New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-03-05
Tae Passes of the Mts.issippi.
aRrrrR FROM GEN. BgAUnEeAnp.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Feb. %,

! Il y z 3 = 81 \ J..
New ORLEANS, La, Feb. ~, 1866.
Deer Sirs: Permit me to answer some of the
objections noticed to the bill for excavating one
or Htore of the passes of the river.
j. From the earliest surveys on record, the
passes have always had the same depths Of water,
j. Q. from to l6 feet OF ordinary low water. The
mean tidal rise there is from Il to 20 inches aver
aging thus about II inches The two best of the
six passes of the river have generally had from
l4ato 16 feet water at ordinary low tide. Atpre
sent those two passes are the Southwest Pass and
Pass l'Outre. About twenty five or thirty years
ago they were the Southwest and the Northeast
passes some years before they were the South
west and North passes, From these constant
changes in the principal PASSES, il would be iniu-
dicious to limit the operaGons of the company to
any one stated pass for, a few years hence, one
of the shalowest might be. the most advantageous
70 operate apou. Tbs bars meve outward into the
Gulf ct the rate of nearly ooe mile in fifteen or
Sixtc5n years, and remarkable fact is, that they
maintain meanwhile their general form or outline.
It is absurd to pretend that they ever had more
than l6 feSt water at ordinary low tide.
.. Any tabor bestowed on the bars of the river
to deepen their channels, must be constant; for
20 long as tho original causes which produced
water return Immediately after the cessation Of
work on said bars.
5. Aboutfhle yearla30 the government expended
500 900 useessly in endeavoring to deepen one OF
the Passes. In 1923 it expended (under my su-
rervision) ss75, ,OOoTo deepen the Southwest Pass,
AT first one, and then two boats were employed
On that werk for one year. The contractors lost
heavily by their contract, bat fortunately made it
MP by the greater facility in towing vessels over
the bar, which was considerably improved. But,
after the next rise of the river, the channel ex-
cavated filed up almost entirely. l will remark
here@that the channels over the bars are always
for i0byieus reasons. About the year 1856 the
expended $235 600 in vain
attempt to deepen the Pass-a-' Outre and to re-
deepen the Southwest Pass.
q nn
annually in and out Of the river It is to be feared
that il will he many years before that tonnage will
reach again2 900 00e6, which must be abont equally
divided between the two principal Passes. One
3hird Of this tonnage Of each Pass (abont 330,000
tons) belong 10 vessels drawing thirteen feet and
less Of water; these vessels could pass outside of
the buoys OF the new channel, and therefore
would not'be charged toll. Thus only about
$4,000 tons would pay the fifteen cents toll asked,
whichwould producesabout 100000 per Pass, and
mot 81 ;000 0G0, las one member OF the legislature
has affirmed. Considering the great risk of failure
the Large first outlay Gnd the constant current ex
pensesy yc7enif the Wsrk be successful, a believe
the gross revenue, as shown by the above figures,
will beBufHciently moderate.
81 One honorable member states that he had
been refused as one of the six associates IN the
undtgtaking He is certainly mistaken if he refers
70 myproposed company, which is not yet formed,
1ndtwhich will not be organized until after shall
have aseen empowered ny the State and Federal
Goysrnments to undertake the work. The honor
whsse bill was presented to the Senate few
weeks since. asking eighteen cents per ton, instead
Ofsdfteen. know nothing of those parties. de-
eireno monopoly Of nothing which might injure the
commercial prosperity Of my native city. On the
contrary believe would benefit it greatly by
giving from two to four feet more water in one or
more Passes of the river, thus facilitating direct
trade with Europe.
dt Will always be impractcable to obtain regular
and constant annual appropriations from the State
or Federal government to improve the mouths of
the RIVER. Only private enterprise can ever ac-
c0mpaish that desirable object. How is this to be
done without proper and encouraging legislation.
HBoston Philadelphia, or New York had only
ram 1e to LII feet OF water at high tide over their
haIH, how long do you suppose those distractions
to their commerce would remain nnremoyed? The
whole YANKEES and Southern people would be
heavily taxed at once, to give those cities at least
As feet water over their bars.
could add great deal more on this subject,
but I Hial not tax longer your patience
remain yours very truly,
5's g. II. BEAUREGARD,
% Col Wiascn, and other members Of Legislature