New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-11-17
gHr oUTTET CANAL AND THE BEE,

from Eastern railroads TO the MISSISSIPPI
We acknowledge, however, and defer 70
| an interesting editorial Of half column in
| the same issue upon the ball at the Hotel
st. Louis 60 affirm with pleasure ''the sue
cess Of an entertainment which inAugu-
gurates 50 brilliantly the season, and must
mark for the Franco-Louisianais quarter
I Of the city the hour Of . new birth, i the
initiative taken with eqaal intelligence and
] generosity by the lady patrons Of Tee
I Hotel st. Louis shall meet a sympathetic
| echo in the bosonls Of the people. In this
commerce will find its account, etc.
| We admit that the fine arts do aid bust
| ness, bus do not think the Bee should
have found room in the short space allot-
! sed to the Mississippi outlet to have in
Guided two statements certainly not pro
| motive Of the great commerce which the
Vest aud South are now combining to d.
vert from the Eastern railroads and mar
nets. We are aware that these objections
! are oouched in the language Of literature,
! science, diplomacy and other fine arts,
| and, therefore, are not apt to distrust the
| rude Saxons who grow, distill and export
@ corn crop Of two hundred and fifty mil
lion bushels Yet, as we do not fear dis
| cuasion Of the objections, and as the Jour-
! nal Of Commerce and perhaps other Eastern
journals are casting about, according to
she St. Louis Democrat. for the means OF
| state defeating this improved outlet, We will
the objections. and meet them. They are:
.. That the Fort St. Philip canal is a
subject very ancient and often studied. 1t
was the theme Of an extended memoir by
Nm. Nontaign and La Moliniere in 1860.
The Fort St. Philip canal was first re-
commended 20 The Legislature by NJ.
Buisson. q captain Of engineers in the
army Of the first Napoleon, and subse-
quenuy State engineer here. His plan
was recommended to Congress, and IA
vorable report as to its practicability, with
an estimate of its cost, made by federal
engineers about 1897 Forty years ago
ten millions for single work Of improve
ment was regarded as absurd The West
had then no political power, the South
was divided in support Of any such works,
and the Mississippi had no such competi-
ton as it has at present tits but recently, as
Western population and production has
moved further from market, that the ne
cessity has arisen for deeper and more
permanent waterway to the ocean. The
studies on the subject then are even more
ancient than 1860, but the necessity Of
the work to meet the demands Of mod
ern commerce render it now indispens
able It will be remembered that, al
though the 'Estudies" Of Suez we're as old
as the Pharaohs and the Eastern con-
queror, yet it was the genius and energy
Of the Frenchman Lesseps that revived
and re-executed them. TO French genius,
then, we attribute the suggestions Of both
these works. and the completion Of one Of
them.
2. Bu: The Fort s.. Philip canal. es
all projects Of canals departing from the
Mississippi. presents an objection which
has never yet been yefuted. the inevitable
formation Of bar Now, if our contem-
porary had read carefully the compilation
by Mr. Montaign Of the Studies" Of Buis-
son, Chase and others, he would have
seen o plan proposed BY Montaign for re-
Iieving the canal Of whatsoever sediment
may accompany the admission Of the
river water. AS there is no connection be
tween any canal at present known to Us
and the Mississippi, the Bee is scarcely
fortified in its concession.
The latest engineers on the work sug-
gest no such difficulty, and We, certainly
aB an advocate Of the commercial interests
Of New Orleans, shall not concede that
which has never been tried to be imp0ssi-
ble The usual and satisfactory e1plana-
ton is this: A canal Of seven miles, to the
clear depth Of twenty-sevon feet, will be
dug and protected from the deep waters
of the river into the deep water OF the
gulf. The 'sStudies" Of Gould, an English
engineer and photographer demonstrated
by soundings, endorsed by the British Ad-
miralty q century ago, have been con
frmed by those recently made by the
federal government. They concur in
depth Of from twenty-seven to
thirty feet between the gulf shore
and Isle Bre ton. The bottom is not
alluyial but hard, Of good anchor
age end unchanging. The fear suggested
by the Bee is that bar in this canal, OF
at it's outlet, is s.inogitable." The plan
has been to fill the canal from the gulf. as
both the canals Of this city arc filled from
the same source There will then be
guard Jock 10 permit the passage Of vessels
between the river and canal. When vessel
enters or quits the canal, it will Of course
admit with it as much river water Us viii
fill any vacuum Of gulf water displaced by
the vessel. OF which may be due % the SUI
periof Ieye! Of the ;iTer. estimated
generally as :gom twelve 70
eighteen inches. There is az est.
mate Of the engineer for Tie difference in
the specific gravity q thc two waters.
which they deem favorable 10 the project.
but which we shall no: :ouch. But it is
admitted that with whatsoever river water
ac:ompanies the passage Of ) vesssi.