St. Landry democrat., 1890-03-01
Deep Water en- the Calf.
THE VIEWS OF KANsAs MAN ON THE IN
TERESTS OF IOWA AND KANSAS.

Mr.. John Speer, of Lawrence, Kan. who
IS at present in the city, contributes the
following communication on the deep |
water harbor question. Mr.. Speer is
newspaper man and is editor of the Law
renee Tribune. He has The benefit of
great deal of travel on the gulf and has
given the matter OF the proposed barbor !
much attention.
DEs MONIES, Jan. 25-Edtor RHqioter
i have read with no little interest the |
article of De-. w O. Kuip. an Iowa dele |
gate to the Topeka deep water convention, |
copied into yesterdays Suite Register, and |
that of S. J. Loughran, inserted in to days |
paper.
As Kansas man, in view of the mutu-
ality of interest between Kansas and Iowa
on this great subject, | would like per-
mission, briefly, to give my IDEAS.
l have traversed he 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
Spouse to the action of the several deep
water conventions, were Aransas 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 Go that, but practically that was in
effect their reporS. They discarded all
other points. AS q pertinent fact, take
it that Kansas and Iowa are only especially
interested in Galveston and Sabine, re-
ferring 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
better point than either Galveston or Sa-
bine, and that point is al 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, 200. 600,
but gave it a kick backwards by saying
that the surroundings were "marshy and
subject to frequent overflow" and ''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 a
| barbor this kick was unnecessary. That
| committee was not appointed to select a
town site, but ''to report as to the most
which can be secured and main
| tsine3 in the shortest time and at the least
cost" They admit that 'the bar differs
somewhat in material from similar forma-
tions at other points along the coast, being
composed mainly Of soft alluvial." The
very material most easily removed aud less
| likely to be- replaced.
Galve ton is a beautiful city, whose
| l, -, GO,
ton bv the Barritarian pirates. Ever
since April, 1886, whea Texas gained her
independence, it was the favorlte and only
port OF the Lone Star Nation. and since its
annexation in 1874 has had the same rela-
tion to the Union, And yet at this very
pe eriod-after forty four years in the Union
it is still claiming to be the only gulf
outlet in Texas worth considering. When
we remember that only foar 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 tIalveston lies so low that simi-
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 hnildings than Sabine
in her distress, it woul1 not have hid 81
existence low wlJnout being rebuilt.
Nearly Is years ago | 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 aud the
certainty of success. And now they come
with en- appeal for 50, 50O, ,000 which may
mean $50, 600, ,000 in the next decade.
Now Go not especially want the harbo!
at Sabine. What | do say is, that neither
Kansas nor Iowa are interested in having
all tue appropriations-nor even the bu IL
of them-made to Galveston. Nor is it tt
their interest to have any one place desig'
mated and fostered as the only practica
port upon the Gulf This line upon the
Gulf is longer than the lines between New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston
What would Tsxas say if all New En- glaut
got together and demanded all the favor
for Boston?
The true interests of the northwest art
either in favor of Sabine or Calcasieu
These are but twenty five miles apart
Draw line from the mouth of either o
these rivers, "as the crow flies" and De
Moins is fifty miles nearer to them than t.
Galveston. Take the difference by tn
divergence for practical railroad routes
and there is more than 100 miles difference
For q practical railroad route, Calcasieu ]
nearer Des Moines than Sabine. Tw'
railroads are now in progress-one Dull
fortYmlles north OF Lake Charles, on tn
Calcasieu, contemplates passing throug
Kansas City and Das Moines to Duluth
the other with construction commencet
from Kansas City to the Sabine. The Cal
casieu is river navigable for 200 miles
| and before railroad construction, carriet
the cotton out to the sea, and thence t.
New Orleans by vessel. Between LAX
Charles and Lake Calcasieu it is wild
river, much of it sixty feet deep; Calca
sieu Lake is eighteen miles long b.
twelve miles wide, and is easily capable
Improvement as harbor From theme
to the sea, over seven miles, it is 8 STRONG
current, clear and beautiful. This is no
mere assertion. | give official reports
Assistant Engineer Thomas L Raymon
reported to the government in 1886:
C4lcasieu Pass, the outlet of LAX
Calcasieu, is something over sever
l miles in length, with an average width o
} 900 feet, and good channel sixteen fee
deep for the greater part of this distance
} interrupted by oyster reefs about fou
miles from the Gulf Neither time no
: opportunity was had for current obserVa
tion during the examinations, but IN al al
similarly situated waters, currents of fron
two and half to three miles per he ar
produced by the head of water 'ensainin!
, in the lake when the Gulf level is sud
L denly lowered by the action of the win
} and tidal causes. These currents whe1
3 confined sufficiently to the pass hav
3 prod aced depths as great as twenty-fV
feet" ~
s The same engineer says of this harbor:
"The slope in the Gulf beyond the twelV
feet depth is about one foot in 25o, gly1n,
. q depth of eighteen feet one and hal