By Steve Hathcock
Special to the PRESS
Moments in Time is a collection of recovered newspaper briefs and other publications, compiled by local historian, Steve Hathcock, offering a look back at the history of the Rio Grande Valley.
Steve Hathcock is a local historian and a regular columnist for the Port Isabel South Padre Press. He has spent many years collecting and sharing the history of the Rio Grande Valley, as well as treasure hunting and formerly owning an Island-based bookstore.
WILL VISIT LOST CITY SITE
Several of the descendants of John V. and Johanna Shaw Singer, who lived at the old Santa Cruz ranch house on Padre Island around 1850, are planning a trip to Brownsville soon, to visit the site of the “lost city.” Their interest in the place has been aroused by recent discovery of many relics at the site of the old city, and by subsequent general interest in it, with the information being furnished by the Singer descendants.
A letter received at the chamber of commerce here from Mrs. Fred Peters of Muskogee, Okla., granddaughter of the Singers who lived on Padre Island, says several of the descendants are planning a trip to this section soon.
(The Brownsville Herald Mon, Sep 28, 1931 )
\WHISKY SEIZED
Two Killed During Attack on Liquor Smugglers.(Reuter Cablegram.)El Paso (Texas), Tuesday. Four Border patrol officers surprised a band of 20 liquor smugglers at Rio Grande River last night, and in a pitched battle killed two, wounded another, and took five prisoners. The patrol officers also captured three motor cars and two trucks containing more than 150 gallons of whisky. None of the patrol men were injured.
(Evening Herald · Tue, Jul 23, 1929 · Page 6 · (Dublin, Dublin, Ireland)
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND HAS BRAND NEW TIDE STATION
PORT ISABEL— Something new and beneficial has been added to South Padre Island in the way of a permanent tide station, the first such installation for the booming island.
Manned by J. P. “Bud” Franke, the tide station will provide continuous, accurate tide information plus salinity readings and temperature reports.
Franke, a sporting goods store owner, was selected by the Tides and Current Division of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to be official observer for the station.
- J. Goodheart, physical oceanographer for the Tides and Current Division, announced Franke’s appointment Saturday and outlined the information that will be obtained from the new station.
“Information gathered by Franke will enable the Coast and Geodetic Survey to record and project more accurate tidal information for this fast-developing section of the Texas Gulf coast,” said Goodheart.
“Previous island tide charts were compiled by reference to data derived from the more accessible mainland tide stations established prior to the completion of Queen Isabella Causeway” he explained.
“Once the direct tidal rise and fall is recorded at the new station, it will not be necessary to determine the high and low tides for the island by addition and subtraction from recorded data at other stations,” said Goodheart.
The tide station was conceived by the General Land Office of the State of Texas and is a joint operation of the Land Office, and the U. S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management.
Cameron County Parks and Causeway Director Al McGehee also aided in the establishment of the tide station.
The tide station covers a multitude of services, according to
Franke, including the establishment of a base line at mean low tide for surveying purposes of the Gulf of Mexico tidelands shelf.
“The station also will furnish valuable information for fishermen through tide reports, the salinity readings and temperature measurement,” said Franke.
Other Plans
The U.S. Weather Bureau in Brownsville also has hopes of arranging remote control readings to enable them to secure advanced and improved hurricane information.
In the meantime, South Padre Island’s Padre Beach Chamber of Commerce is requesting permission to install additional approved weather instruments at the tide station in a bid to make the location a part of the nation’s weather map system.
The structure housing the new tide station is located on the ship channel side of the South Padre Island Jetty, near Franke’s place of business.
(The Brownsville Herald Sun, Jun 08, 1958)