Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-01-03
LOCAL C.. OF {.
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AtSaN NA1
in addition to pay for u channel
from Brazos-Santiago TO Brownsville
Al its " cost and attempt to have
the government apply e present
maintenance fund TO the maintenance
or both channels. Congress, Of
course, can apply this money in any
way il sees fit, but my Impression
is that the Board Of Engineers
would not favor the maintenance of
to channels and herbors, as stated
above.
Third: The abandonment Of the
present channel from BRACES TO
Point Isabel BIZ having a survey
MADE from B-aZos Santiago 10
Brownsville by the ' nment and
having this channel substituted for
tho Brazos-Point Isabel channel: any
additional cost above the pre-ent
project t. be borne by Brownsville
and the territory tribut-ry to said
city.
The chamber Of adopt
Cd the third proposition and appoint
Cd your committee, with instructions
10 procure the accomplishment oI
the third proposition.
Our first step was 10 secure the
opinions of competent engineers as
10 whether the proposed inland
channel was feasible and practicable.
We found that Mr.. A. Tsmm of har-
lingen. and Mr.. a. L. Anderson OF
this city had made survey some
fifteen years ago, or the very pro-
posed route. and had found same To
be feasible and practicable . They
estimated the cost Of the entire
channel from a sixteen loot depth
in Brazos Santiago Pass to within
five miles of the city limits Of
Brownsville. the bottom TO be i6
feet below sea level, 100 feet wide
and with appropriate width at the
top. with lOO0x10OO turning basin al
$4,000. We verified these figures
from construction engineers now do
Ing work in the Valley. We also
had tho engineers make an estimate
of the cost Of such docking and
terminal facilities to be municipality
owned as il was estimated we might
need, and of the cost Of rights-of-
way for the inland channel and turn
ing basin, which resulted in a to-
tai estimated figure Of s5s0.000.
This left s700.030 with which to meet
the government requirements Of
100000 cash and certain land areas
required by the government, which
latter will not cost 100000.
With these figures We Immediately
sought a resolution of the commit
tee Of the House Of Representatives
on Rivers and Harbors, first consult
ing with Mr.. Garner. our congress
q He emphasized the fact that
he was for a deep water port for
the 10 T:c Rio Gran le Valley in 'he
quickest possible way. ard tint lie
would not delay tho passage of the
present bill. ard added that the one
way we could have oar project look
ed upon with favor would he "a
show convincingly that it furnished
the quickest and suFest way of get
ting a deep water port for the Lower
Rio Grande Valley.
On the 18TH Of October the com
mittee on rivers and harbors passed
its resolution authorizing and di-
ree.ing the engineers 10 review and
make a survey of the Brazos island
Aht " EANIGGNH Will a NlGh ~
changing the canal and terminal
toward and near Brownsville. This
was done under our assurance that
we would take legal steps to meet
the government requirements at
BraZos Santiago Pass in the event
such modification wss recommended.
On the 18th Of October We filed 2
petition signed by ninety-six prop
orty tax paying voters of the pro-
posed district, asking the commits
Sioncrs court to set said petition
down for a hearing 70 determine
whether an election should be held
10 organize such proposed nsviga-
ton district, including Brownsville
and adjacent territory. and to vote
$4,000, 900 Of bonds to meet the gov
eminent requirements at Brazos-Saa-
tiago pass, and to construct our
channel. basin and terminal facili-
tics. A favorable hearing was had
on this petition on November 9Th,
and an election ordered in said dis
trict for December %.
In the meantime Major Milo r.
Fox, district engineer Of the United
States army in charge Of rivers and
harbors along the Texas coast held
a hearing in the federal court roo
in Brownsville on November 21st IN
our proposition. at which time We
submitted written statements and
oral testimony covering some "
typewritten pages. The only oppo-
sition 70 u project in response to
Major FoX's statement that any one
who desired TO be heard in opposi-
tion TO the same might speak, came
from Major Rufus ". Putnam. who
stated that he represented the
Point 1sahcl-San Benito navigation
district. Apparently what he sought
was TO divert the Brownsville chan
mel by way Of Point Isabel instead
Of having said channel run directly
toward Brownsville from the pass.
This caused US TO seek the view of
the people of the proposed Browns
VILE navigation district more fully
ti,an 70 he'd hitherto done on the