The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1903-07-02
ALONG THE LOTT
RAILROAD LINE.
What a Gentleman of knowledge
and Experience Discovered in
the Brownsville Country.
From Corpus Crony.


preliminary and locating line of the
Lott railway IRON Rogers to Browns
vile and has given up the command
of the engineering corps. Jesse Par
~ of Aberdeen and Henry Strobel
of the Wide Wide World, who were
members of the surveying party,
are here on a lay-off. They may re-
join the service when they wear off
the trifing sicknesses they have
contracted by exposure to sun and
friioles in the brush. Mr.. Strobel is
an educated German, originally
from Munich, who has been pretty
much all over the world.
Besides his knowledge of engineer
ing he is somewhat of a chemist
and bOtanist. Because of this and
because his recent employment took
him over every foot of the proposed
route, his opinion of it is valuable.
While he was found almost reluc-
tant to talk of the matter and while
he is extremely conservative in his
views there are some promising feat
ures he observed in the country
about which he is enthusiastically
hopeful. As to actualities, the thing
that impressed him most was the
great rice industry around Browns
vile. He says the fields are as
thrifty as those he has seen in the
East Indies and that for quality
and quantity OF crop there is no
doubt that Cameron county is des-
tined to lead any other part of the
United States in rice culture.
He was surprised to find the ex-
cellence of the rice is in no way de-
Perforated by the comparative COOL
ness characteristic of the oceanic |
climate of Brownsville. Another
feature of the cultivated fauna along
the Lower Rio Grande in which he
sees great possibilities is the banana
Mr. Strobel is fond of bananas and |
he says he never ate any finer ones
than those he plucked from groves
in Hidalgo county.
1.-THE townsite on Santa Gertru-
dis ranch,' said Mr.. Strobel, "is
located at the highest elevation
above sea level on the entire line.
The soil there is a black loan and
the very healthy foliage of the wild
plants is satisfactory evidence that
abundant reward awaits the set
tiers who will cultivate the rich
ground. l predict that the country
to be traversed by the railway will
be a great producer of fruit. Grapes,
apricots, peaches, melons, will be
staples. Among truck products the
leading one will be onions. ! never
anywhere saw such fine wild onions
as those we pulled and ate in many
of our camps. l do nos think that
cabbage will be found to be most
profitable crop south of the Mex.
Natl. track, but there are so many
varieties of soil that it is hard to
say what cannot be grown to adj
vantage"
Asked about the water supply, /
Mr.. Strobel said i did not attempt |
analysis of any OF the flows from
the new artesian wells or from any
of the older shallow wells from
which water is pumped 1t is true
that we ran across some water which
contained enough sulphur to be no.
ticeable 10 the taste, but all the
water we used was palatable.
Wherever there Is a well there is
greenness that Is distinctly brighter
than the verdure which Is every
where since the recent heavy rains.
To develop that country for farm
ing some plan OF irrigation Is neces-
sary and l believe every mile along
theroute can bewatered from wells"