The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-06-23
WOMAN TELLS OF
MOVING ISLANDS
Wife Of Postmaster General 0es.
crihes Rio Grande Formation

Washington. ID. c.. June 2S.-Mrs.
Albert =. Burleson. wife of the post
master general. in communication 20
tito National Geographic Society, ut
Washington. II. e., describes the wan
dering islands of the Rio Grande,
Whose migrations from side To side OF
the water course have caused years oi
diplomatic correspondence and discus
sion between the United States and
Mexico.
THE refusal Of certain small bodies
of land To remain permanently attach
ed TO one or the other Of the rivers
banks deprived them Of IA fixed legal
status as either Mexican or American
territory and brought about their par
ticipation i'm many Illegal and upright
eous adventures. which i'm turn led IL
misunderstanding between the two
countries" writes Mrs. Burleson.
River Looks Like Serpent.
In no river is spirit more evident
than i'm the Rio Grande. Along is
sinuous route below Rio Grande City
| il pushes it's way through miles of lev
el sand in its final reach for the Gulf
| twisting and doubling upon itself like
a sea serpent. In 1S4S II was fixed
upon as the boundary line between tho
! United States and Mexico. The bound
airy was to be the middle of the river
following the deepest channel Blu
the river possessed characteristics tina
| had not impressed themselves upoT
the trainers of the convention as pos
| sible causes of friction between people
| living along it's banks. In addition I,
its eroding power, exercised through
long months of low and mean water i
could during flood periods leap will
torrential force across n narrow necl
of land at the base of one of its Ions
loops and cut for itself new channel
Through such avulsive action of tn
river, Texas soil would sometimes be
come Mexican, and on occasions
plantation occupied by jacals ant
Mexican citizens would over night fin
itself part of Texas.
Bio Farm Drifted Away.
An example will serve TO show bot
the extraordinary actions of the rive
and the difficulties in the way Of an
satisfactory adjustment of conflictin
interests. a certain Josiah Turne
BEGAN to farm the Galveston RGncl
on the Texas bank. Eight years late
he was surprised when 22l acres g
Mexican land came across the rive
| l. 10. suFa In 4
arrangement was effected by which h
became the owner of this land. 81
years later the river cut off piece {
Mr.. Turner's land and took IL to Mex
leo. Twenty-one years later the rive
made up it's mind to repay the farmo
for what 1t had taken from him an
so carried back into Texas piece {
land far larger than the tract original
~ lost. The Mexican owners elaine
possession, and a new convention
dealing with the questions under dis
; pute, became necessary.
U. S. Officer Solves Problem.
: ITO the fine discrimination, patienC
and tact of Brigadier General Anso
Mills, L. S. a., appointed to represei
the United States we owe the fin
solution To the problem. lie recon
mended that the 'Cut-offs' be foreV'
eliminated from the boundary line. a
those occurring on the right of the riN
er to pass To the jurisdiction of Me>
| leo. those on the left To that of TeNa
> The inhabitants, If any. should retaI
their citizenship in the country fro
which they had been so suddenly al
: violently detached, or they might az
. quire the nationality of the country
: which they were now attached. Al
cut off exceeding $50 acres in area ar
having population of over 200 sou
was not to be considered banco, ar
the old bed of the river should rema
the boundary. a convention embod!
ing his recommendations was final
ratified by both countries. Thus u
great turbid. siltbearng river is lie
to pursue its way untrammeled; ID
Il the terrors so long synonymous WI
= it's name have through the operate
5 of this equal Arrangement become
! part OF the stored romantic past
| ~