Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1922-06-30

running financially many people, those
who were broke by the flood. and the
flood itself soon being forgotten by
those more fortunate. The damage was
minimized and suckers were sought for
on whom to unload the overflow lands.
Enough property has been destroyed
and money wasted in each overflow year
TO pay for the construction Of a depend
able flood prevention system.
At this writing, June %, il Is probable
Brownsville, San Benito, Harlingen and
La Feria will escape serious loss this
year. The construction of a levee be-
tween San Benito, Harlingen and La
Fcria plants has saved these commun-
tiles hundreds of thousands of dollars
damage this year. The levee built in
Hidalgo county north of Old Lonsboro
by the La Feria and Harlingcn people
for this emergency will save a vast
amount Of property from obstruction in
the districts east OF the above mentioned
levee. if il holds, and il probably will.
But what will happen il Hdalgo
county goes alone and attempts to build
protection lcvees down the river front
from Closner station to the Cameron
county line. Several sad things will hap
pen. If Hidalgo county builds real
good levee strong enough TO hold, first Of
all the levces in Cameron county will be
swept away and La Feria. Santa Maria,
Harlingen, San Benito and Brownsville
viii be flooded and the farm lands
around these places. ruined and ten
chances to one the 100000 or more
cubic feet per second of water thrown
back into the river will rush down the
chain of lakes, commencing below Rey-
nosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, thence down
the Tigre cut a new and deep channel
which viii become the Rio Grande, and
all the pumping plants from Pharr to
FL Jardin will be- high and dry on an
estcro and Matamoros on n banco.
Or suppose Mexico should be acknow-
ledeed and get her finances arranged and
build a protection levee, throwing all
she water back on us. II would take
ievees Is to 20 feet from Mission to FL
Jardin TO give Cameron county protec-
ton if Cameron county attempts to
build only river front levees.
A broad comprehensive plan must be
adopted and at once or thousands Of
people will leave here ION the bum" in
the next few years. If we could wait for
the storage Of flood waters to material
ize, as suggested by Mr.. Peasc, that
would solve the overflow problem, il
the interest on cost of construction did
not bankrupt US. But il took about
twenty years TO negotiate with Mexico in
regard TO a few comparatively worthless
hancos. and it will probably take long
cr TO work out treaty to bui!d the
necessary reservoirs to impound the
flood waters Of the Rio Grande and its
tributaries. The settlers who settled
on these first lifts lands must have re-
lief quick.
Our plan follows: First ask our rep
rcsentativcs in congress and senate TO
have secretary Of war detail for mmed-
late duty and plan our overflow problem a
board composed Of Col G. Med. Town
send. corps engineers. II. $. A., retir-
td. for many years chairman Mississippi
River Commission; Col. Edgar Jadwin,
sth Corps Engineers, L. s. A.. an inter
national authority on flood control; Col
Harry Burgess, Corps Engineers, L. $
A, now a member of Mississippi River
Commission. These three men. on account
Of many years in studying such problems
are as good, III not the best on earth TO
consider our peculiar and distressing
problem. The examination and invcsti-
cation by this board will take compara-
lively short time. All necessary data
can be obtained quickly from the records
Of irrigation districts, 5. l.. b. & NJ.
Railway, International Boundary Com
mission and records of private indvid-
uals.
The following plan is suggested for
the board TO pass on, consider and de-
velop: Build levce on Mississippi Riv-
er Commissions specifications from
Closncr Station to FL Jardin, with an
opening left at Grandjino. with suf-
ficient capacity TO carry 10000 to l00,-
600 cubic feet per second. parallel levees
10 be built from the Grandiino to the
Cebolo TO pass the 10000 to 100000 feet
of water. One levee to be built from
this point on down through Hidalgo
county 10 point opposite Llano Grande
The high land would form the other
lcvee. At Llano Grande two outlets
should be arranged for, one through the
Arroyo Colorado and the other run
ming north through the lakes and low
lands of the American Rio Grande Comp
any. thence east, crossing the St. l.. h
A. Rat tltKa G.