San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-21
THAT ENGINEERS REPORT.

1
for the report Of the Board of Engin
GERS appointed by congress in con
sonance with the resolution passed al
Denver, and the report has come al
last 1t comes almost like thief in
the night stealing its way into print
as the prey of the pen of some special
correspondent instead of being given
to the Associated Press as the most
important document, for all the
great northwest and southwest, that
will reach congress this session. But
here it is at last, at least extracts
from it sufficient to give general
idea of its character. San Antonio
has no reason to complain, because
the report contains nothing new save
an emphasis of points concerning
the rival harbors, which points have
been the burden IF every engineer re-
port for quarter of a century.
The one thing that strikes the
average reader of that report is that
it seems to have had in mind only
one clause Of the act of congress Great
ing it. That act reads:
The Secretary of War is hereby
authorized and directed to appoint
board of three engineer officers of the
United States Army, whose duty it
shall be to make a careful and critical
examination OF the northwest coast
of the Gulf of Mexico, west of ninety
three degrees and thirty minutes
west longitude, and report as to the
most eligible point or points for a
deep harbOr, to be Of ample depth.
width and capacity to accommodate
the largest Ocean-gOing vessels and
the commercial and naval necessities
of the country, which can be secured
and main tanned in the shortest time
and at the least cost: Provided,
That this action shall not be con-
strued to imply cessation of work
on other points on the Gulf coast, the
improvement Of which is deemed
necessary for commercial or naval
purposes. And the Board of Engi-
neers shall report the result of its
Investigations to the Secretary of
War AS soon as practicable.
The engineers ignore the facts that
harbor was asked for as soon as
possible and for the least money and
devote all their energils to the "larg-
est ocean going vessels and the COM
mercial necessities of the country"
clause, The report assumes that
Arkansas Pass has not 80 feet of water
over sufficient area of inner harbor
to fill the DILL of largest ocean going
vessels and so dismisses it from con-
sideration under the terms of the act.
1t does find Arkansas Pass filling ev-
erything required in the act outside of
that largest ocean vessel clause and
comm srcial necessities and finds that
deep water can be obtained at Aran-
sas Pass for less than one-fourth the
money required at Galveston. 1t does
not state what every sailing master
knows that most of the so-called har-
borage at Galveston is open to storms
and more dangerous in storm than
the open roadway. The report con-
cludes by recommending Galveston
partly on this ground, and principally
because it has more railroads as the
place at which 100000 should be
Immediately spent. 1t makes Calves
ton the great central port for Texas
and yet more than nlnetenths of the
entire state lies west of the Galveston
meridian and discards Arkansas as
such port when the meridian running
through Arkansas more evenly divides
the state than any north and south
line that can be drawn to any possible
port on the gulf The great argu-
ments in favor of Galveston are her
sc, 900 people and her railroads.
San Antonio can console herself
with the reflection that the board,
like all others, says that Arkansas
Pass can secure deep water sooner
and cheaper than at any other point,
and will put private capital at work
10 secure that result, so soon as con-
gress permits. All who have know
ledge OF the situation know that this
twenty feet is in reality twenty-five
feet at the least, as there are thirty
feet without the bar.
The reasoning of this report is this:
Galveston is the central port because
she is the central port, and because
she is the central port she is the cell
trail port, sir. The central port could
have been made at Arkansas much
cheaper, and the money already ex-
pended at Galveston, would have
given twenty feet ar Arkansas, but it
was not done, and Arkansas is not the
central port, and because it is not the
central port it is not the central port,
sir. AS 1t was in the beginning is