St. Landry democrat., 1890-02-15
Deep Water On the Calf.
THE VIEWS OF 4 KANSAS MAN ON THE IN
TEREsTs OF IOWA AND KANSAS.


following communication on the deep
water harbor question. Mr.. Speer is a
newspaper man and is editor of the Law
renee Tribune. He has the benefit of a
great deal of travel on the gulf and has
given the matter of the proposed barbor
much attention.
DIES MONIES, Jan. 25.-Editor REGISTER
i have read with no little interest the
article of Dr.. W. o. Kulp, an Iowa dele
gate to the Topeka deep water convention,
copied into yesterdays State Register, and
that of S. J. Loughran, inserted in to days
paper.
AS Kansas man, in view of the mutu-
atty of interest between Kansas and Iowa
on this great subject, | would like per-
mission, briefly, to give my ideas.
| have traversed The entire gulf coast
from Corpus Christi to New Orleans The
only points considered by the board of en-
gineers selected to report to Congress, in
response to the action of the several deep
water conventions, were Arkansas pass,
Galveston and Sabine pass. Great efforts
were made by the friends of Galveston to
concentrate the entire influence Of these
conventions, and the scientific gentlemen
who reported in response to their demands,
upon Galveston alone. The engineers did
not DO that, but practically that was in
effect their report. They discarded all
other points. AS a pertinent fact, | take
it that Kansas and Iowa are only especially
interested in Galveston and Sabine, re-
ferriDg now to the engineers report.
The great object of these two States, as
of all States between the Mississippi and
the Rocky mountains, is to reach the Gulf
Of Mexico by the shortest and best rail-
road haul. In my judgment there is a
better point than either Galveston or Sa-
bine, and that point is at the mouth of
Calcasieu river, not more than twenty FIVE
miles east of the Sabine, in Louisiana.
The engineers, while practically ignoring
Sabine, admitted its capacity for harbor,
and estimated the expense at 81 900 900,
but gave it a kick backwards by saying
that the surroundings were "marshy and
subject to frequent overflow" and 1.-The
only suitable places for hahitation are
upon small mounds or ridges" 1t strikes
me that if this were not better place
than Galveston for the mere building of
harbor this kick was unnecessary. That
committee was not appointed to select g
town site, but 'sto report as to the most
eligible point or points for 6 deep harbor
which can be secured and main
tanned in the shortest time and at the least
cost" They admit that "the bsr differs
somewhat in material from similar forna-
tons at other points along the coast, being
composed mainly of soft aluvial" The
very material most easily removed aid less
likely to be replaced
Galveston is a beautiful city. whose
history is familiar ever since it's occupa-
ton bv the Barbarian pirates. Ever
since April, 1886, when Texas gained her
independence, it was the favorite and only
port of the Lone Star Nation. and since it's
annexation in 1874 has had the same rela-
tion to the Union, And yet at this very
period-after forty-four years in the { MON
it is still claiming to be the only gulf
outlet in Texas worth considering. W hen
we remember that only four years ago the
little village OF Sabine WAS swept off and
eighty persons drowned, the blow of the
engineer corps seems all the harder; but
singularly enough they utterly failed to
say that galveston lies so low that SINH
lar storm swept over that city, and that
for at least twenty four hours the outside
world did not know that there was Gal
weston, and hesitate not to say, familiar
with both places, that if Galveston had
then had no better buildings than Sabine
in her distress, it woul not have had an
existence now without bling Rebuilt.
Nearly Is years ago L was one of party
shown ali over and around the works be-
ing then put in, under government patron
age, and told what had been done and the
Certainty of success. And now they come
with an appeal for 50 800 900, which may
mean $50, coo, 900 in the next decade.
Now | do not especially want the harbor
at Sabine What do say is, that neither
Kansas nor Iowa are interested in having
all the opriatious-nor even the bulk
of them-made to Galveston. Nor is it TO
their interest to have any one place desig-
mated and fostered as the only practical
port upon the Gulf. This line upon the
Gulf is longer than the lines between New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston.
What would Texas say if all New En- gland
got together and demanded all the favors
for Boston2
The true interests of the northwest are
either in favor of Sabine or Cslcasieu
These are bnt twenty-five miles apart.
Draw line from the mouth of either of
these rivers, Gas the crow flies" and Dss
Moins is fifty miles nearer to them than to
Galveston. Take the difference by the
divergence for practical railroad routes,
and there is more than 100 miles difference.
For practical railroad route. Calcasieu is
nearer Des Moines than Sabine. Two
railroads are now in progress-one built
forty miles north of Lake Charles, on the
Calcssieu, contemplates passing through
Kansas City and Des Moines to Duluth;
the other with q construction commenced
from Kansas City to the Sabine. The Cal
casieu is river navigable for 200 miles,
and before railroad construction, carried
the cotton out to the sea, and thence to
New Orleans by vessel Between Lake
Charles and Lake Calcasieu it is wide
river, much of it sixty feet deep; Calca.
sieu Lake is eighteen miles long by
twelve miles wide, and is easily capable of
improvement as harbor From thence
to the sea, over seven miles, it is a strong
current, clear and beautiful. This is not
mere assertion. I give official reports
Assistant Engineer Thomas L Raymond
reported to the government in 1886:
.'Calcasieu Pass, the outlet of Lake
Calcasieu. is something over seven
miles in length, with an average width of
800 feet, and good channel sixteen feet
deep for the greater part of this distance,
interrupted by oyster reefs about four
miles from the Gulf. Neither time nor
opportunity was had for current observa-
ton during the examinations. but in all
similarly situated waters, currents of from
two and a half to three miles per hour are
produced by the head of water 'emaining
in the lake when the Gulf level is sud
denly lowered by the action of the wind
and tidal causes. These currents when
confined sufficiently to the pass have
prod aced depths as great as twenty-five
feet"
The same engineer says of this harbor:
"The slope in the Gulf beyond the twelve
feet depth is about one foot in $50, giving
a depth of eighteen feet one and a halt
miles from shore"
rb;o 10 Ca1cssieu out1at in a state of ma