Jerome H. Farbar

“ Houston is the largest inland port cotton market in the world, handling nearly 3,000,000 bales annually, or the bulk of the crop of Texas and Oklahoma. Houston has greater concentration facilities than any city in Texas and a compressing capacity of 3,000,000 bales per year. The greatest item of commerce over the Ship Channel is cotton, and the channel alone saves over $6,000,000 annually to the cotton producers of Texas, as it reduces, for a haul of fifty miles, the railroad rate of 21 cents per hundred pounds to 6 cents. ”

“ Establishment of the chief city or capital was the first task, and it was decided to place it at a point easy of access by water, which was then the chief method of transportation, with the exception of overland, yet far enough inland from the coast to be safe from tropical and gulf storms. ”

“ The shops of the Sunset-Central Lines and of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad are in Houston. Nearly 2,500 men are employed in the great shops of the Texas & New Orleans Railroad, and over 500 men in the shops of the Houston & Texas Central. ”