Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-28
TEXAS GULF COAST.
Third Deep Water Convention Called for
October Urgent and Pressing
Need fosza Deep Water Port-The Question
ff6bably About TO he Settled by
~ Private Enterprise.
Baltimore Manufacturers Record.

Baltimore Manufacturers Record.
The question of a deep water harbor OF
the gulf coast OF Texas. which has 70
years agitated the Southwest, is brough
into renewed prominence by the recen
announcement of the deep water conven'
ton TO assemble at Topeka, Kan. on DC.
tober / This is an outgrowth of former
conventions The first was held at For
Worth. Tex, in July, 1888, and met il
response to call from the Fort Worth
board of .tsade This was followed by
rthe conxention at Denver in September
whian ajourned subject to call. A cal
hasksen issued, and it is thought there
FaSfsfbe an attendance of from 900 to 1000
sphe list of delegates will include gov
ernors Of states, United States senators
members Of congress, representatives Of
boards OF trade, and prominent mer-
chants, manufacturers railroad men
and farmers.
1t would hardly be possible to over-es-
innate the prospective value to Texas
and the far West of a harboT on the west
ern gulf coast of sufficient depth to ad-
NIT sea-going vessels of deep draft
And it is staggering to contemplate the
magnitude of the development that would
center around such a port. With the
continued growth of the Southwest and
the West the need for tidewater outlet
for the products of these sections involV-
ing less railroad haulage than is now ne
cessitated, becomes more and
more imperative and apparent.
At central point on the gulf
coast, the difference in distance as com
pared with New York in favor of Western
points of shipment would be: Denver
700 miles; Kansas City, $50 miles; To-
peka, 500 miles; Omaha, $50 miles; Salt
Lake, 750 miles; Santa Fe, 1000 miles
San Francisco, 900 miles; Los Angeles,
1850 miles. For the great and rapidly
developing states of Texas, Colorado,
Utah, Nevada, Kansas, Nebraska and
the territories of Arizona, New
Mexico and Indian Territory, the
Gulf affords the only natural out
let The saving to this area in freight
on products now bearing expense Of long
railroad haul would reach many millions
of dollars annually. For Texas, in par
ticular, this movement is one of ire
u6nOCuS import. W TN ali area VI >
600 square miles, increasing rapidly in
population and products, with agricul-
tural products reaching $3.50 900, 600 in
value q year, erterin now upon an era
of industrial development that viii give
it equal prominence in the production of
iron ana manufactured articles, with the
certainty of becoming a large shipper OF
coal, the state must have its own outlet
to the sea.
The construction of the Nicaragua ca
nal will present to the Southwest enor-
nous possibilities of trade that must be
carried on through some port on the gulf.
The South American trade, which must
increase every year, will largely center
on the gulf.
The only ports ROW open to the gulf
from the West are New Orleans and Gal
weston The former is $50 miles from the
gulf, and sailing vessels have to be towed
up the river for that distance. At Calves
ton the freight of vessels of deep draft
must be lighteTed over bar five miles
out The towage and. lighterage ex-
penses at these ports constitute a tax
that goes far TO Offset the advantage
gained by q shorter haul to the sea, and
yet the advantage is still great enough
to ensure to those cities an enormous
traffic. During the year ending
June 50, 1888, the imports at Galveston
amounted TO S7I5 600, and the exports
SIS 700 600. At New Orleans for the
same period the imports were 81 ,617,-
900, and the exports $50 1888 900.
With deep water and consequent re-
duction in port expenses a large proper
ton of the meat and bTeadstuffs from
trans Mississippi territory, now going
East for export, would find the nearer
way of exit at the gulf.
1t has been intimated that an effort will
be made to have the Topeka convention
declare in favor of q particular locality
as the most suitable for harbor. The
East Texas Journal III & recent issue said:
1.-THE governor of Kansas has issued a
81 proclamation calling deep water con-
Yention at Topeka October ! at the re-
quest of Governor Evans of Colorado,
chairman of the executive committee.
= Governor Evans did not suggest
Topeka. He favored Omaha
and Kansas City, and Mr.. Noel,
president of the board of trade of
Topeka was the power behind the throne,
and Mr.. Noel is the avOwed enemy of all
ports in Texas except Galveston.
This is spoken by the card
and NAV be relied upon as
absolutely true 1t is not prophecy, it
is not guess work, neither is it magma
ton. More than one man belonging to
the Texas delegation that attended the
Denver convention in August, 1888, can
testify to the fidelity with which he
worked for the cities of Topeka and Cal
weston. and none were so unjust as to
nensure MS course. He only did what
other men were doing with might and
main, / e. he was working for personal
interests, and but for his open declara-
tons in favor of Galveston har-
Dor he would have been made
chairman of the Denver con-
rention without a dissenting voice.
As it was, the Galveston delega-
ton cast q solid vote for him.
Mr.. Noel is a big stakeholder in the Atch-
son. Topeka and Santa Fe, the great
syndicate that operates the Gulf, Colo
RADIO ana Santa Fe, hence his uncom-
promising friendship for that road and
for that port. The Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe is the pride of the state Of
Kansas, and like the top of the letter I,
Kansas stands squarely across the upper
end OF line running north from Calves
on For these two reasons more than
others she holds Galveston TO be the
central entreDOrt foI the North and