The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1908-07-20

Statements About Artesian Wells
Give This Section a "Black Eye"
The following clipping from an
Alabama paper was handed The Her
aid by J. r. Axsom Of the Brownsville
Realty Company, to whom it was sent
by friend:
Judge James ]. Ray, of the Cir
cult Court has returned from trip
to South Texas and Old Mexico. The
Judge, a keen observer and one of the
safest and most conservative of men,
not given to becoming over-enthusias-
tic on a ny subject, weighing with a
judicial mind its every side before
expressing what he thinks of thing.
He says the lands down in that sec
ton, are rich and productive, withir-
rigation, but irrigation is the trouble;
that there is already signs OF the ex-
haustion of the water in the earth
boring deep wells for irrigation pur-
poses, and on top of this the water
in many places thus obtained is so
impregnated with salt that its fire.
uuent use for irrigation would soon
form a salt crust and ruin the land. "
The Herald hardly need state to To-
cal readers or many others who live
elsewhere, but have visited this sec
ton, that the foregoing article is very
misleading, but it should be so stated
for the benefit of those who have new
er visited this country but have in
tended doing so, and who might be
prevented from coming by such state
ments as those attributed to Judge
Ray. Not only is the article mislead-
ing. but it is, in fact, surprising to
those who met Judge Ray when ne
visited Brownsville a short time ago.
1t may be, however, that the reporter
has not quoted him correctly. Be that
as it may, however, the Alabama ex-
change has done a gross injustice to
this section by publishing such mis-
leading article.
With no less than twenty irrigat-
ing canals, some of which are among
the largest pumping canals in the en-
tire country, pouring the abundant
and never failing fresh waters of the
great Rio Grande over thousands OF
acres of the rich land of this valley, it
seems strange indeed how any who
have been here could speak thus OF
South Texas at all without mention
ing their existence. Failure to do so
in the above instance must have left
the erroneous impression that artes-
ian wells afford the only means of If
rigation in South Texas, whereas the
most important irrigated area the
lower Rio Grande valley, is supplied
wholly from the river named.
1t is true, however, that a consid-
cradle part of South Texas depends
upon artesian wells for irrigation,
but the Herald has not yet learned OF
the exhaustion of these wells, or OF
the waters becoming impregnated
with salt. While it may be true that
there may have been some instances,
The Herald has yet to learn of them.
On the other hand, there are not
lacking visible evidences at various
points along the st. Louis, Browns
vile and Mexico railroad of the COM
pIete success of artesian wells. Fine
flowing wells may be seen at various
stations. which have been pouring
their clear fresh water out from the
depths of the earth for several years
without perceptibility diminishing in
flow, and whose waters are still pure
and fresh.
The facts that the very region
spoken of by Judge Ray has just fin
ished shipping hundreds of carloads
of spring and early summer truck and
the first carload of watermelons and
numerous subsequent cars of the
same delicious fruit, as we'll as the
first bales of cotton were shipped
from part of the territory in Soutt
Texas which is almost entirely de
pendent upon artesian irrigation, are
the best REPUTATION that can be of
fered in reply to the charge. Pros
pective homeseekers from Alabama
or anywhere elst are only asked tC
withhold their opinion of the merit:
of this country and all of South Tex
as. until they can come and see will
their own eyes what glorious coun