Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-06-29
EFFORTS TOLD
IN WATER DISTRICT STORY

but good nerican engineers only
got $4,000 per month, and Crow"
Work was pickl-- up and more
enginec.s were needed so Dean
Taylor sent US tn pick Of Texas
University engineering class Of
"07." we got A. L. Tocmbs. now
in Washington, ID. G., j. Scott
Brown, san Benito. sam House.
holder, now a ranchman az Byers,
Texas. II. P. Griffin Of McAllen and
II. II. Sutton. / 90 not know where
ne IS now. Later We got Bruce Gen.
Try, Bill Kraul, L. }. Crawford and
Others. We broke IN" a great bunch
OF young engineers on this Ioo.
some mae good and somt did
not. Out OF our young engineers we
turned out foreign missionaries,
diplomats, contract railroad =
ficials, Tanchmen and some en-
giESerS.
Shortly after forming the San Be-
nito Land and Water Co. We began
10 add to our 1900 acre project.
First we bought about 5000 acres
from Lon G. Hill lying along U
west line, from the river to the
arroyo. A few months later we
bought 1l,700 acres from James @.
Brown, about 5000 acres Of it along
the west side Of the Hill land and
the balance up on the Arroyo about
iRo Hondo. In 1908 we bought the
Combes tract north Of San Benito.
We also bought $40 acres from the
railroad company lying in and ad-
Joining San Benito. This gave US
about 43.S00 acres, which comprises
the San Benito Land and Water
Co.'S holdings and the original
lands in this development. However.
the Company owned $500 acres in
Share IL Espiritu Santo Grant
which was never a part Of this de-
velopment.
During 1910, 1911 and 1912. va
rious subsidiary companies were or
eanized and bought and subdivided
some $4,000 acres more lying ada
cent to the San Benito Land and
Water Co.'S holding. These subsi-
diary companies each made con-
tracts with the parent company for
the irrigation Of their lands.
Water Rights
Under the old statutes a water ap-
preparation was made by fling
with the county clerk a declaration
OF Intention to appropriate water
for q given number Of acres OF land,
and a mar showing location OF the
land and proposed canals. Under
this law we made four filings, 1. e.:
LIST. April 81, 1907 on .....24,44l &C.
2nd. Aug. IL, 1908 on ..... 1853 &C
3rd. Jan. 2, 1909 on ......ll,724 &C.
4th. March 10, 1918 on ...34,3l6 &C.
A total or fo,AoO aC-
The first three we're on the or
iginal San Benito Land and I'M
provement Cos holdings.
We got off to a good start; but
there were breakers ahead as
every developer in the Valley found
we had the same troubles that ali
the balance Of the projects exper-
fenced. After we bought u lands
and built our works. development
came. too slow TO make our income
meet our expenses. In 1903 we made
our first bond issue Of $4,000.
These were 10 year bonds. Then IN
about 1911 we floated another
100000 bond issue. Development
came slowly. Our first land sales
we're at 5000. $500 and $4,000 per
acre. Land adjoining San Benito
and out / ID miles sold for $4,000
per acre, the next two miles out at
$500 and lands 3 1-2 miles and
further out sold at $50 per acre. In
1908 prices had gradually advanced
until resaca lands brought sl25.o0
and the balance $500 TO $4,000 per
acre. depending on location, etc.
The panic Of 1907 and 1908 de-
layed development. The 1909 storm
and flood didn't help matters. The
freeze OF 1912 hurt. The Frisco
aRilway receivership and It's in
fluence The war in Europe in 1914
was a body blow. The bandit trou-
bles in 1915 and 1915 made us erog-
gv and our entry into the World
War in 1917 finished us.
Under our bond issues we had
mortgaged al our lands and canal
property and put I'D all our vendor
lien notes for security. and practic-
ally all Of cur cash payments on
land sales went to the trustees for
the bond holders. which left US
with no money with which to oper-
ate.
Sold Scattered Tracts
Our land sales were badly scat
tered over the tract. but when we
sold q tract OF land and the pur-
chaser wanted vIter. we gave IL TO
him regardless Of the cost. On ac-
count Of this policy. before we had
our canal construction completed.