Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1908-09-05
Fortifyinq AGAINST Floods

In a series of articles by Alonzo
WATSON, one of its staff correspond
ents, the Galveston News is discus.
sing the means of protecting the bot
toms along the rivers of Texas,
against the disastrous floods that so
often sweep over these fertile lands,
leaving ruin and desolation when the
waters recede. In the chapter of Mr..
Wasson's story which was published
in Wednesdays News, many of the
people of Bryan and Brazos county
have a personal interest, as the fol-
lowing extract will show:
People having farms along the
Brazos River in Bnrleson County
have already taken steps to protect
themselves from the overflow of that
stream. Six out of the last seven
years they have suffered in varying
degree. and this year their losses
have been so heavy as to move them
to action. The stretch they propose
to levee begins at Moseley's ferry, al
most opposite Bryan, and continues
down the river for distance OF
twenty-seven miles as 1t meanders.
At the lower end of the levee II viii
be necessary to build at almost right
angles a levee about three miles long
to throw off the water that comes
from the hills, so that altogether the
i've Reading-1st Psalm. Song NO.
thirty miles of levee. This will prot
ect about $4,000 acres of land that is
in cultivation. and, according to
preliminary estimate, the cost Will be
approximately 100000 This is
equivalent to about 81 per acre, which
considering the service to be perform
ed. is trifling. If the levee had been
in place this year it would have saved
its cost two or three times over,
fact so thoroughly appreciated by the
farmers and planters OF that section
that they are almost unit in FAVOR
ing the project. OF this $4,000 acres,
fully 10000 are owend by six men,
and the remainder is owned by about
ffty-five men. In other words, plant
ers and farmers are neighbors TO one
another. Yet, though there is a vast
difference in their circumstances, all
but three of the property owners In
this proposed district have signed a
petition in the hope that they can
bring about reliel under the provl-
sions of the drainage act. More than
a month ago, or July IA, they present
ed this petition to the Commission
ers Court of Burleson County for the
appointment of an engineer to survey
the proposed district and mark the
lines for the levees. On Aug. 10 this
petition was granted, but the APP
pointment of an engineer has been
deferred to permit the petitioners,
who have raised the money by pop
ular subscription to pay the engineer,
to find a man experienced in this
kind of work. The man chosen by the
commissioners will be appointed by
the court, and when he shall have
made his report the commissioners
will give notice of their intention to
order an election to create Drainage
District No. of nurleson County,
Tex, and to authorize the issuance
of 100000 of bonds to pay for the
work. If the proposition should car
ry-and there is no doubt that IL will |
1.-The county will seek to have the
bonds approved by the state and then |
sell them.
II is at least questionable whether |
this Burleson County project comes
quite within the scope of the drain
age act The petitioners themselves
that, but they are so eag'
er to protect themselves before the
floods of next spring that they are
going ahead in the hope that they
can utilize that statute and encour-
aged, too, by the belief that II II
should be held that the present law
s not adequate, bill on this subject
AN be speedily put through the next
legislature.