No. 764.
Mr. Bayard
to Mr. Connery.
Department
of State,
Washington
,
February 13,
1888.
No. 258.]
Sir: I herewith transmit for your information a
copy of a letter from the Hon. S. W. T. Lanham, a member of Congress from
Texas, dated the 8th instant, covering a communication to him from the
president of El Paso Development Board, in regard to wing-dams understood to
be in course of construction on the opposite bank of the Rio Grande, and
which, if prosecuted to completion and permitted to remain, will seriously
damage a portion of the city of El Paso.
While this Government has no desire to interfere with any improvements which
Mexico may deem essential for the due protection of her shores, yet, at the
same time, it is not believed that anything which threatens serious injury
to American property rights will, in the interest of good neighborhood, be
persisted in upon proper representations being made.
[Page 1111]
Accordingly, you will suitably lay the facts in this correspondence before
the Mexican Government, asking to be favored with an explanation in regard
to the wing-dams, and, if necessary, that steps be immediately taken to
remedy the evil complained of.
For convenience I inclose two tracings showing merely the course of the river
and the position of the wing-dams on the Mexican side. One of these copies
you may present to Mr. Mariscal with your note upon the subject.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 258.]
Mr. Lanham to Mr.
Bayard.
House
of Representatives,
Washington,
D. C.
,
February 8,
1888.
Dear Sir: I respectfully transmit a
communication, with accompanying map, this day received by me from the
president of the El Paso Development Board.
Your consideration of the matter stated is respectfully requested.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 258.]
El Paso Development Board
to Mr. Lanham.
El
Paso, Texas
,
January 30,
1888.
Dear Sir: We desire to call your attention to
the following situation, and ask your kind offices in at once calling
the attention of the honorable Secretary Bayard to it, and request him
to take as prompt and effective action as is possible to cause the work
which threatens our city to be stopped before it is too late, and the
course of the Rio Grande permanently changed.
Inclosed you will find a map, and the red lines on the Mexican side of
the river will show about the localities where they are working.
The land on which the city of El Paso is built is, from about where the
court-house stands, to the west, south, and east, alluvial soil
deposited by the river, and were the course of the river permanently
deflected, so that its force is turned upon our banks, then in a very
short space of time a large part of the town would be washed off.
We grant that the Mexicans have the right to protect their own banks, but
hold that they have no right to construct dams, wing-dams, on any work of this kind, to the injury and
impairment of our shores, as they are now doing.
These wing-dams are 6 to 8 feet high, and very substantially built of
timber, rock, and willows, and, while largely finished now, more are in
process of construction. The work on the latter should be stopped at
once, and the dams already finished removed, for as soon as the high
water comes the damage to our town will be serious.
Urging as strongly as we can your prompt action in this matter, we
remain,
Yours, respectfully,
El Paso Development Board,
S. W. Russell,
President.
