Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-10-05
ISABEL
PORT FAVORED
BALDWIN SAYS
Will Buy Short Line if
Eldridge Conpl e tes S
Certain Negotiations
President Declares

The Missouri Pacific System
has agreed to purchase the Rio
Grande railroad, between Point
Isabel and Brownsville, it was
announced in Brownsville Sun
day by L. w. Baldwin, president
of the Missouri Pacific.
The purchase, Mr.. Baldwin
stated, depends upon the. sue
cessful completion of certain
negotiations which Colonel\W.
I. Eldridge of Sugarland, now
has pending.
Colonel Eldridge holds a mechanics
lien amounting to little less than
$5OO.O00, on the Rio Grande railroad.
| This lien was filed for record in Gam
eron county several months ago..
Mr.. Baldwin said:
The Missouri Pacific has been In,
control of the Gulf Coast Lines for less
than year. The Missouri Pacific is
not opposed to and has never been op-
posed to the development of deep water
at Point Isabel but quite to the con-
trary, it has been and is now in favor
of development of every Gulf Coast port
and desires to extend all possible and
proper help without discrimination or
favors, and you may say to the people
OF the Valley and Brownsville that this
goes double for Point Isabel"
typewriter statement handed to
the press from Mr.. Baldwin's private
car Sunday said:
asked about an option on the Rio
Grande railroad, he stated that the
Missouri Pacific had agreed to purchase
the Rio Grande railroad upon the sue
cessful competition of certain negotia-
tions which Mr.. Eldridge has pending
and which may or may not be consum-
mated, but that he wanted to assure the
people of Brownsville and the Valley
that whether the Missouri Pacific ac-
quires the Rio Grande or not, it will
still be favorable to the development Of
Point Isabel. He stated that experience
had demonstrated that wherever a port
was built up in any community it was
always beneficial to the railroad serving
such community and therefore the peo-
pie may feel no uneasiness as to the
Missouri Pacific's attitude whether it
acquires the Rio Grande railroad or not,
as it will, in any event, be favorable.
"Mr. Eldridge was shown this state
ment and corroborated it and said that
every one in the Valley knows that he
has been actively and vitally interested
in the development of Point Isabel; that
he has no hesitation, however, in advis-
ing the people in the Valley that the
development will not be retarded if the
Missouri Pacific should pcrchase the Rio
Grande railroad; that it will be in much
better position to serve the interests
that VII be developed than the Rio
Grande could possibly be without such
assistance, and he feels like it would
be doing the people Of the Valley real
service to have the Missouri Pacific
take over the Rio Grande railroad, as
he feels confident that it will make ev-
cry reasonable effort to carry forward
the development.
'Mr. Eldridge stated, I have no hesi-
tation in saying to the people of the
Valley that the Missouri Pacific can
render them a greater and better SER
vice in the development of port at
Point Isabel than it would be possible
for the Rio Grande railroad to furnish
and | have no hesitation in advising
the people of Brownsville and the Val
ley that, in my opinion, this service will
be rendered by the Missouri Pacific
whether it acquires the Rio Grande or
not"