No. 792.
Mr. Bragg
to Mr. Bayard.
Legation of
the United States,
Mexico, May 30, 1888.
(Received June 5.)
No. 56.]Sir: Upon receipt of your No. 258, of February 13,
1888, Mr. Connery addressed Mr. Mariscal a note, copy of which is inclosed,
calling his attention to the complaint of citizens of El Paso, Texas,
concerning the construction of wing-dams on the Mexican side of the river,
which threatened injury to property on the American side.
I am in receipt of Mr. Mariscal’s reply, of which I forward translation. It
will be noted that there is a careful avoidance in the letter to any
allusion to what the future effect may be.
I am, etc.,
[Page 1201]
[Inclosure 1 in No. 56.]
Mr. Connery to Mr.
Mariscal.
Legation of the United States,
Mexico, February 24,
1888.
Sir: I am instructed by Mr. Bayard to call the
attention of your excellency’s Government to the complaint formulated by
citizens of El Paso, Texas, concerning the construction of wing-dams on
the opposite bank of the Rio Grande, which, if prosecuted to completion
or permitted to remain, will, it is claimed, seriously damage a portion
of the city of El Paso. In order to make the matter even clearer to your
excellency, I have the honor to inclose herewith a tracing showing
merely the course of the Rio Grande and the position of the wing-dams on
the Mexican side.
While my Government has no desire to interfere with any improvements
which Mexico may deem essential for the due protection of her shores, 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. May I venture to ask whether
the works under construction are an absolute necessity or whether the
object desired could not be accomplished in some other way more
consistent with the interests of both countries? I would most
respectfully pray your excellency to be favored with an explanation in
regard to the wing-dams, and that steps be taken to remedy the evil
complained of.
I beg to renew, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 in No.
56.—Translation.]
Mr. Mariscal to Mr.
Bragg.
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Mexico, May 22,
1888.
Mr. Minister: Immediately upon receipt of the
note of February 24 last, from your legation, relative to the complaint
formulated by citizens of El Paso, Texas, concerning the construction of
wing-dams on the right bank of the Rio Grande, I transmitted the same to
the department of public works, requesting information upon the
matter.
Under date of the 14th instant the said department forwarded to me the
report furnished upon the 4th instant by the chief engineer in charge of
the hydraulic works on the river resident at Paso del Norte. That report
establishes the fact that the wing-dams referred to by your legation,
and the construction of which was for the sole purpose of protecting the
right bank of that river against the force of the current, have not, up
to the present, caused any damage to the left bank of the same; also
that the changes produced upon both river banks were produced prior to
the construction of the said wing-dams, and were due alone to the
corrosion natural to soft lands.
Hoping that these explanations will satisfy the inquiries of the letter,
which I have the honor to answer, and at the same time referring to mine
of the 16th instant relative to the national status of the lands lying
to the south of the old bed of the Rio Grande, I have, etc.,
