The Velasco Times (Velasco, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 21, 1892 Page: 1 of 8
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V
Deep Water a Fact-—Not a. Promise."
VOL. 1.
VELASCO, KRAZOKIA CO., TEXAS. THURSDAY, JANUARY 21. 1892.
NO. 19.
v
t
THE LIFE OF VEEASCO,
IT READS MORE LIKE A REAL
ROMANCE.
A Brief Review of the Young Giant of
the Coast—An Interesting Story to
the Outside World Facts
and Statistics.
Houston l'oeit.
Writing a review of the lirst six
mouths of the life of Velasco in inter-
esting lo the reviewer, and the history
of a success is al way sj u teresting to the
American reader. Tho infancy of Ve-
lasco is a morning of promise. The
sun came up full and clear. Small
cloud/, appeared, but they settled
down below the horizon, aud now w«
have en tered the business of the day,
full of courage and determination,
with a brilliant sun and a clear sky.
The motto of Velasco is, "If you want
a thing well done, do it yourself."
The mouth of the Brazos river is
open for business and invites the peo-
ple of Texas and all tho Trans-Missis-
sippi to hand out through
this poit their su-plus products to all
the world, and take back whatever
they need which the people of the
world have to sell.
The shore of the (Julf of Mexico
has been a Chinese wall over or
through which the commerce of the
world could not pass. At Velasco a
roadway has been dug through it.
Already ihe ships fioin distant seas
have heard of the newly made
pass.
July 1,1801, the poifc opened for bus-
iness, and up lo January 1, 181)2, 475
vessels have unloaded ca>go at the
■wharves of Velasco. The following
sailing vessels and steamships of the
tonnage and draught given show that
we have got deep water, as compared
with any other port on the Texas
coast. These vessels could not have
been brought to Velasco wharves
across the prairie. The Henry P. Ma-
son has been in this port three times,
and has broken the record tor deep
draught each time.
Name- Tonnage. Draught.
B.'ii,'. Atalanta 430 tons. 13>¿ feet
:tM. Sch. Henry 1', Mason. 820 " mi "
3 M. 8ch. Manuel R. Cuza 400 " 13
:¡ M. Sch. Jonana Swan., fflft " 14'« "
Barkcotlnc VI dot to .900" 1"> "
Brt.kentine EmUa S00 " 1UÍ "
HM. Sch, Elsie E Bayles . :¡00 " 13
SM. Sch. Rich. S. Spofford 600 " 14 "
SM. Sch. Comet 320 " ÍIHÍ "
3 M. Sch. Louis V, Place. .1000 " l.>>« "
3 M. Sch. Ed. Allen True..1000 " 15 it 8 in.
3 M. Sch. Henry P. Mason 101)0 " 16 ft. fi in
3 M. Sch. Jno. H. Butterick.lOOO " 15JÍ feet
Steamship Brixham. 612 " 16 "
.Steamship Czarina 1100 " 15"
3 M-Sch. Henry P. Mason 1000 " 16 ft. 9 in
July 1 the city of VTelasco was laid
out. July 11 the first lot was sold. At
that time there was only one house on
the town site. To-day there are 303
houses, 167 of which are residences
and 136 business bouses. There are
several hotels, oue of which, "The Ve-
lasco," is a sple.idid hostelry with a'l
modern conveniences.
The following taken from the wharl
master's book shows the principal
items and figuréis of me-'chantiise
which has been unloaded at t he Velas-
co wharves since July 1, 1801:
Lumber. 8,754,334 feet.
Shiog'es, fi->0 (Mil).
Coal. 3000 tons.
Kailtoad stee' 2oM4 tons.
Kaihoad i ¡es, sí).2 .0.
Bridge timber, 130,000.
Ralhoad material, :¡l!i tons.
Merchandise, 20.000.000 pounds*
In fact, everything in Velasco .o-
day was brought bete by waíe-, ami
for the use of Velasco alo ic. We have
no railroad out of here up to ibis time.
