The Daily Texarkanian., 1897-05-17
THE WORK begun.
The Dredging Of Sabine Lake
Resumed at Port Arthur.
TO HAVE A SHIP CHANNEL.
The Success Of the Enterprise Means
Much to Shreveport

Last Monday morning the Kan
sas City, Pittsburg aud Gulf Bail
way Company began the construc-
ton Of channel from Port Arthur
to Sabine Pass, Under the decision
rendered last week by the Attorney
General at the request Of the War
Department, the railway company
can proceed with its work up to the
point of connection with deep wa
ter, but the connection with deep
water must be with the consent Of
Congress. And here comes therub,
The final outcome means much to
Shreveport.
In It's fight with the Kount2es the
railway company apparently has
! the advantage, as it can adopt a
system Of lighters, carrying Wes-
ten freight to deep water, or divert
the business OF It's road through
Galveston or New Orleans The
present construction Of the road
would Indicate that the lighter sys.
tenn would be adopted pending the
controversy with the Kount2c
brothers, the purpose of the com
pany being to build a Gulf city at
Port Arthur, If the railway COM
pauy should dnallylose in its conten.
ton Shrcyeports interests would
wouldsuller, as the lighter system
would undoubtedly be abandoned
and the road seek a terminal In ei-
ther Galveston or New Orleans.
with an active competitor in either
Of these large cities 10 the south,
Shrcyeports business would be cut
and the pie hewhocsale merchants
largely counted on would be found
| t. be only crust
Robert Gillian, chief engineer Of
| the Kansas CITY, Plttsburg and
Gulf system, was seen by a Kansas
City Times reporter Concerning
the plans Of the company Tor con-
Istwcting q deepwater channel
| paralcIing SABINE lake, he said,
"The work of dredging began Mon
day morning Our plan is TO en-.
ploy five drcdges Of an average ca
paeity Of 5000 cubic yards per day,
The channel VIII be eight miles long
and II viii take eight months to
construct H. II will parallel the
westcrly shore Of Sabine lake, and
will extend through land owned by
the company
udurEus no ng USED,
''lu the meantime we have made
| arrangements TO handle all business
| by traslcr boats and lighters until
We get the channel built, The
Hount2e people are doing the same
thing at Sabine City, Eighty per
cont Of all lumber taken there ie
transferred ON boats towcd down
from Grange aud Beaumont q dis
Itanee varying from forty to sixty
miles, aud Ia there loaded upon yes
seR bound for foreign and domestic
ports We have a distance of only
nine miles TO transfer our freight,
Iuutil the channel Ia built
ojudgc FrImble aud | have Just
returned from Washington, where
we went to induce the ectrelary Of
war TO abrogatc hB recent order
preventing TO work of dredging,
We succeeded la thla. lie has trIgs
Igrlphed TO the district attorney
there 10 revoke the order aud TO-
permit the work to proceed.
"rho secretary of war rctudcd
| hh order upon condition that either
build a reyetment 1000 feet into
the lake pmalelIHg the channel OF
else alter our plans for The thaune.
Iand construct Il 200 feet inland iu-
stead of drctllyupo thclakcghorr
! as originally contemplated The
IUurpoaeol thereyetment was to pre-
vent any of the eXeayated material
fr5mbrHg carried into Sibmepass,
Then the question resolved ils into
which OF the two pIansislhc cheap
Icr and we decided Ia favor ol
changing the location Of the chan
Incl Tbe wis entirely satisfactory
10 the secretary Of war
-.
llNahcd tho uurallon "hayc You
got "A humlth2 II would be- silo ou
GENERAL pHUFMlva tu answer uVes. %