Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-10-01
DEEP WATER.
The Topeka Convention Opens To- day
Gulf Harbor Statistics.

Topeka, oct. 1.-The second annu;
convention Of the Western States Dee
Water Harbor association opened her
this afternoon. Delegates are preser
from Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebras
ka, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Ne'
Mexico and Indian territory. Senate
Plumb opened the convention with an ap
propriate address.
Col. Z. II. Ropes, of New York, arrived
yesterday afternoon. Mr.. Ropes is tn
| chief advocate of the three harbor scheme
Although interested III Aransas pass
which he naturally believes to be the bes
point on the coast, he favors the improve
ment OF Arausas pass, Galveston ant
Sabine pass as against the power of thu
trunk lines to build up monopoly,
His argument is that at present the
port trade at Galveston amounts SIS 600
900, 1000, 900 of which is foreign ex.
port and import. Give that one harbol
deep water, and all the trunk lines and
the port business to and from the great
central states would be over $4,000, COO
annually in value. He claims that if the
railways running to one port had this
puolllCGp q lC" lCdiS IOlllpCtlllOl NUuitl
be absolutely ruined, and by combina-
ton the railway companies would reap
all the benefits of the water haul by
charging greater rates, and that the farmer
and producer would be just where he now
is.
Without regarding what he believes to
be the superior advantages of Aransas
pass and Corpus Christi, in which he is
personally interested, he will antagonize
any attempt to make one port on the
coast, even if that one port is Arkansas
pass. His judgment is in favor OF three
ports, SO that there must always, from
diversity OF interests, be full and nee COM
petition. Such competition, he claims,
will save the six states mostly interested
more than $75 100000 annually. He be.
lieves the sum Of SIC, 900, 900 appropriated
at once for the completion of the three
ports will be the only proper way to ac-
compllsh the greatest good.
The trouble heretofore has been that
the smaller appropriations have been ex-
hausted after few months work, and
nature has undone all that science and
skill have accomplished, and then the
work has been done over and over again.
He believes that with the money ap-
propriated at once to the three ports each
will derive more immediate results, while
the farmers and merchants OF the central
states will, within short time, receive
the benefits of the water haul. He claims
that Galveston should properly be great
city, and that it will and also that there
will be another great city at Arkansas
pass, which will i'll no wise, in its vigor-
GUS growth, interfere with the develop
ment of beautiful Galveston.
Sabine pass, which he believes should
also be improved, will probably be slow
er in growth than either of the other
places, but there is no reason why there
should not be good town there also. Ar
kansas pass probably has the advantage
OF being surrounded by hills, nature thus
aiding in protecting the .harbor, but the
energy OF man will do much for the other
places as it has already done for Calves
ton. One thing already is developed,
there aro several powerful town site syn
dicates interested, and if they can unite
their interests they will be power in the
contest that is inevitable between the
people of the west and the great railway
east of the Mississippi river,
which will oppose all attempts to take
business away from them in this whole
sale manner.
Mr.. Ropes has commenced this work
If unifcation with fair prospects of sue
,ess, leaving to the future the prospects
If the respective points, believing that in
away from the present eastern
.ailroad combination new and greater
should not be built up in the
north and south roads to one port.
The convention promises to be Of even
,reater interest that way than the conven-
ion held in Denver, and the attendance
5 greater.