Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-11-16

| Is built on the northern extremity of Gal
weston Island. The entrance 10 the bay Of
the same name, which forms its harbor lies
between Point Oliver on the north and
eastern extremity of Galveston Island on
the south. II has q width Of two miles,
broken by shoals into four channels, which
have depth of from nine TO twelve feet on
the bar. The blockade of this city would
be easily effected by q single vessel. The
same blockade cuts off Huston, whose COM
munioation with the Cuffs through Buffalo
| Bayou and Galveston Bay.
%. BRAzos RIvER.-Tbis entrance is
about fifty miles southwest of Galveston.
| A channel with eight feet leads to Quintana
the entrance, a mile and half above the
bar.
"a. MATAGoRDA Bay.-Passing the shall
low mouth Of the Brazos River and long
stretch of coast, the Pasa del Cavallo, a nnr-
row entrance to NIetagorda Bay is reached.
This inlet, something less than two miles
wide, has depth Of nine feet of water on
the bar. On the bay Of Matagorda are the
towns of Matagorda and Indianola, the for
mer at the mouth of the Colorado River, the
latter on the San Antonio. One hundred
and ninety miles Of coast are shut in by
four long, narrow islands, viz Matagorda,
San Jose, Mustang and Padre Islands. Ar
anzas Pass, between the first two, gives o
narrow inlet for light draft vessels to the
bay of the same name. The pass of Corpus
Christi, between the second and third, has
but four feet of water, leading up to town
of the same name.
25. BRAzos SANTIAGo.-The pass of
Brazos Santiago has a width of about two
miles, and seven feet Of water on the bar.
26. MOUTH OF THE Rio GRANDE.-The
Rio Grande, forming the line of boundary
| with Mexico, has shifting bar of from FIVE
to seven feet in depth.
q. EsPIRITU SANTo BAY is about fifteen
| miles long, north east and south west by
about five miles in width. 1t communicates
with the Gulf of Mexico through two small
! bayous at the north east end and connects
also with Matagorda Bay at Pass Cavallo.
| Through one of the bayous (McHenry's) the
| State authorities of Texas have caused a
channel to be opened, affording a depth of
four and a half feet at average high water,
and the digging Of channel of ten feet from
the bayou into Pass Cavallo, to form har
| Dor or dock for steamers and other sea- going
vessels, has been undertaken by private en-.
terprise. The town of Saluria is situated at
the east end of this bayou. Throughout the
bay there is an average depth of seven feet,
| bD6 DOtlOh DClBB RGu6IdIy SUI uuu anu
shells, except in one locality, known as the
middle Ground" which is sand, and por-
tion of which is usually bare at low water.
The shores are low and marshy on all sides.
28 SAN ANTONIO BAY is of an irregular
and somewhat triangular shape, the greatest
length being from north to south, about 20
miles, and the width ranging from four TO
eighteen miles. 1t has no direct communica-
ton with the Gulf of Mexico, and is, there
fore, but little affected by the Gulf tides.
frequently the water is made fresh by the
discharge from the Guadalupe River, which
enters at its north. east end, and is almost al
ways muddy.
20. Mission BAY is a small, shallow sheet
of water, cut off from the head OF San Anto.
nio Bay, on the east side, by the delta of the
Guadalupe River, and having not over
eighteen inches of water into or through it.
A small bayou, entering on its east side
drains Green Lake, which is a small sheet
of fresh water lying some miles further up
the delta.
80. HINES BAY, on the west side of the
delta, is of the same character, but is larger,
being about three and half miles in diam
eter and shaped like horse shoe 1t is also
deeper than Mission Bay, affording about
three feet of water to its head. On the north
side is the swamp OF the delta, but on the
south a prairie bluff twenty feet high,
bounds the shore, and here, within space
of three miles, some twenty or thirty houses
form what is called Crescent Village.