The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-08-18
CALVESTON'S CAUSEWAY

Development Under the Manage
! mcnt Of the System OF Govern
mrnt by Commission.
A., 80 many shreveport p""pI" ar"
~prniIu- their NNratiOU~ in Calves
Ijun. ii may be- Interesting 10 stat"
Il few Facts rrGairlnG tn" great cal
Western rltj>rWHN, h1III III cost "I
x! ,500U"O 10 IIlr p"upI" ol GALVESTON
II completing HIS great engineering
feat, which represents the climax
OF the ten year SirUGgi" of Calves
ton 10 make herself impr"gnabIr to
a repetition Of the disaster Of 1900,
when the gulf swept over The city,
leaving 5000 dead in its wake, and
driving from their homes nearly
1000 survivors. In the course Of
these ten years Galveston. a city of
10000 people, has completed great
trinity of protective engineering
works costing nearly $i0,0OO,0OO.
Galveston has already built sea
wall, of solid concrete, II feet high
and over four miles long, forming
a solid rampant between the waters
of the gulf and the city. They did
not stop at the building Of the sea
wall, but hOistrd the city Il feet i'll
air, and to raise the city grade,
pumped in by dredges, which drew
the material from the bed Of tn"
gulf, 100000 cubic yards of sand,
but after all this had been done the
people did not stop but went ahead
and united in one last effort, and
Joined their city to the mainland
by a link of steel reinforced con
crete that bears upon its top three
railroad tracks, two intrr-urban car
tracks, a promenade and a wide
speedway for automobiles and other
vehicles. After the terrible storm of
1900, there was a doubling element
that predicted that Galveston could
not come back but twelve years
later proves that Galveston has
come back, and in the coming city
of 10000 people has given to the
world the city commission form of
government and three great exam
pies of protective engineering that
rank with the best efforts of the
world along these lines. The work
on the causeWay commenced July
Il 1909, was completed in May
1912 The structure is tO,462 feet in
excess of two miles. The
roadway, from the shore of the
to the shore of Galveston
Island, consists of speedway
banked by concrete slabs and paved
with vitrfffed brick, long arch
bridge, and steel roller lift bridge
This roller lift bridge will give
clear waterway of 100 feet, enabling
ocean liners to pass up the channel
beyond the eauseway. This bridge
itself cost 1880
Galveston has right to be proud
of The example it has set the whole
world, an example Of what courage,
persistence, faith and the grit to-
battle against the odds can do for a
people who are strong enough to
rise from an unparalleled disaster,
and to build from the ruins of their
city a municipality greater and
more beautiful than ever before.
Galveston is now the mistress Of the
Gulf Of Mexico.
And all this has been accom-
pIlshed through the system of gov
eminent by commission, instituted
when the city was in bankruptcy
from The results Of political mis-
and overwhelmed by
an appalling disaster. In this amaz-
ing progress Of Galveston is the
practical demonstration Of The pos
slbiIlties Of the system Of govern
ment by commission when it is
made to conform to business prin-
ciples and regardless of political
consideration. : f.. G.