I M !*tlO VKM KN I'S
For more than twe.i v yea.s tlie
government lias been spending money
at the different river mouths on the
Texas coast with the purpose of mak-
ing a pass and roadway for the pass-
age of ocean coinmerce. In twenty
years $5,120,7.30 have been spent, ano
the following is the government re-
port of the depth of the water at the
time work was commenced, and the
depth of the water at the present time:
All the great, growing surplus pro-
ducing West, the only territory in the
world which has never failed to pro-
duce a surplus to see alternately de-
manded and begged of congress the
opening of a harbor on the Texas
coast. Deep water has been the eco-
nomic question of tho West—moie im-
potent than all oíbevs. Leaders of
all professions, of all religions, all poli-
tics, all business, have ageed on this
necessity without one dissenting voice.
All gove.nmeufc wo-.k 011 Texas hai-
bors, as the above Aguces convincing-
ly show, has been a d iviiaig, dis-
gusting, discouraging failure. Aud
18ÍM) found the great West as badly oil'
for a seaport as she was in 1870. The
following is taken from the govern-
ment cha lis of the several harbors.
Harbor.
Sabine Puss
Galveston
Jlra/.os
Arni sas Pass
Brazos Siiikíü-
l)e;ilh 1H70
0 IV 6 in
12 ft
5 ft 6 ill
S fl
7 ft
Depth 1890.
10 It.
12 It. 6 in
4 ft. ti in
8 ft
7 ft
January, 1888, a commission of gov-
ernment engineers examined the
mouth of the Brazos liver and report-
ed that deep water could not be ob-
tained at this point. March 28, 1889,
the Brazos itivcr Channel and Dock
company, a private corpoiatiou com-
posed of such men as Senator C. B.
Farwell. Hon. Abner Taylor, (who
hu'lt the magnificent State capítol
building of Texas) Mr. W. M. D. Lee,
G. VV. Angle and J. M. Fe guson,
commenced work on the jetties upon
plans and specifications proposed by
Mr. E. L. Cor 1 hell, C. E., who was
chief to Captain Eads iu the work at
the mouth of the Mississippi river,
which is the only successful hav'oor
wovk done in the Untied States. The
water on the bar was ihen four and
one-hftlf feet deep. The success of
this w01k is evidenced by list of ves-
sels which have, du ing the last six
months, passed safely over the ha*,
which is given in detail above. Then,
the fi'st and pre-eminent improvement
of which Velasco can boast is deep wa-
ter, obtained at a cost of $1,500,000, not
one cent of it U ic'e Sam's money.
A hotel with electric lights, steam
beat and all modern conveniences, is
luxuriously accommodating to-day
hundteds of visito s.
Six hundred feet of wharves 100 feet
wide have been built. Already ves-
sels have taken up al' ibis wharfage,
and the 600 feet of : ¡ver bank, and
formed a ma'ioe pic-u-e never before
seen in a poit oaly six months old.
The sy jdlcaies, recognizing the nec-
essity for pure wate , sovivldlyshown
by o jr sister city, Galveston, which
has to bring into that city by train
water for even the locomotives in their
ail oad yards, commenced the work
ofgeiJng. if possible, artesian water.
Galveston's $75,000 failure was before
them. They Biased an eight-inch
well, and at 1065 feet struck water
which flowes out at the top of a thirty-
five foot pipe with a roaring which
cau be heard two blocks away. The
flow is 1,000,000 gallons a day, and is,
neit to deep water, the greatest im-
provement possible to any city. The
water is soft, pure and clear.
Si eetsaod bou'evards have been
g aded. sidewalks laid, and seventeen
b ick stoves a-e now being erected.
Two plaining mills a¡e in operation
and four brick yards are unable to fill
.he ordeas for brick. Six lumber
yards work every hour of the day, and
every other man you meet is complain-
ing that he can't get lumber i'asl
enough.
