The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-31

Serves It's own BEST Interests by Noh-
! sulting Those of the City and of its Pa
irons GeneraIIy-Identified With the
Growth of Galveston and With the Pro-
duclng Interests of the West-History
of the Company From the Days of the
Republic Down.
Galveston, Texas, Jan. 29.-(SpeciaD
To the Editor Of the Eagle:-Following
is an article giving a true history of
! the Galveston wharf company, which
has been unjustly maligned and ira
duced as being inimical and an obsta-
Gle in the way of the commercial ex-
! pansion of this city.
These reports, through the enemies of
| this city have found currency in many
Of the leading papers. To place the
| Wharf company right before the peo-
pie Of the west, a country from which
| Galveston expects much, and whose
interests are identical with those of
| this city, is the object Of this article.
and I trust will secure il publication in
the Eagle.
An article recently appeared in the
northern press which reflected unjust
ly upon the Galveston Wharf company
This company was represented as an
octopus" throttling and destroying
trade instead of encouraging and kind
ling it up; that il was an obstacle and
menace to the developments Of the
! commerce of this part; that in con-
sequence Of the arbitrary eXactions of
this company the benefits Of deep wa
ter were rendered negatOry and traffic
Il 30
The article was evidently the inspi-
ration of an enemy of Galveston and
is not predicated upon facts. 1t is true
the Galveston Wharf company is a
private corporation, has always been
such and grew out Of concessions made
by the broad and liberal founders of
the city as early as 1898, when a
number of concessions on the bay front
were made TO parties who would agree
TO construct and maintain Wharves at
the foot of certain streets TO accommo-
date and develop the commerce of the
port
During the days of the republic 9TH
er wharf privileges were sold for a
mere nominal sum to persons who
agreed TO erect and maintain Wharves
thereon for the accommodation of the
shipping, which began to increase rap
idly after the republic had become
firmly established and fear of reprisal
by Mexican men-of-war had disappear
ed. The holders and owners of these
franchises had no fixed prices for
wharfage hence there was contention
and dissatisfaction.
To equalize and bring about Il more
uniform system of wharfage as well as
to improve and increase the shipping
q Of nnT~f
dispatch of freight in transit, a body
Of philosophical citizens met and or
ganiZed for the purpose of consolidat-
ing the individual wharves nito one
corporation. This consolidation haV-
ing been effected, the Galveston Wharf
company was organized and incOrpora-
ted under an act of the Texas legisla-
ture, approved February 4, 1854. The
company by the authority conferred
by this act on the 18th of June of the
same year and organized by the cleo
ton of the following board of directors
viz: Michel B. Menard, Samuel 81.
Williams, Z. b Nichols, Stacey B. Lew
is and Is. LIE Clare.
Colonel Michael B. Menard was cleo
ted president and Mr.. Is. LIE Clare sec
rotary.
The company's title to the property
which company derived title from
Colonel Michael 3. Menard, the foun-
der of the city who had a perfect title
to a league of land labor of land on
the eastern end of Galveston island,
granted by the Mexican government in
1884, and confirmed by the first legis-
lature of the republic in 1856 After
After Texas had achieved independ-
ence
Upon the organiza ton of the Calves
ton Wharf company in June 1854, its
capital stock was fixed at one million
dollars divided into shares of one hun
dred dollars each. AS the city grew
into maritime and commercial impor-
lance the company enlarged and impro
we'd its wharf facilities, the channel
was deepened by constant dredging,
whole blocks were filled in and leVees
made until the company today has d
solid body of land lying north of Aven-
ne A and extending from Tenth street
on the East To Thirty-third street on
the west, lined with substantial she'd
ded wharves. capable Of storing 2O0. 600
bales OF cotton which are connected by
a complete system of railway which
affords all railroads termina ting here
free and easy access to all wharves TO
The railway connecting the wharves
IS owned by the Galveston Wharf COM
pany and was constructed at cost
Of 100000 in 1874. and has been ex-
tended from time TO time TO meet the
requirements Of traffic expansion. The
wharf company constructed and abso-
lutely control this railway 50 as to
prevent any one railroad company
from securing d monopoly Of the traf-
fic 10 and from the water front and en-
aiding the wharf company TO place all
railways entering here on a parity with
this respect.
The Wharf company since the close
OF the civil war, when its wharYes were
well nigh ruined. has acquired addi-
uonal property for which il paid over
one million dollars. and its holdings
now extend from Tenth street on the
east 70 Forty-frst street on the west
Since the Incorporation il has expend-
I'd ten million dollars in Improvement
in the way of dredging, filling in. con-
struciing new wharves. erecting ware
houses and sheds. the building OF ele-
Vators and various other improve
ments all Of which has gone into the
pockets Of the laboring people Of this
city who have never received less than
two dollars per day when in the en-
ploy of the company
In lS1i-15. when the first effort was
made 10 export western grain. foreign
and coastwise. from This port. the
Wharf company. u encoura &c the bus
mess. gave a free site Il a g.. 000 bushel
ca pacity elevator. and furnished three
fourths ofe IN capital 70 build il Five
years after the elevator was DESTROYED
by FIRE and the Wharf company los,
its investment.
Anticipating the coming grain trade
THAI would follow on The heels Of deem
water, the Wharf company. four years !