Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-15
BY WILLIAM r, CURTIS.
r.
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
Chicago Record-Hersld

coach that Mr.. King used to use when
he left his ranch for the outside world.
and it was filed with his grandchil-
dren and those Of Kennedy, the partner OF
his first enterprises in Texas.
Kingsville celebrates the anniversary
every year and the inha bitants will not
admit that the Fourth OF July has any
greater significance than the founding
of their town.
kingsville is an ideal town 1t is a
model in several respects. There isn't
an ugly house in it: there isn't a saloon
and never has been one: the streets are
wide and we'll kept and shaded with beau.
tiful trees. Every house is surrounded by
a garden of flowers and fruit trees, and
in the center is a park filled with sixty
FIVE different varieties Of palms and other
trees. There are several churches and a
schOolhouse presented by Mrs. Harriet
NJ King, the gentle lady who owns the
great King ranch, and takes a deep in
terest in the development OF the little
city that bears her name.
Establishment of San Benito.
San Benito, a rival Of Kingsvilie. be-
longs to the San Benito Land and Water
Company, corporation controlled by
Sam Robertson and the Haywood Brthers,
formerly oil operators of Jennings, La.
They have 1900 acres Of land of their
own and are under contract to water
~,
and Hicks of Brownsville. the original
owners OF the tract. They now have
1900 acres under water, planted to sugar
cane. cotton. forage crops and truck and
their irrigation plant system Is capable
of frrigattng about 10000 acres. They
have sold about half Of their holdings at
prices varying from So to $50 an acre,
with the water rights: they have estab-
lished three villages, which are growing
like mushrooms. The land around them
fc hAfn0 ri "a M or q
fast as human labor can be found to do
it. and they are building an interurban
railway eight miles in length to give the
villagers and the farmers who have
cil!ties for getting their cane to the sugar
mills and their garden truck to the rail-
way station. They propose also to utilize
their irrigating bitches for transportation
and wide enough to float ordinary barges
and there are plenty of mules down here
that would be glad to get the job of haul
ing them.
San Benito is nineteen miles north
OF Brownsville, and the irrigated tract
lies along the banks Of the Rio Grande
for distance OF five miles and then
extends north and northeast Irregular
ly between ten and FIFTEEN miles. The
ST. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico rail-
road cuts the tract squarely in two,
and a salt water bayou called the Ar
roya Colorado. extends from the gulf
FIVE miles into the heart Of the estate
The town. which is a duplicate Of
Kingsville, has probably fifteen hun
dred inhabitants. There seems to be
a difference OF opinion as to the exact
number. which fuctuates according to
the people you are talking to. One Of
the prominent citizens told me in the
morning that there were fifteen hum
raised the total to three thousand. but
whatever any one or anybody may say,
San Benito is all right
Sam Robertson's idea.
There is a story about the origin
of the town that is worth telling, and
Sam Robertson is the hero. Everybody
calls him Sam" Most people have
forgotten his other name, hence may
be pardoned for following the univer-
sal custom.
Sam is typical frontiersman. very
much such a character as 1.-The Viz
ginian," whom Owen Wister portrayed.
He wears the typical Texas sombrero.
The wide brim throws shadow upon
a classic profile. pair OF large blue
eyes. and a long silken mustache that
floats gracefully on the breezes that
come from the gulf to temper the heat
at MONDAY.
Sam was born in a railway construc-
ton camp: he was educated in a rail-
way construction camp: he developed
in a railway construction camp, and
he never did anything but build rail-
roads until he started this irrigation
scheme. He has a reputation for get
ting there which extends both SIDES
OF the Rio Grande, and I am told that
a man from the interior Of Mexico
came here last winter and offered him
a cash bonus OF $4,000 and a salary
OF $4,000 month. II he would go over
and organize a revolution against the
Diaz government. II the revolution
was successful Sam was to have a
grant OF 100000 acres Of land and the
pick OF all the offices In the gift Of the
president Of the republic Sam will
not discuss the subject, but everybody
around here would be willing to make
an affidavit that the story is true. and
that Sam declined the proposition be-
cause he has a better thing in the land
and water company Of which he was
the founder. and is the secretary.
Robertson built the Gulf Coast railroad
and while engaged on that work became
very much impressed with the agrfcul-
tural conditions the climate and the pos
sibilities of irrigation. And one thing
in particular which struck him with
great force was the existence Of natural
which could be utilized for irri-
cation purposes at a small cost. The Rio
Grande. like many other rivers. 10 an in
consistent and irregular stream, which
changes its channel every now and then.
"a river hadS Gil h,,l