The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-11-08
NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1861

the termin OF railroad which Florida, connect
nag with roads and west The entrances to Cedar
Keys Dor arc narrow the best has depth of only
feet the bar The bar Of the Suwanee river
| ten miles above, has but Ave feet Of water.
II. N. Mtrk's-0ne hundred miles up the coast, after
turning the west 81. Marks IL reached town com
mcrciay important account Of its connection by rail
road at Tallahassee both with the northern and western
interior 81 Marks harbor Is connected with Appalachee
Bay by single narrow entrance eight miles in length,
with nine feet Of water the bar but only up to
Fort st. Marks The blockade of ST. Marks by single
| vessel OF moderate size would be easy
Is. St Geoye's sou,d-Flliy.6y miles to the west
ward is Apalachcoa, small town at the mouth Of Apa
| This river admits vessels drawing six feet OF
! water. Those vessels drawing seven and ball
feet only approach the town. The entrances 10
the bay and harbpr such that single vessel could
blockade ii, il such bockaie considered necessary
Al the town cut of from tho interior by long reaches
Of dense swamp through which struggling post road +
kept up, IL viii hJ considered Of no importance Next IN
vane 10 Pensscoa as eaacioes and safe harhor i the
By OF ST. Joseph II Is nearly land locked ans nGs ~
anchorage depth OF twontj 1--we TO thirty eetils
entrance meas seventeen feet of water on tha r
There is unimporiaB shlng town called 81 Joseph ~
| this bay aud tolerabe road from IT TO Apalachlcoa
Tho lay of st. Andrews the next harhor the coast,
though Shelter for SHIPS n bad weather has oA'y ono
small town upon It's slorpa Equally wilderness s Tn
| country about IT. Rosa lay, which has narrow en-
trance, with hnt six feet Of water on tho bar oonhe
ing his hay with Tic Bay Of Pensacola Is ST. Rosa SAhd
naygabe only for vessels drawing less than oaf eeI
| water.
49, Peasacora One OF tho most important points, in
many respects, upon the 9Th is Pensacola, the next AZ
proachab,c harbor to tho West Rntlroads connect y
with Montgomery, tho capital OF The state OF Alabama
at which point Z Is connected with the great network Of
nAt mai reads. The eeatUH, near lehsacol Of United
states Navy Yard, adds % It's importance. The Bay ~
Pensacola on which the town lies affords the finest lar
Dor tfc Guff. The water the bar The entralcc
measures twenty-five feet within The bay il is stii dcef
er but the oept is only twenty feet on the waryes
| Of Pensacola. santa Rosa Island, forty miles in
length throws It's western extremity across tho mouth
| Of the bay, leayitg a single ehtraico one
| end Of tho island is Fort II, kcns, %
situated hat TIE entrance channel sweeps around il in
tsmcrele ard vessels entering are exposed IN turn "a
The fire from three sides Of the fort within range Of c5s
tian milo. Santa Rosa Island Is scarcely quarter Of
me wide at It's broadcast portion, and low hat heavy
sometimes break entirely some parts of H.
Opposite Fort Pick the main land is Fort Mciac
ana little 70 the south Of Tie latter is the battery
The Warrington Navy Yard and Fort farracas lie Oh
point Of TIE main land within the bay about and two
thirds miles iIom liclcns Fort Pckens alone main
tain blockade % Pensacola, so long as il remains in the
! hands Of the United States government
sh rt distance west from Pensacola il Pcrddo Bay
! with bar on which lies hut four feet Of wacr
/ ALABAMA.
] 20. Nob1c-Forty miles west from Pensacola the
by Of the same name lies Mobile entrance te second
place OF entry the Gnlr after New Orleans Two rail
roads connect it with TIL, great national routes The Mo
bile river and Us branches the Iombgbee AID Alabama
nayigabo for steamboats, several hundred miles, also
make important connections with the interior. Tie 20.
o. tti tf Mobile is twenty fyc thousand its business
! wholly commercial Tie entrance 10 tie bay lies be
tween sand island which the lighthouse stands, and
sEol making OF from Mobile Point, long spit
| Wgct'hG iiih the mum hha, f.Wly ihleen
| miles IN length, on The bar Of the deepest
!
Fort Morgan guards tho entrance fertilization on NJ.
Bile Point and al heavy draft vessels have 10 PASS i'm
mediaely under IS guns in entering the hay This fort
is in the hands OF the soccssont. The vessels bio, kading
his port will experience some difficulty in finding safe
anchorage during leav. weather, the fort will prevent
their using tho hay refuge. The pass between Petit
los and Horn Island, having sixteen feet, the
| refuge from southeast or southwest gales.
