The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-06-04
THE SOUTHERN METROPOLIS.
THE BEAUTIES OF CORPUS CHRISTI
GRAPHICALLY PORTRAYED.

GRAPHICALLY PORTRAYED.
Verify, Texas is a great state, a
wonderful country, versatile and
multiform in its many and superb
qualities; call them rich soils, valuable
minerals wavy prairies, progressive
young cities or clear skies, gentle
breezes and landscapes which, enumer.
ated, would exhaust the vocabulary of
poetic description. Thrice happy are
we who live within her imperial do
main. Next fortunate is he who,
born in other lands. hears of our glory
and seeks with us to share it. But the
object of your correspondent is the
twelve labors of Hercules, and
lie will not attempt a description
OF the state but merely express
in artless manner the impressions
made on him by trip 10 Corpus
Christi and the southwest coast.
There is probably no section of the
state that is more inviting to emf
grants and capitalists alike than is this
grand undeveloped Southwest. In
the growth of the cereals and the
substantial products of agriculture it
vies with the richest counties of the
northern and middle portions of the
state, while with little culture all the
fruits and vegetables OF the tropics
are raised n profusion. 1t may be
we'll to state that crop failure is here
an impossibility, for the soil is sub.
irrigated, and in case of drouth, the
farmer has only to bore few feet into
the ground to obtain water in unlimit-
ed quantities.
1t is a strange fact that this country
has received so little of its share of
development until within the last few
years. However, it is now on the eve
of brilliant future. Money and enter.
prise have discovered the mine and
few years will be sufficient to bring
forth abundant reward. Capitalists
have selected Corpus Christi as the
outlet of this region, and have begun
enterprises that show their trust in the
future of that city. The
greatest of these, both from the stand
point of the magnitude of the iunder-
taking and from that of future advan-
tage to be derived from it's successful
completion is the scheme for obtain
ing deep water by cutting a pass
through Mustang island, connecting
Corpus Christi with the gulf Your
correspondent had the opportunity of
examining the work done under the
most favorable circumstances. Mr..
Griffin, member of the firm of Griffin
Bros, who have the contract for max
ing the canal, kindly volunteered to
attend him across the bay to Mustang
island and assist him in inspecting the
future pass.
And here your scribe must pause
and express his appreciation of the
treatment he received at
the hands of Mr.. Armstrong, the genial
master of the craft upon which we
sailed to the island. All means were
taken to give us the full benefit of
this excursion. The invisoratipg feel
ing and aesthetic enjoyment attendant
water and under skies as blue as the
skies that look down on Sicily is alone
worth to an islander trip
to Corpus Christi. The voyage
done we began inspecting the island.
The work OF excavation is rapidly pro
crossing, enough having been done to
convince the most superficial observer
CT the feasibility of the undertaking
and its future successful completion. 1t
is the engineers intention after cut
ting the canal through the island to
finish the work with a dredge boat
which we had the pleasure of inspect
ing. The pass when completed will
be two miles in length and 16 feet
deep which will admit all ordinary
vessels such as ply between Mexico
aud the Texas coast. Ships that draw
more water than this will be anchor
in the gulf adjacent to the island and
a system of tug-boats will transport
their freight to and from the wharf at
Corpus Christi. However, those capa.
BILE of judging such matters, affirm
that in time the tide will
deepen the pass, admitting vessels
of thirty feet draught. This will give
to Corpus Christi advantages not pos
sessed by any other port on the gulf
coast. And Corpus Christi's will not
be all the gain by this grand work of
Mr.. Ropes, but improved will all the
country from the Mississippi to the
Rockies be, and the people of the
West and Southwest will bless the
man whose enterprise delivered them
from the monopolies of the East. And
his praise will be the incense of ripen-
ing fields, his monument great city,
and 10000 factories will trumpet his
fame with the rising and setting sun.
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