordinarily narrow and capable of the
most expeditions and economical re-
moyal. This is the matter especially
within the purvew OF your committee;
and it is upon that point that | wish es.
pecially TO speak. The members OF the
Texas delegation can tell better than of
the general merits of the scheme; of the
rich agricultural lands which, in extent, at
least surpass those Of any other valley In
Texas; of its high banks covered with
liveoak and ready for stock.
De no, ,.rnl 4 A,
and in detail the low cost at which all
these resources may be ayalled Of aud
this great harbor secured. | want
especially TO leave on record with the
committee the fact that responsible
contractor stands ready TO cut through
the bar and to give q depth OF water Of
twenty-five feet for the sum OF
100000. He will contract TO do II
under terms which will relieve the
government from any obligation topay one
dollar unless the attempt Is successful.
The contract would be upon the principle
OF "no water, no pay Think oil IL gen
tlemen. That for 100000 you can estab-
fish a harbor which Will be more than SUI
fcient for all the commerce OF Texas past,
present, and future. This contractor
claims that the opening can be main
tanned at a moderate cost, and although
have not solicited, and he has
made no proposals in this dirsc-
ton / am con1dant that il can
be kept open, and that he will agree TO
do It il asked at cost correspondingly
low. II the objection Is urged In view OF
the uncertainty, where moving water is
concerned, OF any engineering estimate,
that the contractor will be disappointed
and will lose his money, want TO say
that he speaks from experience, II Is
the contractor who was heretofore en-
gagged IN the Improvement OF this harDor
and therefore has had the best possible
assurances Of the practcablllty OF his ef-
forts.
/ think the sum OF $4,000 was ex-
pended under this contract 80 he must be
assured 20 know what he talks about, and
II there is any loss II Is his own, aud he
ought to and Will bear It himself. The
long series Of reports Of government en-
gineers, as far as ] recall them, nave
agreed in representing the mouth OF the
Brazos as Offering the cheapest and best
harbor on the Gulf. Bat aside from
their testimony and my own lnvestI-
cation have relied particularly
npon the examinations OF Abraham Cross,
a civil engineer who has been employed
ali his life time inlthe work being done at
tile various competing harbors along the