Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-06-29

Port Developments are expected 70
give n new lease on life 20 the Port
Isabel and Rio Grande railway. the
historic road which served Point
Isabel and Brownsville as far back
as 1873 when vessels still were able
to tie I'D at the docks Of the sea-
coast village.
And AZ the same way that 10
helped build the fortunes OF many
men well known In South Texas In
the past Is It expected to play an
important part IN the developments
which are expected to follow IN the
wake OF present port activities.
One OF the purposes OF the or
g~aniZntion OF the railroad. then
known as the Rio Grande railroad.
was TO break the monopoly held by
Richard King and Mifflin Kennedy
who owned and successfully oper-
| ated a line Of % steamboats, as far
back as 1850. These boats carried
the freight and passengers to Point
Isabel from home and foreign ports.
They also piled up and down the
| Rio Grande. Their charges for serv-
ices were regarded as high and q
company was formed to build Q rail-
road from Point Isabel TO Browns
vile. 1t was organized under spe-
cial act OF the legislature Aug. IS,
1870.
Original stockholders were Simon
Celaya, II. Z. Woodhouse. Charles
McManus, John 8. Ford, David
Maltby and Joseph Kleiber many Of
whose descendants are living In the
Valley now.
King and Kennedy sought 10 fight
the railroad through the courts,
bringing suit TO prevent the rail-
road from building TO the center OF
Brownsville. They based their suit
on the allegation that the charter
provided for construction Of the
railroad only TO the city limits. II
the suit had been won the railroad
would have been compelled 20 haul
its goods 20 the center OF the city
In oxcarts or on the backs or bur-
ros. K. j. Davis. later a governor
VI 4SAdSs WOA4 bAC SdoC 4OA NAAC AcA
road. however.
Frustrated at this point King and
Kennedy, with the aid OF Uriah Lott
built a narrow gauge road from Cor
pus Christi to Laredo known as I /,
Corpus Christi. San Diego and Rio
Grande railroad.
Did Not Stop Them
This did not prevent the organiz-
erS OF the Rio Grande railroad from
going ahead with their plans and
the line was In operation by 1873
The rails were purchased In Eng
land and all brought over In the
same vessel.
1t is said that the construction
gang got lost one night On the prair-
lie and that thereafter a lamp was
kept in the Immaculate Conception
church in Brownsville to prevent .
recurrence or this incident.
On another occasion two cars were
said TO have been blown al the val
from Point Isabel to Brownsville b.
the wind.
The Rio Grande railroad first hac
two saddle back" locomotive
which, I'm spite OF tanks holding
large amount OF water, usually wen
dry before completion Of the jour
ney. A resaca a few miles out o
Brownsville was the only place eI
route at which water might be Sc.
cured and since the supply In tn
tanks might not conveniently NJ
replenished there always. the loco
motives were exchanged for fou
better ones.
One Of the most romantic stories
connected with the old railroad wa
the holdup staged In j. luary, le1l
When the train reached Lor- Tro'
sada, about IL miles from Poin
Isabel II ran of the tracks Th'
rails had been loosened and bandit
in hiding pulled them away b.
means Of wires as the train ap
peared. OF course. the engineer wa
unable to stop the train In time.
Eight armed men stepped out o
the brush and grass. four OF then
advancing and forcing the passen
gers and crew to hold up thei
hands. Robert Kingsbury. conduc
tor, realized they were after $4,000
in silver aboard the train and start
ed to pull his gun. A bandit jammet
a pistol in his stomach before h
could do SO. however.
She Saw II All
All Of the passengers were blind
folded except Mrs. Frank Thieler
Jr., and she recognized n OF tn
, bandits who climbed up q pole y
cut the telegraph lines. as a man 81
saw that same morning In
Brownsville store. His mask bleV
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