The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-15
MUCH DANGER
IN BIG RAFT.

BY orders OF the war department. the
great raft at the mouth az the Colorado
river In Texas. which has been formed
by the d'iftwood brought down the
stream during tho last half century. win
probably be blown up by Dynamite with
in the present year.
This raft is one of the wonders OF South
Texas. Started by some giant oaks and
cottonwoods getting tsmmed I'm one OF
the many crooks or bends OF the river IN
the early days OF Texas, IL has grown
year by year, until now IL extends nearly
10 miles up from the mouth OF the big
stream, and is n menace to all the peo-
pie living in the prairie country. and in
the bottoms IN the Colorado watershed
south OF Columbus.
The Colorado is one OF the biggest riv-
ers OF Texas. It's headwaters are In the
Panhandle and IL drains an immense ter
ritory. Once or twice each spring IL over
flows its banks and brings down q mass
OF timber wreckage and silt TO pile up
and add 10 the great raft. No river In the
state. unless a be the BrszOs, Is so SUBJ
ject TO sudden and remarkable rises.
Because the country near the mouth OF
tho river was sparsely settled little at
tention was given 60 the great raft hut
recently there has boen considerable inn
migration into Matagorda county. a rail-
road Is being built, industries are being
developed. and the need for clearing the
river is becoming urgent.
Perhaps nowhere i'm the world unless IL
be the floating gardens or Mexico. Is there
any freak OF natures work like the raft
I'm the Colorado.
For nearly Is miles the raft is one mass
OF soil and timber 80 solidly congested
and so compaotly held together that IL
bridges the stream. The soil that has ac-
cumulated on the raft is the alluvial de-
posit brought down by the spring fresh
cts.
From this soil tall trees-cedars. oaks
and cottonwoods-and the rankest kind OF
vegetation nave grown Practically speak
ing. the river has no visible outlet. as the
raft so joins the shores that the river
seems TO end at the northern limits OF
the great timber jam.
RAFT USED AS A BRIDGE.
For ten months in the year the raft is
not an inconvenience. but rather a con-
venience. TO the settlers in the lower por-
tion OF the county. During those ten
months the river Is low and the waters do
not come up TO the surface OF the raft
AT such times the raft is used as a
natural bridge. men, horses, and wagons
being able 10 cross IL i'm safety, but I'm
spring, when the floods come from the
upper country. the waters rise above the
raft and spread out over the prairie,
drowning out crops, killing stock. and.
occasionally causing loss OF human life.
There is a move on foot 10 canalize the
bays from Galveston 10 the Rio Grandc,
and 10 open up all navigable rivers and
bayous. Captain G.. s. Roche OF the
United States engineering corps, with
headquarters in this city. has surveyed
all the bays and other waterways, and
has, reported as to the amount Of dredg-
ing and other work necessary TO carry
out this scheme.
included I'm this report Is an estimate OF
| the cost OF removing the great raft AT the
mouth OF the Colorado. This report is now
| In the hands of the war department.
1t would seem at first blush that the
common needs OF navigation would have
| demanded the removal long ago of this
check TO the use OF the fiver, but the
failure 10 clear it away may readily be
understood when the popularity OF the
river L. explained.
The Colorado, though a great river, does
not empty directly into the gulf. but
dissipates its waters over the shadows of
Matagorda bay. "A long narrow arm OF
the sea, which has SO little depth that
only the smallest and ightest draft sail
Ing vessels can float in IL.
Another reason Is that no pronounced
effort was made until recently to have
the raft removed. Although Matagorda
county through which the Colorado empt-
ies Into the bay, was once the centre of
Texas civilization, it lost its prestige, be-
came stagnant. and only recently has
felt the impulse OF a new energy and a
new life.
The building of town named BAY
City, near the centre of the county, by
some northern boomers. the removal OF
the county seat from the decadent old
town OF Matagorda to the town laid out
by the northern hustlers. the starting OF
a big rice farm by corporation OF which
". NJ. Nogelsang is the leading spirit, and
the building of the Cane Belt railroad
down through the county have at last
aroused the people To the menace OF the
raft and the need OF It's removal
REMOVAL WILL BE COSTLY.
The engineers who have surveyed the
raft say its removal or destruction will
be long and tedious operation While
most OF the timbers forming the bed OF
the raft lie I'm horizontal positions thou
sands upon thousands of trees swirled by
the force of the current. became imbed-
ded in the rivers bottom and now stand
upright. affording support TO tho other
timbers.
In some places the soil on the raft is
FIVE or six deep. while in others IL is
rather thin. Snakes abound. Most of
them are harmless, being water snakes
that make their homes in the rotting
tmbers OF the raft.
It IL the confident expectation OF those
who have studied the situation that with
the removal of the raft much of the dan
ger from foods will pass. With a clear.
unobstructed channel for the waters it IL
thought that the river will he able 10 ac-
commodate all the volume that comes
rushing down its tortuous course each
spring.
How great is this flow OF water was ex-
emplned a few years ago when the river
destroyed the big dam which had been
built at Austin 10 provide power for that
city AT the same time the force OF the
food waters that swept away the great
wall of masonry man had built made no
impression on the wall OF wood and soil
nature had piled up in the raft at the
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