Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-12-27
WATERS ARGUES
FOR THE CANAL
SECRETARY OF ARROYO COLORADO
INTERCOASTAL CANAL LEAGUE
URGES SHEPPARD AND GARNER
TO PUSH THE EXTENSION.
GIVES HIS REASONY
SUBMITS FIVE FACTS TO SHOW
THAT GOVERNMENT HAS NOT
GIVEN CANAL THOROUGH TEST
TO CORPUS CHRISTI.
Especial to The Hcrald.)

Especial to The Hcrald.)
Harlingcn, Tex, Dec. 21-Not daunte(
BY me recent adverse report OF the Uni
ted States Board Of Engineers on the cX
tension of the lntercoastal Canal from
Corpus Christi 10 Baffin's Bey. Lindsay
Waters, the secretary Lof the Ar
rnvo Colorado Intercoastal Canal League
Yesterday wrote to United States Senator
Norris Sheppard and Congressman John
n. Garner urging that they continue
their efforts in behalf of the extension
Mr.. Waters submits for their benefit
five facts which he believes indicate thai
the government has not given the presn;
canal a thorough test.
Mr.. Waters believes that even though
the engineers delay the Baf1ins Bay eX
tension, it appears to him that there can
be no reason why the survey south should
not be made at once.
His letters to both Senator Sheppard
and Congressman Garner outline practl-
cally the same facts. and that to Senator
Sheppard follows in full:
Hon. Norris Sheppard. Washington.
My dear sir: Yours of December 70
received. While the Board of Engin-
GERS report is dated Dec Il yet we saw
a copy of it while in Washington. and
on December 4 Il delegation including
G. $. +. Holland, Col. Gresham. Roy
Miller, Judge Barbee, Theodore Koch.
Congressman Garner and myself held
a long session by special appointment
with the board. and advanced argu-
ments against this ruling; arguments
/ believe strong enough to change at
least the views of two of the board.
/. We proved that the canal had
never been marked by the govcrnmnt,
either with lights or buOys.
.. That owing to defective dredg-
ing parts of the channel were only
two feet deep, which practically
stopped navigation.
3. That for purposes Of commerce
the feeders such as rivers and arrOyOs
must be open.
4.~-That Corpus Christi alone had
increased its commerce ever The canal
1GS per cent. in the month of july,
1913.
D.. That as the canal was not open
ed till late i'm June a fair test cannot
yet have been made.
will add that what we would like
to have pushed now is an appropr;a-
ton for the survey south OF B2ffiEs to
the mouth of the Rio Grande and up
the Arroyo Colorado to Harrington
bridge. and that this survey be made
next wear. There is no reason why.
even if the Baf1in'S Bay section is de-
layed-thOugh | believe it will not
that this survey should not be order
ed.
The great volume of the traffic
must come from the Nalley-in and
out-and figures submitted to the
board show that the saving to us now
would be at least half Il million a
year. increasing rapidly.
AS an economic proposition sup
pose il costs the government. which is
the people. ST. 00.0 600. to continue this
canal. and $50.000 a year to maintain
it. from Flower Bluff to the Rio
Grande. and the people are saved an
initial sun of $500 600 Il year. in
crcaSing in five years to 81. 900 900. are
we not entitled to the outlay. in view
of what sums have been
expended at other points with much
less returns?
1t is not entirely material
either that all the tonnage should
move by water so long as the fact Of
having wafer communication saves
the shipper this amount in freight
outlay.
You ask what YOU can do in co-oD
Grafton. permit me to repeat: urge
these facts upon the board of engin-
GERS. and insist that even if they do
DELAY the Baf1in's Bay extension,
which they clearly should not, that
is no reason why the survey south
should not he made at once. for this
canal is going to be built. and the
board of eng nccrs will recognize its
value. if they will consider facts and
not theories"