From Spbc Fay westward, line Of low sand islands
lies parallel 20 the coasi, forming Mississippi Sound,
which lavigahe for coasters drawing six feet Of
Through this sound considerable trade is carried on with
New Orleans, by way OF Bayou St. Jean and Lake Pont
chartrain. The sound communicates with Mobile through
narrow channel OF five feet ut low water, called Grants
Pass There are several connections between Mississippi
sound and The 6hil, fi2-beweeh Ianpiinc and Petit
l3ois Iards between Petit Bos and Horn Islands, aud
beyond Horn Island The coast conmenicaton between
New Orleans and Mobile could be cut OF by small cutter
cruising between Horn Island and Chandelier Reef dis
lance Of thirteen miles, cutting off at the time the
communication Of New Orleans with the Gulf, through
Lake poGcharfan. The latter body Of water navi-
gated by vessels drawing feet Of water. Cat and
ship Islands have good habos the first at its northeast
end and the last at the northwest end Their channels
ford, respectively, seyeftecn and nineteen feet.
IoulSASA.
81. Mouths Of tie Mississippi. There three
main passes TO the Mississippi, the Northeast
Pass, the Southeast Pass ana tho Southwest
ass These, Ut their widest divergence, are about
twenty-five miles apart The Southwest iass has usually
thirteen foct Of water the bar the depth varies
sideraby that vess draw ing but fourteen and half
feet sometimes lie weeks in tho mud before being able to
pass The ether Passes Still more tickle and
changeablc although admitting heavy draft vessels The
land at the entrance Of the Mississippi river Is nothing
rufhes growing upon IT, at the height of ten twelve
feet above tho water. From the bar 10 New Orleans is
verge, forming Tie delta, about twelve miles from the
Gulf. At this point in tho river two three steamers
could obs'ruc the navigation of the river for any length
OF time and against an enemy approaching from any d.
rection, except by similar marne from the sea.
The city Of New Orleans, wholly commercial, fnfs its
only available access the Gulf through tho Mississippi
Bew the city two forts either bank Of the river
in the hands of the secessonsts but not considered OF
much protective value
hocr 4 ,hoto
Union. railway line, partly finished, connects 1t with
Houston and Galveston Texas. At the point where this
road nearly approaches the Gulf Is the only important
ha Dor in Louisiana west Of the Mississippi, Atcafaiaya
BAY which as entrance with but seven feet Of water
on the bar.
The mouth Of the Sabine river has from six to eight
fec, Of water the bar The sounds and channels along
the from the Mississippi TO the Sabine nayga
bic for vessels Of three four feet draft and certain
small steamers for long distances up the
various bayous that lead to the interior. There are no
towns the coast OF any Importance.
TEXAS
o. GalvstoaIhe town o Galveston is built upon the
northern extremity Of Galveston Island The
tie bay Of the name which forms its harbcr lies
between Point Oliver on the north, and eastern
nit. Of Galveston Island on the south II has width Of
TWO miles broken by shoals into four channels which
have depth ~ from nine to twelve feet tho bar The
blockade Of this city would be easily effected by single
vessel The same blockade cu,s oil Houston whose
munication with the Gulf is through Buffalo Bayon and
Galveston Pay.
%. Br,sos Rier.-This entrance is about Grty miles
southwest Of Galveston. channel with eight feet leads
to Quntana and vcasco which lie opposite sides Of
| the entrance. mile and u haf above the bar.
"a. Ha.agcyda RaRPassing the shallow mouth Of the
aDos river and long stretch OF coast, the Iasa dol
Cavalo entrance to Mataordo Bay is reached.
This inlet, something Icss than two miles wde has
depth Of aiIe feet al the the bay Ct
Matagoria are the towns Matagorda and ladiauoa TIE
former the mouth Of the Colorado river the latter on
the San Antonio Ono hundred and ninety miles of
shut IN by four long, islands Matagorda,
san jose, Mustang ind Padre Islands, Arnnzas Pass,
between the first two gives marrow inlet 10. light draft
vessels to the bay Of the Tic pass Corpus
Christi between the second and third has but four
| water, leading up 10 n town OF the name.
25 BRACES Sln,iosoThe pass OF Hrazos Santiago has
width Of about two miles, and seven feet water on
! the bar.
e. Mouth of lie Rio Grdnde-The Rio Grande, form
ing the line OF boundary with Mexco has shifting bar
! Uf from FIVE 70 seven ioet In depth.
o. Esri,itu SGn,o Bay is about fifteen miles long,
northeast and southwest, by about I'VE miles IN width.
II commun cates with tho Guf Of Mexico through two
small bayous tho northeast end and also with
| Matagorda bay at Pass Cavalo. Through OF the
bayous olenry 81 the State Authorities of Texas have
caused channel 10 be opened alcrding depth Of four
and hall feet nj average high water and the digging of
Of feet from the bayou into Pass lavao TO
vessels has been undertaken by private enterprise Tne
OF Suria il situated Mt the end OF this BAYOU
Throughout the bay there average depth Of seven
feet the bottom being generally SOFT mud shells, ex
cept IN one locality, known IS tho "Mlddle Ground
which s sand and portion Of which Is usually at
low water The shores are low and maIshy al sides