The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-16
TWO NEW ROADS.
The Lower Rio Grande Country VIII
BE Opened Up.

The Lower Rio Grande Country VIII
| BE Opened Up.
A special from Mexico City contains the
following information:
Don Francisco Armendaiz OF Monterey.
one of the Spanish capitalists Of Mexico, is
In the city to make arrangements for the
| building of a long projected railroad which
will connect Matamoros with both Mon
terey and Laredo. The project is one OF
great Importance, as it will result in tho
establishment at Brazos de Santiago, in
to Tampico, and in the opening up of the
Cerralvo mines, about seventy miles from
Monterey.
1t is proposed to begin the new road at
the end of the track of the Old Mata-
moros and Monterey road which RUS
northwest from Matamoros for a distance
OF about seventy miles. This road, the
charter for which was one OF the first
| granted in Mexico, Is now being operated
at considerable loss by the Mexican Ma
tional company, and arrangements are
understood to have already been made for
its purchase. The new road will be built
forward to Meir, near the Rio Grande, and
from there two lines will be built. one to
Laredo and the other southwest to Mon
y,
try. which produces immense quantities
Of silver ore. 1t Is OF low grade quality,
and when carried overland to Monterey to
be smelted does not yield a sufficient
profit. With railroad facilities for its ship
mept to the shelters, however. the mines
Will pay well.
The road will be connected with Brazos
de Santiago by the Point Isabel railroad.
which now extends from Brownsville,
across the river from Matamoros. to the
mouth of the great Laguna Madre, dis
lance of some TWENTY-FIVE. miles. The
terminus of the road is now Point Isabel.
The Laguna Madre extends for l25 miles
between the Texas coast line and Padre
island. One of the most important feat
ures of the project will be the building OF
q dixie or breakwater three miles long
across the mouth of the laguna from
Point Isabel to the site of the destroyed
town of BraZos de Santiago, ON Brazos
island. This will confine the waters OF
the laguna, which have hitherto drifted
into series of smaller lagunas. and 1t Is
thought that the strong northers which
blow down 1t in winter will soon scour out
its channel sufficiently Tn give depth OF
twenty or twenty-five feet along the dixie
and on the bar of Brazos de Santiago The
track of the Point Isabel railroad Will be
built over the dixie to Brazos de Santiago
and wharyes will be built alongside 1t.
Ocean steamers of large capacity will be
able to lie up to the dixie. and their cargoes
can be removed by derricks directly from
the ships to the cars.
The Point Isabel is now an irregular
gauge road, it's track being three feet 81
Inches wide, but it will be enlarged TO
standard gauge. The connection between
this and the new road will be completed
by the building of drawbridge over the
Rio Grande from Brownsville to Mata-
mors. Brazos de Santiago will thus be-
come the port of entry for all Northern
Mexico. and over the new railroad mer,
chandise landed there from the United
States and Europe will be distributed
throughout that section OF the country
Tampico and Vera Cruz are now Mexico's
two largest ports, and the new one prom
ises to be as important in many respects as
either of them.