Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1920-04-04
BEGIN DREDGING
IN WATER DIST.
NO. WORKFAST
Ballinger & Brooks Plan to
Dredge 3 Miles of Main
Canal Every Month
DRAINAGE PROBLEM MET
Special Attention to This Fea-
ture Being Given

Actual canal dreGe ing on the Cam
eron County Water Improvement DIS
trict No. 8, which includes the FL Jar
din tract east of the city was starte,
Saturday by Ballinger and Brooks o.
San Benito. This firm has installed
huge caterpillar dredge which vii
be kept in operation "a hours a day
They estimate that at this rate the.
will be able TO build three miles o.
main canal each month. Preliminar.
dirt work on the canal construction
under the direction of George j. Sin
ger and Marshall White has been un-
der way for the past 60 days.
The district hopes to be able to
have their system in such shape that
settlers on all portions Of the tract
can get water by fall planting time.
next September, according 10 b. II.
Frazier of the Lone Star immigration
company. While not prepared to
state just how many families would
move onto the FL Jardin this year,
Mr.. Frazier said that the number
would be considerable.
District directors say that they
plan TO make the d'strict one of the
best drained of any district in the
Valley. In addition TO the many miles
of drainage bitches already in drain
age districts Nos and 2, which are
"A part Of this irrigation district, the
main canals will be built upon the
banks of resacaS wherever possible
so that any seepage viii be drawn into
the reSaca. Wherever it is necessary
to cross lands not bordering the re-
sacas, special drains will be CON
structed along the canals leading u
the drainage bitches. All reSacas in
the tract arc drained out by the
bitches and the water led 10 the gulf
In addition Ia the starting Of the
drcdge the company announced YES
terday that the first three pumping
units mad been contracted for more
than month ago with the Fairbanks
Morse company and delivery had been
promised within the next sixty days.
BY the time the engines arrive the
concrete foundations and pits will
have been completed and everything
will be in readiness for installing the
machines.
The bond issue of $3l5. 900 voted
when the district was organized. was
validated by the district court on
March 27 and were sold on March %
The district comprises about 10000
acres of land, including the lands in
the old Indiana canal system and the
newest, and most important project
on the FL JaTdin tract, which Is be
ing colonized with settlers from the
middle western states who are buying
from ten acres up.
The greatest activity is under way
on the lands which are included IN
this water improvement district. On
the RI Jardin tract alone. more than
forty miles of roads have been graded.
and what appear more like city streets
than county roads are met in every
direction Miles and miles Of Ne
most modern wire fences have been
built with excellent sawed po}s
about five feet high, with white painA
cd bases and red painted tops. OR
some of the tracts cement posts are
being used extensively.
The most recently acquired lands
by the Lone Star company are those
of Frank Rabb. adjoining the Browne
tract on the east. Fencing on these
lands is now in progress. as well as
the grading of roads. Recent con
struction on this tract includes FL
Jardin Community House No. .. a
pretty little affair hidden away in an
ebony grove, and which will eventual
" be turned over 10 the farmers of
the neighborhood for community use
exclusively.
A feature of the situation in Water
Improvement District No. ) enjoyed
by few of the irrigated areas in the
Valley is the fact that the most dis
tant point on the lands from..the Rio
Gaande is only seven miles. This com
paratively short distance fer pumping
lessons greatly the overhead. pumping
costs. fuel oil. and many other incl
dental expenses incurred on more ex-
tended pumpings through great
amounts of seepagc.