The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-26
DEEP WATER AT vELAsoo.
An Interesting Talk From An Old Wichita
Man From the Mouth Of the BrazOs.


Charles A. Edwards, formerly a news
paper man OF this city, was seen at the
Hotel Carey last night by representative
of the EAGLE Mr.. Edwards is now rep
resenting the Brazos River Channel and
Dock company of Velasco, Tex, and had
just arrived from Denver, where he has
been attending the session of the National
Mining congress. He was elected perma-
nent secretary of the congress and had re-
NAMED to superintend the arrangement
of the official proceedings OF the congress
for publication, and incidentally talk
Velasco and deep water.
When he was asked about Velasco and
what had been accomplished there in the
way of obtaining deep water and the
future prospects of the place as perma-
nent deep water port, he said
'rVelasco is today the only real deep
water port on the gulf coast west of the
Mississippi river.
We have their at the mouth of the
Brazos seventeen and one-half feet of
water. and that is several feet more than is
claimed by any other point on the coast Of
Texas. and Uncle Sam" did not put one
dollar of his money in that harbor. 1t
has cost the people nothing, and will be
worth millions to the west in freight rates
alone.
The products of the west which find
market through New York amount to
5000 900 tons yearly. The average distance
to be saved by shipping this to Velasco Is
564 miles, The cost of shipping 6,000,o
tons of grain 564 miles is S33, $4,000. II
the grain were exported via Velasco, this
S33, $4,000 would be saved to the producer.
This would add % per cent. to the price he
would receive for wheat, corn and all other
products
Velasco is the hope of the farmer of the
west. The day the jetties at the mouth OF
the Brazos river were finished was the be-
ginning of the end of eastern domination
over the west and the dawn of the day of
cheaper transportation and higher prices
for corn, wheat, cotton, cattle and all
their products.
The west now has deep water. Let the
producers and shippers insist on using it.
II is not necessary to await the result or
the governments experiment at Calves
ton.
money have accomplished at Velasco what
all the government appropriations have
failed to achieve at any other point OF the
Texas coast are now building a railroad
from Velasco to connect with the Santa
Fe and Southern Pacific. They know that
they must tap the graueries of the west
and concentrate the grain at
some place for shipment through
the part of Velasco and will build
several great elevators at Velasco for re-
ceivers and Que in the central west as a
concentration, and when that elevator Is
built you will see it built in Wichita.
They understand and appreciate the loca-
ton of Wichita and the fnrther fact that
the country tributary to Wichita raises
more grain than any other similar area in
the west.
These gentlemen have expended $780,
900 on the jetties at the mouth of the
Brazos and are still spending
money on them. They are now
spending 100000 on their railroad.
And all this in the face of the assertion by
the government engineers that deep water
at Velasco, or the mouth of the Brazos,
could not be secured or maintained. When
work on the jetties was begun, two years
ago, there was AZ feet of water over the
bar. There is now 1715 feet, and dredge
boat has never been used, and will not be-
The natural erosion Of the channel is sut1i-
cient to give them % feet of water and
maintain it, and the bar is mud, not sand,
and will not shift with the tide.
what official recognition have we re-
ceived of possessing deeper water than any
other2 Read this" The reporter was
handed letter written by the secretary
of the treasury of the United States, on
July Z, 1891, to the collector of customs at
Galveston. as follows: "Owing to the in
sufficiency of water on your bar, vessels OF
certain draught, although foreign, may go
to Velasco to unload"
ALREADY it is port of entry and has
cleared numbers of larger ships than ever
entered Galveston" continued Mr.. Ed
wards
"They are building a city. Velasco was
laid out on the high banks of the Brazos
river, three miles from the jetties, on July
l, 1891. Already there is splendid hotel,
several hundred buildings, all substantial
structures, and nearly 1000 people, Over
5000 600 worth of property has been sold
and every man who has touched the
property has made money. 1t is the
only place in the west which is
now experiencing any activity IN
real estate. 1t reminds one of Wichita in
1887 only on a smaller scale of course On
Dec Is there will be thousands of visitors
to Velasco to attend the big oyster roast
on the beach, a ride through the Jetties
into the gulf and good time generally.
On the 10th and 18th of December there
will be a public sale of lots. There will be
cheap rates over all railroads and hope to
see many Wichita men there.
Ihave large picture 2Ox24 feet showing
Velasco, the Brazos and the jetties,
which will be open in the
Wichita Board Of Trade hall
tomorrow, and 1 will be glad to answer
any questions from all who will call and
see it.
HAS Wichita improved any? Well,
rather. Your great public buildings
your paved streets, absence Of your old
wooden sheds over the sidewalks, are all
splendid improvements which have taken
place since l left here. Wichita IS all
right, and predict she will soon recog-
nize that Velasco and Wichita can be Of
mutual benefit to each other"
GREAT COMING EVENT.