An ice and cold storage plant has
just been chaiieied and the site foi
their pla>'t has been pu-chased.
The 11-st lot was sold in Velasco
July 11. iwil, imkI the company's sates
to December 31 aggregate $1,150,000.
On these sales an average of more than
one-third lias been paid in cash.
O "gitiiil pu 1 chasers have sold through
agents p-ope-ly lo the amount
of $¡65 000 which has netted a profit.
Total of real esiale sales in Velasco
i.i six mouths, $!.•>!5,000 Let the
reader compare this with the sales in
his own home ami he will have some
idea of the value of deep water. This
has been done at a time of disheart-
ening flnauc<al depression, and when
real estate investments are more
unpopular than any other. The feel-
ings of all people on the subject were
aptly described by a gentleman of
great wealth from Kansas City, who
attended the Velasco auction sale.
The depression there shockingly re-
duced his fortune and income, lie
said, "Corner lots I don't want, for
cot uer lots are what ails me." lie
bought la gely of Velasco lots, how-
ever, because said he, "Velasco has
made deep water, and the great West
will now make Velasco." Thirteen
millions of people will help make Ve-
lasco property valuable.
There is one National bank in oper-
aron and an other chiiUeivd. The
Ve'asco National bank, capital stock
$">0,000 is one of the institutions of
which we are pioud. It opened for
business when hotels w< le tents, ami
groceries sold under trees, aud its bus-
iness has grown with the place.
VKl,ANCO POSTOVl'ICK.
The Velasco postotllce is not ye!
six montn old. Fo-- the last three
months or quarter endu'g December
31, 1801, die postmaster. Mr. J. B.
Shea, reports amount of stamps, pos-
tal c;v ds, stamped envelopes, etc..
sold, $1,050; number of boxes rented,
144; number of people who call for
mail daily, 840; add to this the boxes
and we And that UL4 people call for
mail at the postoillce. It Is fair to
estimate that not oue-third of the
populntiou call daily for mail. This
indicates that Vclasco's population is
3,000 at least.
IMPROVEMENTS ITNDKK CONSTRUC-
TION.
If the reader will examine any
good railroad map he will see that
Houston has thirteen w.'lroads, ten of
which are trunk lines,including every
important system in the southwest.
Velasco is located Just fifty-live
miles southwest of Houston. The
International road owns the Columbia
Tap railroad, which at its nearest
point, Cbeuango Junction, is only
twenty miles f-om Velasco. The Ve-
lasco syndicate organized the Velasco
Terminal railroad, and have about
finished a railroad from Velasco to
Chenango Junction. It will be in op-
eration by February 1, 1892, and will
give Velasco, via Houston, outlet and
inlet for all commerce by thirteen
roads. With the opening of tills road
will begin our greatest growth. Thous-
ands of bales of cotton and tons of oil
cake¡¡have wanted to take advantage of
our low wha -f rates, yet all vessels
have left the port empty because we
have had no railroad from Houston to
this place.
The Velasco Electric railway is now
under construction. This line is nine
miles long and .extends from Crescent
beach to Velasco, through the city on
Gulf Boulevard to Riverside and
Austin Parks. This will connect
Surf Side and the most beautiful
beach and delightful surf bathing,
with Velasco. This road will he in
operation by April 1, proximo.
The wharves Just completad have
already proved inadequate to the bus-
iness, and the syndicates will add to |
them 1000 feet, witli warehouses of,
three times the capacity of the
one just finished. It is a fact that |
there is not one indication of forcing j
or booming in this rushing, active
place. Velasco is not making bus'-
ness so much as business is making
Velas::o. There is an urgent demand
for every enterprise or improvement.
The four storied Hotel Velasco, built
by the syndicate, is lighted by elec-
tricity, and now they arc fiirsb'ng an
an- light plant which will I'ght tlx
wharves, the business pa>-t of the city
and many of the streets. One im-
mense light is being placed on the
dome of the Hotel Velasco, 105 feet
from the ground.
