San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-15
Editorial Correspondence.
DEEP WATER A FA CT.

The Topeka ConvenUion-Brazos at
Topeka What Has Been Ac-
cOmplished Since Tben-Bra-
EOS the Only Bar That Has
Been RemOved-Brazos
Deep Water Port.
1t was remarked two years ago at
the Topeka Deepwater convention by
one of the great railway constructors
of Texas, 1T is of little Importance to
me where you get deep water. Only
get it, and will build to it as soon as
you can get the water" This state
ment covered the whole ground. 1t
voiced the sentiment of the great
Trans Mississippi region. Deep water
or the gulf coast of Texas was the one
thing sought. When found there
would be no trouble about making
railway connections with that point.
Deep water in the shortest time and
for the least money was the keynote
that was sounded in that convention.
The where and the how anu by what
agency secured were of secondary
importance. Sabine Pass, Galveston
and Arkansas Pass were all press
ing their claims before that con-
vention, and a demand was made for
the concentration of efforts and gov
eminent appropriations at one point,
in order that work might be pushed
to as speedy conclusion as possible,
| ana the great northwest saved the
long haul to the sea board. Not upon
| the floor of that convention, but
totl l., "a. In hn faI
of the incorporators of the Brazos
River Channel and Dock Company,
was showing plans for the proposed
improvement of the mouth Of the
Brazos; a work declared impractiea-
BILE by the United States government
engineers and abandoned by govern
ment upon their recommendation.
Galveston was endorsed as the point
at which the appropriations OF govern
ment should be concentred, and the
| conven ton united in urging q con-
gressional appropriation of at least,
| Sc, 000, 900 for the work. Arkansas Pass
asked for and secured the endorse
| ment of the invention for the privi-
lege of improvement by private cap
ltal, Both recommendation were
| adopted by congress. Galveston Sc
cured q deep water harbor appropri-
alton of $1,000, 900. Arkansas
Pass was permitted to 90 to WORK un-
trammelled by the government
engineers. Sabine Pass was left to
the regular appropriation of Govern
ment supplemented by the local funds
raised by interested lumbermen, who
desired more rapid prosecution Of
the work than the government ap.
preparations made possible. The
Mouth of the BraZos was not 30 much
| as thought of. This was the condi'
| ton of things at the close of the Tope.
ka convention.
Two years have passed. Galveston
bar has practically no greater depth
| of water on it than 1t had then, but
the channel has narrowed and the
bar has gone seward. Dredging
| operations have ceased at the SabiL
| and the water on the bar there has
| Swallowed two feet. Nothing has
future Is uncertain. What has been
done at the
MOUTH OF THE BRAZOs.
Two jetties, $50 feet apart, have
| been constructed to the crest of the
bar, one mile from the old mouth of
| the river, terminating In % feet OF
water. These jetties are substantial
| constructions of brush mattress,
| weighted with clay and SMELL and SO.
cured by triple rows of heavy piling.
| Having settled beyond all reasonable
probability of farther subsistence,
they are now beng capped with solid
| stone and concrete, and this work
completed there is every reason to
| conclude that the jetties will stand
| the encrOachments of sea and the as
| saults of storms for generations to
come. The infiltration of the river
| mud as fast as the mattresses were
| laid has prevented the work of the
toredo and the timber has not suffer-
| ed from the ravages of this enemy to
| all gulf coast constructions. The crest
of the bar is scarcely ship length
across, and the channel inside quick
| ly deepens to 20 feet. The present
depth of water on the bar at loE tide
| is given by the engineers upon the
work atabout II feet, but no soundings
taken by outside parties during the
past ten days, and there have been q
score of them, report less than Is feet
and in some instances 20 feet. The
latter depth was reported by Calves.
to parties who cannot be accused of
undue Partially to this location. The
depth Of chsnp el deepens from the bar
until Just within the old mouth of the
river where q depth of AZ feet
is found. 1t is confidently ex-
pected that the depth of water
on the bar will be Increased to 20
feet by the close of this year, and
once over the bar vessels drawing
that depth OF water can sail or steam
up the river for several miles and
safely make their docks ut Velasco,
four miles up the river, where all
overflow by coast storms is impossible.