Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-07
HARLINCEN
PORT MEET

MNtAAAA W &A VA q 4W~AUUN
channel to the Gulf together with my
recommendations as TO the various
routes in accordance with the terms
under which / was employed. How
ever, / would not be doing By duty
II l did not tell you that in my opin-
ion this channel is Of too ambitious
a character for your Valley at this
time.
May Reduce Width
at believe that what you should
DO IL 20 proceed upon the construction
OF a e-foot channel from Harrington
10 the Gulf through Padre Island.
You have on hand funds for this
work, not only for the necessary
dredging to be done on the Arroyo.
but also for the channel across the
Laguna Madre and the channel
through the island with necessary let
ties. 1t may be that you cannot at
this time construct a channel 100 feet
wide through Laguna Madre and the
island, but an S0-foot channel will
serve your purpose admirably"
General Beach in outlining the
basic reasons for his recommenda-
tion, said:
"My reasons for this recommenda-
tion are that you do not have in sight
in the Valley at this time, and YOU
will not have for some time, tonnage
that will Justify the calling at your
port Of large ships. What you do
need, II seems 10 me, is a channel
that will accommodate pleasure boats,
barges and small ~freighters engaged
in coastwise trade. With that kind
81 a channel you may begin to develop
your coastwise transportation and
when IL has been developed te suffi-
cient proportions you may enlarge il
as the necessity seems 70 demand,
bearing in mind that all the work
you may do on a 9-foot channel will
be just that much applied against the
larger channel and one Of il will be
wasted"
A. L. Brooks urged the taxpayers
Of the district to accept the recon-
m%endations Of the engineer. He stat
ed that from the earliest Develop
ment Of the Valley, the Arroyo Colo
RADIO had been considered a future
waterway, and there should be no
delay in acting. He commented on
the development Of the Houston ship
channel, which, he said, started with
q depth of 3 feet. His reference TO
the work of the district board and
its chairman, J.. r. Chambers, brought
prolonged applause.
0. Y. Storm spoke in the same vein,
stating he il confident the first boat
through the channel will nave the re-
suit Of reducing freight rates. 9th
er speakers commented on the tour
ist traffic. asserting that utilization
Of the channel by pleasure craft ply
ing the Gulf would bring to the Val
ley an annual revenue Of between
$2.000,000 and $3s000,000.
In reply to questions, J. b. Cham
bers said the maintenance would be
practically nothing for three or four
years, General Beach having given
him this assurance. He also pointed
out the difference in the distance be-
tween the Padre island and the Point
Isabel routes, stating that the latter
would be more expensive to maintain.
The distance to deep water would
be 35 miles through the Padre cut az
compared with IS miles By way Of
Point Isabel" he said. lie added
there would be only ~ miles Of
dredging, and that the principal cost
would be the j~etties and revetments.
Others Speak
N. s. Liddell, while not directly OPP
posing the 9-foot project, said the
district should proceed slowly. He
cited the fact that the Point Isabel
project will probably receive federal
appropriation and that a l6-foOt chan
mel would be cut az that point, sug-
costing that it might be better policy
to connect there.
L. L. Snavely asserted that within
a few years the Valley would be ship
ping at least 10000 cars Of citrus
fruit annually, stating that a channel
which would not accommodate sea-go-
ing vessels would lie Of little prac-
teal use to the citrus industry or the
Valley In general. He favored a l6-
foot channel, asserting that tonnage
would be available to justify il.
Mrs. III. O'Connell said she had
made trips to Central American ports
on American Fruit company steamers
of 9-foot draft. one of which, the Mic
aragua, is now bleaching its bones on
the sands of Padre island.
After discussing for an hour and q
half the various phases Of the chan
mel project motion was made that the
board be directed 70 at once secure
estimates on the 9-foot channel: to
construct it with a bottom width OF
100 feet II possible and so feet in
width IL funds are not sufficient for
the wider channel. Only taxpayers in
the district were requested to vote,
the motion passing without oppose
ton.
Following is a summary Of the re-
port Of General Beach as prepared By
the directors Of the navigation dis
trict.
Permit Dredging Shoals
"Your funds available may not
and probably will not permit the
Strengthening of the Arroyo as pro-
vided IN this report which | have
just made. but they will permit the
dredging Of the shoals to the end
that YOU will have a serviceable
channel. 1t is also TO be taken into
account thst the maintenance Of a
nine-foot channel across the island
viii be practically nothing for some
time.
In regard TO the I6 foot channe:
designed 10 accommodate the very
largest boats Of that depth. Cen
eral Beach's estimates are as fol-
lows:
If the Navigation District should
obtain a price Of nine cents Der
cubic yard for the dredging work.
the estimate cost would be-:
Southern route to Point
Isabel -, $50
Northern route through
Padre Island ............ 1.966.500
Jetties 10 Is feet depth. 726,600
$2.6e3.130
The southern route becomes
slightly cheaper at this rate. owing
20 the fact that all the work on