Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1911-06-30

way will begin the shipment Of
ore from the Fast Texas beds "
Philadelphia. This movement
will be y vast addition To the
commerce Of Port Bolivar and
will add much ~ the tonnage Of
the Santa Fee lines in East Tex.
a. between the ore fields and
Bolivar. But this development
of the iron ore resources OF Tex.
~ will be incomplete until some
arrangement is made for the
establishment Of blast furnaces
and steel mills in Texas so that
the finished product can be made
with Texas labor and the entire
profit of the work devoted to the
upbuilding of Texas. 1t is un-
derstoOd that Colonel L. g.
Featherstone, who has spent
years planning this develOpe-
ment, il in position to look hope
fully toward a contamination OF
his plans and that capital is be-
ingienlisted in the construction
Of large reducing plants at Port
Bolivar. Here the ore can be
assembled to meet the coal at
what is said to be the most eco
nomical freight rate to be had
any where in like enterprise.
The rest Of the process will be
completed on Texas soil. A
plant to cost over two millions of
dollars would be about the prop
er thing for a steel industry at
Bolivar, but it is said a start can
be made in the manufacture of
pig iron at a less initial cost.
The efforts that are being made
in behalf of this industry for
Texas should enlist the active
sympathy Of Texas capitalists.
The use Of Texas money in devel-
opinK Texas resources will do
more than many years spent in
attempting to induce foreign
capital to enter the field.
To The Jimplecute:-The above
clipping is from The Galveston
News. l naturally cling to the
proposition that Jefferson is the
logical point for such q plant. l
have proved for years, that some
day, some other point would come
in and get the cream of the
iron industry Of north east Texas.
The fact is, not sufficient interest
by the. property owners OF the
iron ore section have been mani
tested. Instead of exerting every
effort to consolidate the ore hold
ing, so that the section would re-
ceive all the benefit accruing from
the manufacturing of the ore
have permitted the larger per-
centage of the ore to pass into
other hands, and if manufactured
in Texas at all, will be at some
point distant from the ore fields.
When the work on Red and Cy-
press rivers is completed then
coal, and coke, can be delivered at
Jefferson quite as cheap as at
Boliver Point. In all my efforts
to put the plant in operation while
connected with the Jefferson Iron
Company. / invariably held to
the idea of the company owning
the ore properties of Marion and
Cass counties. | could not do
what l wished, because / could
only back my judgment by wind.
1t was plain to me that If the
Jefferson Iron Co., controlled the
ore interest of Marion and Cass
counties, the company would
then be in a position to supply
Texas and 4 large portion of the
south with all the merchantable
iron it required as we'll as all the
cotton ties needed. My propo-
sitions were all pushed aside.
Now it becomes very plain that
some body has slept on their
rights. and find themselves con-
siderably hemmed in, when the
field might have been theirs.
When navigation is completed
in Red and Cypress rivers, then
some body will see the blunder,
but it will be too late. 1t will be
q blunder which cannot be RENE
died. 1t will stand for all time.
| cannot see why such opportun-
tiles are permitted to pass to the
benefit of other places. 1t may
be possible that all this can be
changed now if properly handled.
1t may not be too late, to save the
goose, which is to lay the golden
egg. w. II. A.
Ragley, Texas, June q, 1911.
LETTER IN " 7 Ci|IeSnie