Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-03-26
GAL WESTON HAS
REBUILT RAPIDLY

w. p MYERS, oTrUMwA KNIGHT
OF THE GRIP, WRITES INTER
EsTINe ACCOUNT OF NEW CITY.
That Galveston, Texas, is rapidly
rising from the havoc of 1900 is con-
vincingly shown in the following letter
received from w. M. Myers, an Ottunl-
wa commercial traveller who is at
tits time in Galveston:
| This city is low In altitude and
high in commerce. 1t is the leading
cotton port of the world. At this
season of the year 10000 bales of cot
ton are received on an everage daily.
For the fiscal year ending June /.
cefpts Is 3,750,000 bales, or more than
New Orleans and Savannah combined.
| 1t also leads in cotton seed products,
| besides, shipping large quantities Of
grain, bread stuffs, packing house
products and lumber.
The city is situated on an island 30
miles long, east and west, by two
miles wide, north and south
/
miles of dockage. Vessels drawing rs
feet OF water come and go through
the jetties or entrance to the bay.
The Mallory Steamship company Of
New York has twelve steel ships. car
rying freight and passengers between
here and New York. Eacn OF these
boats make round trip every two
weeks. They carry the products
mentioned above to New York and
bring back merchandise which Is
transferred to the railroads and de-
livered all over the gulf country. The
| Mallory pier is the largest in Calves
ton, 800 negro truckmen do the load.
! ing and unloading in this warehouse.
In busy seasons the men work night
and day We saw German, British,
and Spanish boats loading for their
respective countries.
I the writer was permitted to go
through the United State light house
tender Magnolia" small government
boat of $50 tons end $50 horse power,
| The work Of this boat is to look after
| light houses, beacons, and buoys be-
tween Mobile and Galveston. They
are, expected to protect all these pro-
tectcrs every ninety days.
Foreign Commodities in Evidence
Articles of commerce change with
location-2,000 cases of Scotch snuff
were unloaded at the wharf today, q
commodity we do not see in the north.
OF special interest to the tourist Is the
sea wall and the beach. Bathing Is
an open season, twelve months In the
year. The wall Is five miles long OF
concrete construction. Four feet thick
at top, ten feet at base and seventeen
feet high. The foundation is placed
on piling which are driven forty feet
into the sand Along the base of the
wall, next to the beach granite rocks
are sterion the entire length. These
rocks are to keen the breakers from
disturbing the foundation of the
wall.
This work cost $5,O00,00o The state
guaranteeing a bond issue which the
city will pay by taxation. The island
is nothing but sand. Inside the wall
the dredged companies are filling in
to make the city. "a incn mains are
placed on top of the ground to the
desired location The sand and water
is pumped through these discharge
pipes. The water settles away and
the fiji is made The dredging people
are filling in at the rate of $4,000 cubic
yards daily.
Houses Are On stltts
In one portion Of the city all the
houses are on stills, fences are ten
feet in the air and some have gardens
up on platforms six feet from the
ground, In a short time this section
| ~ 10
soil will be placed on the lots and
raising ST. Patrick's church, a large
brick building, five feet. The island
\ is being raised from three to fourteen
4 feet
The city is not as populous as it was
before the storm seven years ago, but
4 with the sea wall and vast amount of
shipping, it will rapidly increase.
There are hundreds of restaurants,
most of them having everything on the
market, with good service and mod
! crate prices.
:, 1 was eating dinner. the other day
in one when the proprietor, a tall,
light haired fellow with generous
!. way, says:
:. "Whar you from?"
iowa"
..Good state?'
eyes sir"
What city, sir?"
+ "Ottumwa.''
: Mighty good town, mighty good;
Mr.. Kennedy won the Iowa league pen
nant for two years"
He knew all the ball players In the
profession. knew Of Ottumwa, through
! the league club. A strange thing te
strangers is that there are no screer
4 doors or screen windows in Galveston
+ At the hotels they have canopy ovel
e the bed and mosquito bar hangs
down all around nearly to the floor
8 The Mosquito Brigade.
a About the time you get thorough,
: satisfied you are going to enjoy a goot
n rest after day of sight seeing, tn.
light brigade begins to engage tn,
: fort. They enter, no one knows
II