El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-26
DEEP WATER PROJECT FOR THE MOUTH
Of RID GRANDE At BROWNSVILLE
Place Was Once Noted Port, During the Civil War
Big Corporation Buys Up Land and Proposes to
Locate Farmers and FIR uit Growers in That I,o-
calty-Fertile Land and Outlook Bright.

Brownsville Tex March 26-The
building Of great port and deep water
harbor at the mouth of the Rio Grande,
where that international boundary
stream has its confluence@ with the pro-
| posed intercoastal canal that is now be-
ing built along the Louisiana and Texas
coast, is a project that is now being pro-
NOTED by syndicate of illinois, Indiana
Missouri and Texas men,
The plans for this big development en-
f, terprise are already well advanced, and
the early fulfilmenti of the project is
| said to be assured. The proposition 10
establish a port and harbor on the
American side of the Rio Grande is only
/ one feature of the syndicate's proposed
operations. Its holdings consist of 100,
900 acres of land, bordering the river,
and extending from a point just below
Brownsville to its mouth, and running
| back for several miles towards the outer
edge OF the broad valley. Embraced in
| this enormous tract Of land are planta-
lions that are already in a high state OF
cultivation, being equipped with extern
siye irrigation systems.
To Cultivate Big Area.
The syndicate is arranging for the
placing of $4,000 acres OF its land in
a high state of cultivation 1t will be
devoted chiefly TO the growing of sugar
cane, but a considerable acreage viii
also be planted in garden truck and
citrus fruits. 1t viii require about 49,
500 acres Of the big tract for irrigation
works, such as bitches and canals, and
for roads and port facilities. Another
$500 acres will be set aside for com
mercial and resort purposes, this tract
being situated on the Gulf Of Mexico,
and having three and one-half miles of
beach.
The new town that the syndicate is
preparing 70 establish at the mouth Of
the Rio Grande will be called Port
Brownsville An effort will be made to
have it elosly affiliated and identified
with the interests of Brownsville. 1t
will be connected with this town by
the river and canal system The build
ing of railroad down the river from
here to the prospective port will not be
necessary for the present, as the Rio
Grande railroad that runs between
Brownsville and Point Isabel traverses
the tract for 10 miles The st. Louis.
Brownsville and Mexico railroad. bow
ever. has surveyed a route for pro-
posed extension to its lines from Browns
vile to the mouth of the river. The
drainage and navigation canal that will
connect the new port with Brownsville
will also afford traffic outlet for the
barges that are 20 be employed in
handling the products of the cultivated
land
Harbor Is Feasible
1t is claimed by expert engineers who
have gone over the situation carefully
that the establishment of a great deep
water harbor in the Rio Grande at the
point selected by the men who are inter-
ested in the present project is entirely
feasible Already the river is from 10
to 25 feet deep, and from 400 to 500 feet
wide from the site Of the proposed town
to the gulf. Comparatively little dredg-
ing will be necessary in order TO afford
the largest of ocean going vessels safe
entrance and anchorage.
1t is often said that history repeats it
self During the period OF the civil war.
and for several years thereafter, one Of
the greatest ports on the whole gulf |
coast of Mexico was situated near the |
mouth of the Rio Grande. almost oppo- |
site where the American syndicate is (
now preparing TO establish 6 similar
port This Mexican port was named :
Bagdad. 1t was through the port of |
Bagdad that practically all OF the cot |
ton OF the southern states was shipped /
during the closing period of the war /
when all of the cotton ports Of the |
United States were blockaded-
Once Famous Port
In those heyday times. Bagdad was I
famous throughout the commercial
world The port had its creation and
growth through the exigencies of the
war between the states. The cotton and
sunplies for one-half of the country /
went and came through that port. From
the distant states of Mississippi Louisi-
ana. Alabama and other portions of the !
the cotton was hauled in /
wagon trains TO Brownsville. where il
was ferried across the Rio Grande and
hauled down the Mexican side of the !
river 70 Bagdad where il was loaded
upon vessels and shipped to England
and other parts of the world. Bagdad
had a population of many thousand peo-
pie during the height of its prosperity
1t was the deep water port through
which the wants of the people OF big
part of Mexico were supplied
Decadence of Bagdad.
The decadence of Bagdad came with
the building of the Rio Grande railroad
from Brownsville TO Point Isabel in 1867.
The vessels found 1T more convenient to
take on their cargoes by means OF light
ers at Point Isabel than TO come up the
river to Bagdad. There IS now nothing
left of Bagdad to remind one OF it's
former greatness
In the early days regular lines OF
steamships piled up and down the Rio
Grande as far as Brownsville, and oc-
casionally these vessels went up many
miles further.
When Bagdad was in her glory there
was no railroad outlet on the Mexican
side of the river with the outside world
and the short line that was built on the
American side gave no relief to the peo-
pie of the lower valley so far as quick