Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-02
tary to this point there over 1000, ooo,-

tary to this point there over $4,000, OOo,-
0e0 feet OF pine lumber. To-day the men
who undertake to bring that lumoers to
market are completely in the hsnds OF
one railroad company. Give US the dspth
OF wsrer that we require upon that bar,
and we will ship lumber to New York end
ell the eastern ports, without coming 10
competition with any other locality,
because our lumber 10 different from
theirs; it is the lo1g-le2f, yellow, hard
pice. TIE improvement now going on
| Affords the only possible outlet f3rtsths
lumber Il Eastern Texas, and the agri.
cultural products of inst great tegion.
There is not port between tn, mouth
OF the Mississippi river sud Vsf4s. CrpH
thst affords sucn a hsrbor of ra419e-as
does Sabine Pass; this is known to ell the
mariners VINO traverse the MEXICAN
Gulf.
The gentleman from Missouri says
there are two smill rivers there. beg
the genlleRsn's pardon; there are Two
large rtyeIs-the Neches and the Sabine
which enter in Sabine Lake. These
waters Aud their outlet to the Gulf q
Mexico through what Is called Sabine
Pass, cut of about four and one-hsli
miles in length. Inside inst cut there is
now depth OF from twsnty-eight to forty
feet Of Wstsr. There is 10 obstruction
except the bar, which is being rapidly re-
moved by these jettles. When completed,
this Improvement will give to the coun-
try one of the very best ports on the Mex
lean Gulf. These being the facts, IS they
undeniab!y sre-anyoody acquainted with
that country will verify my assertions
would the gentleman from Missouri have
the government stop now, after having
expended more thsn half million dol
lars, and let the work which has been
done deteriorste and go TO decsys With
these facts before the House, do not
think il necessary to occupy further time,
This item OF Sa50,O00 for Sabine Pass
WAS finally agreed to. In the item o:
800. 900 for improving ship channels in
Galveston bay, from Morgan's Cut to
Bolivar channel:
Mr. Stewart of TeXas-Mr. Chairman,
perhaps it will be necessary for me to
give en- explanation Of this work. II WAS
originally commenced by private enter
prise, under s charter granted to the
company by tae ate OF Texas. After
able work and expended quite large
sum Ct money upon it, it made propo-
sition to the government Of the United
States, which will read. It is in the
Acknowledgements:
Resolved, that when the government OF
the United States Shall have completed a
ship channel
Aud here in psren:nesis 1 msY ssy 1t is
no. "csnsl," bur "chsnnel"
for vessels OF II feet drsught, from Bolivar
Channel 10 the channel constructed b.
this company, it will turn over and sur
render to the United States government
the said work st cost, or at the valuation
that may be placed upon IL oy q com mis-
sion Of United States engineers desig,
mated by the government Of the United
States to determine the vslue of the same.
Under this proposition Congress passed
the iollo wing set:
In consideration CT the propositions of
the Buffslo Bayou Snip Channel Company
to turn over their WORK at M rgad's
Point, and to surrender their charter
granted by the Legislature Ct Texas,
which proposition is now on file in the
War Department and is hereby accepted
I call attention to the language
Of the act, (Which is hereby
accepted" - the government hereby
adopts the line surveyed from the cut
In Red Fish Bar TO the cut IN Morgsn's
Point, and the sum Of $4,000 is hereby
appropriated for the Improvement Of that
line: Provided, That no part of said
sum shall be expended until said Buffalo
Bayou Ship Channel Company Shall file
with the Secretary Of Wsr, IN manner and
form 20 DE by him approves, the accept
ence cf these provisions OF this act.
TIE saip chsnnel company filed a re-
lease IN the War Department which was
accepted by the government as full COM
plisnce with the act, and which is now on
file.
Now 1 contend, Mr.. Chsirman, that
good faith upon the part Of this govern
ment, having accepted all the PROPOSE
tons made by the ship channel company,
having required them to file release,
with which provision they have complied,
and having appropriated part OF the
money for the construction Of the work,
good faith on the part of the government
requires that they should go on and COM
plete the work. As matter OF course,
invested with sovereignty as 1t 10, the
goverrm emit may repudiate its contracts,
but do nos believe any member Of this
House, knowing the contract has been
made by this government, will vote to r.
pudiare the same.
In addition to the question of good
tsith upon the part of the government in
volved in this matter, 1 say there is also q
great and commercial necessity for the
completion of that work, as much so as
for any work almost in progress. The
city of Houston is situated upon Buffalo
bayou, which bayou empties into the San
Jscinto river, and the San J,cinto river
empties into Galveston bay. At Calves
ton bay we have st this point an average
depth OF but nine feet of water. What
we want is this channel Of twelve feet in
depth and 100 feet In width, which the
government undertook and is under q
moral obligation to complete to give Us
an outlet to the sea. The importance of
the work will be manifest from IN exami-
nation of the commerce there, and It's
speedy completion is imperative.
Mr.. hartman, Houston is a great rail-
road center. There are number of rail-
roads centering there which transport to
that mint for Shipment vast amounts of