The Washington herald., 1909-08-01
Result of Election 13 to /
for improvement.
BEAUMONT WILL BE A PORT
People of Southwest Texas Do Not
Wait for Government, but Take
Matter Into Their own Hamds-WnI
Enlarge waterway and Connect
the City with the Gulf.

thirteen to one, the people OF Jefferson
County have authorized the Issuance OF
bonds TO the amount Of S49S,CoO for the
purpose OF deepening the Sablne-Neches
Canal and further improving the Neches
River so as 70 enable ocean-golng vessels
TO ply direct to Beaumont In the city or
Beaumont only nine votes were cast
against the proposition. which attests
the unanimity Of the progressive spirit
for which Beaumont Is famed. It was
the same spirit thar Duilt Beaumont and
assures the greater Beaumont
II was the same pluck and enterprise
that gave this county It's system Of high
ways, its irrigating canals that water
thousands Of acres Of rich rice land. that
annually yields millions of dollars and
gives profitable employment to thousands
Of people, and that recently authorized
the city authorities 70 construct public
wharf on the river front. 1t was another
exemplifcation of the Beaumont spirit
which dared to do what the Federal gov
ernment has done for other cities and
might have ultimately done for Beau
mont
mont an inland port have long been
realized by some OF the foremost and
far-sighted citizens AS the result of an
effort in this direction an appropriation
was secured 20 dig a canal along the
west side OF Sabine Lake, connecting the
mouths OF the Sabine and Neches rivers
with the Gulf. This canal Is now 100
feet wide and about ten feet deep. per-
mltting only Hght-draft vessels 20 pass
through. but It has proved sufficient TO
suggest. tho possibility offered for the
opening Of another important artery OF
commerce and the development OF the
many and varied resources Of this sec
ton.
People Provide the Funds.
Being unable Immediately TO secure a
sufficient appropriation from the Federal
government, and realizing the danger OF
further delay. 1t was proposed that the
J people provide the funds for the improve
ments. and plans were quickly formu-
lated A law conveying the constitu-
tlonal right TO issue bonds by vote Of the
/ people was drawn by citizens OF Beau
mont and has been enacted by the Texas
| legislature. The National Congress has
also granted the necessary permit to
make the Improvement and now that the
bonds have been authorized Il is expected
I that the actual work will besn without
delay.
With the deepening Of the canal and the
! Improvement OF the Neches River. which
is already one OF the best Of navigable
! streams, Beaumont is destined 10 become
| an important inland port. A fresh water
! uort fe a1rvavc 1ffrn cffx-o - ghfr ov,rDare
I and there IS reason TO believe that Beau
mont viii do a big shipping business by
water as soon as the canal rs deepened
/ 10 such an extent as to enable ocean
! going vessels 10 ply direct 10 this port.
/ It is now proposed 20 deepen the canal
| 10 twenty-five feet. With slight improve
ment the Nechcs River is already deep
} enough. This river runs through vast
| forests Of fine timber. and much Of II can
] be aOated or handled by barge 20 Beau
mont, which is an ideal assembling point.
] Some idea Of the possibilities OF shipping
! business for the new port OF Beaumont
may be CLEANED from figures showing the
| tonnage originating in the immediate Vi
| cinity Of Beaumont and controlled by
/ Beaumont people
Rice shipments Important
/ The Beaumont rec mills. which are
among the largest in the world. ship
annually 55o.OoO bags Of clean rice. each
! bag Weighing 100 pounds, or a total OF
/ 5.50o000 pounds.
Beaumont lumber concerns ship annu-
| ally 100000 feet of pine and hardwood
or 100000 tons
! The Beaumont oil field has not gone
I dry by any mauner Of means. the pro-
duction being something like 100000 bar
rels per annum, while the total produc-
| tion OF Southeast Texas is nearly H.
c00.oCo barrels. The great pipelines from
other oil fields in Texas, Oklahoma. and
( Louisiana bring additional millions OF
4 barrels OF oil to the refneries at Beau
mont Port Arthur, and Port Neches,
which shipped over 100000 barrels by
vessel from Port Arthur and Sabine last
year, which was less than in 1907 or 1906
This indicates oil tonnage beyond the
ability Of this writer to compute.
! The sulphur deposits are near Beau
mont and every day long train Of cars
Of sulphur passes through Beaumont to
! ship side at Sabine
! To the north of Beaumont are the great
/ iron fields OF Texas, which must soon be
| developed, and here IS the nearest and
most accessible port for handling this
! vast tonnage. Indeed, it is expected that
]
Beaumont or along the Neches River,
! where so many advantages are offered for
/ industrial plants cheap fuel. an mex
! haustible supply of the finest steaming
water cheap and convenient shipping
! facilities forming a most attractive COM
bination.
Tonnage Already EnOromus.
In summarizing an estimate Of the
] Ia IL.
I for the new port of Beaumont. a compe-
/ tent authority has said:
In round figures the Sabine-Neches
basin annually yields 100000 tens Of ag-
rlcultural products. 100000 tons of oil,
/ $4,000 tons Of lumber. $4,000 tons of
/ live stock. $4,000 tons Of merchantable
/ clays, $4,000 tons OF sulphur, and 100000
/ tons Of miscellaneous commodities.
THE bulk Of this production being ex-
portable. is subject to the payment Of
dinerentials Of 2ia cents to cents a
/ hundred pounds for the haul over tho
distance intervening between Beaumont
and the Gulf--difarentiGls that will van
ish completely when the way is open for
the coming Of Ocean-going craft to this
city"
This does not contemplate any out
bound tonnage coming from other sec
J tions over the eleven diverginE lines Of
| railway which give Beaumont direct con-
nection with the great cotton producing
| centers of Central and North Texas, the
grain fields Of Kansas, and the great
variety of products Of Northeast Texas,
/ Western Louisiana, and Arkansas. for
which sections Beaumont win be the
nearest gateway 10 the marts Of trade.
/ In the foregoing the writer has not con-
sidered the matter Of inbound tonnage,
( the vast and varied cargo which VIII
come from other markets of the world