Stiff Hide is being "aid out. It is
located on Crescent Beach. The form
of the blocks are unique. Each lot in
every block fronts the beach. No
more beautiful location for a seaside
place could be imagined, much less!
found. It is in easy view of the jetties,
and all commerce of the po.l will
0. A. BLAKE.
C. STEWART
BLAKE & STEWART.
AND •.•><>
*
Brokers.
Lot and Acreage Properties for
Sale on Easy Temrs.
Correspondence Solicetecl.
l^ostoffice Box No. BO
PERRY & NORTHRUP,
Real Estate Agents
VELASCO, TEXAS.
A LARGE LIST
% *
* *
Q
OF CITY PROPERTY
Prices from $100 to |2,f>00 for lot*: Term* one-third to rwo-thirtl canil, balance one and two
jrearH, elsht pur cent. Intercut. 200,000 Aeren of improved itiul unimproved lands. Producen
Fruit, Cotton, Corn, mid Simar Cano in «rent abundance. Vegetables of every variety «row the
year round. For information aft to Quintana C'ty Property and acrcagc address W. Jack liryan,
Quintana, Te::iis. For Velasco City property and aereanc property addres
FZinRV d> NORTHIIUP, VELASCO, TEXAS.
J. C. KELLY & CO.,
0
And Dealers i 1 Ura'ns a'-d Feed H.uITn. Coiihíkiuiiciuh of u'l klin'H of Coun.ry Product) Solicited
Good P lee* and Prompt Ha'cs Guaranteed.
F. C. FINNIB,
REAL ESTATE AND AGENTS FOR INVESTORS.
holee CUy L .h for 8 le in Velasen. Correspondence Bol'elted. All letters of linjiilry will
be p'omptly answered.
pass and repass in plain sight of every
fool of village or beach. Crescent
Reach deserves its name. Every
house can be seen from every other
house, and all the hew shaped stretch
of beach is in si^ht from any point.
The surf ''oils in perfectly straight and
does not pull the bathe' s to one side.
There Is positively no undertow what-
ever, and at the < ¡stance of a half a
mileout from tho shore the water is
only shoulder deep, so gradually does
it grow deeper. The bol torn is smooth
sand, soft as a carpet, and bathing
has been enjoyed every 1110111.il in the
year.
(iulf boulevard is being graded to
Hiff Side, and before the hotel Ih fin-
ished a beautiful drive to Crescent
lieach will be opened.
IM I'liOVKM KS'PH IN PIUlSPKC "I .
The V sit of Mr. I. I.. McLenan, the
largest elevator builder in the coun-
try, did mean something. The morn-
ing before he left $148,000 was sub-
Hc-ihed for an elevator and compress.
The ele vat o* is to have a capacity of
500,000 bushels, and both compress and
elevatorio be ready for the coming
season. The fact that grain ships
which oilfrr the cheapest rate of freight
draw too much water to get Into <lal-
vcstoii, and the further fact that grain
j cannot be successfully lightered, will
give to Velasco all theg/aiu business
which comes to Texas.
Galveston expects to get deep water
If the appropriations are ample and
regular, In six or seven years. During
that six or seven years Velasco will be
growing an export trade and estab-
lishing facilities for the same, which
will make it hers forever. Velasco
has five miles tow against twelve at
Galveston and l.'IO at New Orleans.
Velasco depends on the tangible ad-
vantages which she possesses to bring
lo her the írade of the Southwest and
west.
The elaborate plans for betterment
of the river from from Velasco to tho
mouth of tho je ties will continue to
be carried out. NVlug dams will bo
built to protect the ¡tanks and confine
the channel.^
Tho dummy line of road to tho
beach will be used to bring sand aud
IINTIM'KII ON PAGK FIVK.
«S
"w*" ''"v.*
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The Velasco Times (Velasco, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 21, 1892, newspaper, January 21, 1892; Velasco, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth185304/m1/1/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .