New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-03-18
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN, TUESDAY, MARCH Is. 1873
The Southwest Pass Embargo.


It is now over two and half years since
the dredgeboat Essayons, by order of Major
Howell, was removed from Pass-afO utre
| to Southwes: Pass, and during that time
hundreds of shiDs of heavier draft than
| ever before known have crossed this bar
without detention. But for the past two
wears, about this time there have been few
| days that ships have not been able to pass
| in or out in consequence of one or more
| ship. lying across the channel AS the
present state Of things at Southwest Pass
has become serious enough for Major How
ell to issue an order in last evenings pa
pers allowing no vessels to be put upon the
bar, or rather allowing none to interfere
with the dredgeboat while working, be-
tween the hours of A. NJ. and $50 T. Nj,
until depth of eighteen feet of water Is
obtained in the channel, it might be inter
estinp to some of our readers to know the
facts concerning this bar blockade; and be-
sides, 10 do Justice to Major Howell, who
has worked so untiringly fer the past three
years to keep a certain depth of water at
the mouth of this great river, thereby IA
cilitat!ng commerce to greater extent
than ever before.
Six DAYS ago the towboat association at
tempted to tow to sea the ship Dillharree
which had left the city the day before,
drawing nineteen feet nine inches of water.
There was sufficient water. in the channel
for ship of twenty feet draft TO cross.
- a., Sbaf fbn afrnmnf
was made to put this ship 20 sea, and the
consequence was her bow struck a mud
lump, she swung around, her stern brought
I'D against another shoal. and there she
| now lies directly across the channel. closing
it completely up. Now for the result of
such "fosgy experiment"
! The steamship Vandalia left here on Fri
day morning for Havana and Europe; the
New York steamers Mississippi and New
| Orleans on Saturday morning, besides some
| eight or ten sailing ships, all of which are
| now inside or on the bar, with one excep
ton, and that the New Orleans, which
! ground herself over some time during Sun
| day night.
| Outside of the bar lie at least eight heavy
| ships bound in, and owing to the scarcity
Of tonnage in port at present, most al! OF
| them have full cargoes of cotton awaiting
! their arrival at the levee, and that, too, at
as high or higher rates of freight than have
| been paid this season. Already order.
have been sent on board the ship Genevieve
| Strickland, now lying outside the bar loaded
with salt, to throw overheard enough cargo
| 90 tighten her a foot.
| This is a serious matter, for the ship will
| Of course have TO pay for every pound OF
salt beside losing the freight upon it. The
outward bound ships are really the greatest
sufferers, for several reasons; for instance
the steamship Vandalia has crew of nearly
| 100 men all told, beside the passengers. II
| requires considerable sustenance to keep
them in good condition. The ships fires are
usually banked, while once day or more
steam is raised to try and move the ship
thereby consuming considerable coal
Hence the daily expense is very heavy
| The New York steamers that 60 direct lay
in eight days coal. If they burn half they
have on board while on the bar they vii
surely have to put in to some port and re
plenish, which will cost them large sum
beside the detention.
The sailing ships bound to Europe dc
not lay i'll provisions enough for an East
India voyage: consequently every days de
ten;ion diminishes the supply. and ia this
case perhaps by the time they get 60 ses
they begin TO fear short ratiOns, and taxi
no real comfort until safely moored at theil
port of destination. This state Of mind il
the captains especial legacy.
We hope that the present southeast winds
may bring full tide, which. if not result
ing in the Dillharree getting to sea, may
change her position and that of the Van
dalia. so that ships can pass and repas
| them.
That this avy-draft ship should b'
lowed upon the bar in fog makes it evi
dent to the simplest mind where the blam'
| lies.