San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-20
To the People of Texas.

reference to an artificial harbor. its
practiCability as an engineering problem
solves the question of a harbOr on our
coast for commerce and refuge. Nearly
all Great works Of this kind have been
done by private enter prise. Great rail-
way lines in our own country, laying of
cables across the Atlantic, constr lctiOn
of the SueZ and work on the Panama
canals, artificial harbors at Fraserberg,
Scotland, and Colomobo, Ceylon and in
course Of construction in South America,
point to the fact that individual and
private corporations have been the
direct means by which these facilities to
modern commerce have been accOmp-
lished. The reat scope Of country which
seeks an ontlet to the sea from the coast
of Texas is too vast and important
to await the uncertain action OF pOliti-
clans, the state or federal government.
Individual enterprise has built In the
last few years many hundred miles of
railway from the Gulf of Mexico to La
redo and to this city through thinly
settled country with lines extending
north, west and east, going into the
heart Of the cotton belt to be extended
to the Mississippi and the individual ef-
fort in presenting and combining with
capitalists beyond the limits OF Texas
has broughtsuc without awaiting the
action of congress to furnish needed IA
cilities for the commerce of Texas and of
so much value to her people.
Texas with an annual output Of one
million and one-half or two million
pounds Of wool. pecans, pelts, salt,
gypsum, bones, kaolin, guanO and many
other products which are taken up in
the worlds commerce to be made
valuable, must have shipping
facilities, which means secure
landing for ships of the largest
tonnage where they can meet the loaded
cars. Traffic incident to the Corpus
CHRISTIAN Padre Island Harbors will be
drawn largely from Texas, overland
trade from California brought by the
Southern Pacific railway system with
existing connections at San Francisco,
San Diego and Guaymas, drawing trade
from the west coast of Mexico, Central
and South America, meeting the trade
of Japan, China, British Indies and Aus
tralia, en- route to New York and Liver
pool, the worlds commercial centers for
distribution. Trade of the northwestern
states and territories. Of the area Of
Mexico, will find this outlet the short
line to the sea.
The cattle industry now conducted in
the interest of distant dressed meat
syndioates and railroad combina-
tiens are at their mercy. The only
hope OF the cattle raiser is
In using the sea, the highway OF the
world, which cannot be cOrnered or
pooled in carrying the beef Of Texas to
the people of Baltimore, Philadelphia,
New York and Boston p cents per hun
dred less than any overland system Of
transportation, and relieve them Of the
tribute paid to dressed meat combina-
ton located 1000 miles from the sea.
Dressed beef taken from the ware
board ship without change Of tempera-
ture. Beef and mutton slaughtered on
the Island in the cool sea breeze. driven
from the ranges or brought by rail, will
90 to market and save l6 per cent
shrinkage by railroad hauls TO Chicago;
going on the tables of consumers free
from disease of fever induced by long
railroad trips from our hot country.
Experiments in moving dressed beef
from South Texas to northern markets
by rail has failed-caused In part by
the impossibility OF keeping up an even
temperature while in transit, and is
abandoned by practical men. Yet Lon
don is largely supplied with mutton. but
rom NewZesland and Australia, proving
fthe praoticability Of moving fresh meat
by sea, crossing the equator with an
average ocean voyage of SO to 46 days,
and Buenos Ayres is shipping z 800 car
cases of beef to Europe weekly, settling
the question of ocean transportation.
The work of making an artificial hsr-
Dor on our coast has been we'll consid
cred; the opinion of the most eminent
marine engineers in this country and
England has been secured as to it's FEAST
bility; long residence on the coast,
identified with shipping interests, has
the Texas coast cannot be i'm
proved; this opinion 10 based up
on noticing the changes for a
series of 36 years the shifting and
changing of the quick sand bar at Aran-
sas inlet, varying in depth from 16 feet
to less than five feet assures US the
forces Of nature which caused these
changes, still exist. Any Improvement
must be only temporary and looked up,
on as entirely experimental. Pass Cab
allo, or the entrance to Matsgorda Bay
had from 1851 to 1850 from 81 to 104 feet
of water. The great storm which near
ly destroyed Indianola, swept away
Deorow's Point and people, and drown
ed many persons at Saluria, changed
the bar to IA feet Of water and
gradually shoaled down to seven and "a
feet and remained that way for many
years, is now reported to have 10 feet OF
water.
the uncertain and eccentric action OF un-
der and surface ocean currents often
running in opposite directions, coming
in contact with currents flowing in
wards and outwards from bays and in
I e. hnw 81