The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-06-28
A NEW IDEA,
For Securing a Permanent Deep
Sea Port for Texas,
By Damming the Colorado and
the San Bernard, and by Chan
mel Turn Them Into
the Brazos.
To the Editor of the Statesman:

To the Editor of the Statesman:
Without unduly disparaging the capa-
billties of other points on the coast of
Texas as possible future ports for large
sci going vessels, invite atten ton to the
following remarks on the feasibility Of
forming port at the mouth of the Bra
EOS river at comparatively less cost
than at any other point of the Texas
coast twill be seen, by an inspection of
the map of Texas, that every one of its
, numerous rivers, the Brazos alone ex-
cepted, instead of debouching directly
into the sea empties itself into a prac-
tically land locked lake or bay, in to which,
though there is deep secure anchorage
within, large sea going vessels cannot en-
ter, owing 10 an obstruction or bar across
the outlet to the sea. In the per-
petually recurring formation of these
bars lies the intricacy of the attempts
made for their permanent removal
and the consequent embarrassment to the
development of these otherwise fine inland
harbors into seaports. Time and again
attempts have been made for the removal
of these distractions, but as yet with but
limited success. Nature has ever been III
conflict with the art of man in this mat
ter, and nature has been, in every in
stance, victorious. Not that there has
been no beneticent result from these en-
deavors at improvement, but it has been
small in proportion to the time and
money expended. And, in nowise, has the
result come up to the expectations of
those engaged on the work. 1t is not
necessary to discuss here the causes of
the failures of these attempts to deepen
the passages from these inland bays to the
outer sea. suffice it to state
that, Notwithstanding these efforts, the
fact remains that the great state of
Texas, with 500 miles of sea coast and
numerous large rivers, has no seaport
worthy of the name. The experience de-
rived from these many attempts at i'm
provement may be summed up in the
statement that taking it for granted that
competent skill has been employed in
these undertakings, the conclusion we
must come to is that it is apparently i'm
practicable to convert these land-lOcked
bays into first,class seaports. Not that
their conversion is in itself practicable
to civil engineering, but that the return or
value would not be commensurate with the
expenditure.
But though the above statement may be
true in regard to the land-locked bays of
Texas, it does not equally apply to the
differing circumstance of the Brazos,
which pours its waters directly into
the sea. The difficulty in this case
lies in the fact that, at times, the
volume of water in this river
is SO low that its current ceases to offer
sufficient force to the counter action of
the waves and current of the gulf stream,
~ and that the more or less deep channel it
has scooped out when in full flow is
rapidly filled again by the counter action
of the forces mentioned above when the
volume of water in the river and the
action of its current decreases. This, the
great difficulty to its improvement into
deep seaport, can, however, be remedied
by turning into it the Colorado, which
converges towards it as they both ap-
proach the sea. The contiguity of the
TWO rivers renders it possible to economic
ally combine their water. And, to
add to the convenience of doing
SO, nature has placed the San
Bernard between them. dam across
the Colorado, below the town of Wharton,
on the Southern Pacific railway, and
canal thence to the San Bernard. Thence
utilizing the channel of the San Bernard
until it approaches the Brazos river, near
Brazoria A dam across the San Bernard
here, aud canal thence to convey the
united waters of itself and the Coloraco
into the BraZos, and thus increase its VOL
ume and current sufficiently to enable the
combined waters of the three rivers to aid
engineering skill to remove the oostruc-
tive bar at It's mouth. 1t must be borne
In mind, that though the Colorado and
Brazos converge somewhat as they ap-
preach the gulf they yet drain two large
divergent tracts of country, comprising
in area, nearly one-half of Texas.
Their rainfall is due to differ
ent climatic influences, so that the drain
age of one or the other, and at times of
both the tracts, will always keep large
volume of water in the Brszos below their
junction. However, it must be stated,
not even the combined volume of these
rivers will, in itself, suffice to maintain
permanently deep water channel to the
sea. The efforts of their united current
must be supplemented by a sea wallstartlpg
from the termination of the right or west
SAh Dduh VI UUt ElNeI anu PLOJCS'Ah6 u
comparatively long distance into the sea-
The direction of this wall towards lts sea
end must curve as much as practicable III
the direction of the gulf current, and thus
guide these two currents IN the one dlrtc-
ton.
The total cost of the above, including
the dams and cuts of the Colorado
and the San Bernard rivers and
the deep sea wall, Will be
under $5,O0O,OOO, allowing for all contin-
gencies-e moderate sum for the object
attained, permanent deep seaport for
the great state of Texas, and about the
price OF an Italian iron.clad war ship
Galveston can be connected with the
inland harbot of the brazos, and thence by
the deep sea channel through the outer
sea, through Oyster and West bays, at
probably less cost than by a direct chan
mel through her natural outlets.
CIVIL ENGINEER.
Austin, Texas, June 10, 1888.
SUMMER NORMAL INSTITUTE.