The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-09
THE NEED OF NEW ORLEANS.
THE GREAT NATIONAL CONUNDRCM.

making easy the passage of heavy ships owe
the bar into the port of New Orleans. Tn,
latest published is the pile driving and mut
nounces all others impracticable, too expen
sive, or for, the most part, unmeritorious
while it commends itself as superior to any
of Its predecessors.
The present plan of attempting to. deeper
the channel over the bar by dredging is &
practical failure with only one importan,
feature of success. 1t consumes the annual
appropriation of a quarter of million OF
dollars recommended by the engineer in
chief, Gen. Humphries-therefore this plan
succeeds in spending money, but fails to
make on inch deeper water. 1t succeeds in
drawing the cash, but fails to draw the sand
The Fort st. Philip Canal meets with
great favor as feasible plan and perma-
nent improvement, and doubtless, if once com.
pleted, would accomplish the desired object.
But large appropriations and long time to
finish the work are counted as obstacles,
while important opposition, both in Con-
needful action on the subject. 1t is clearly
admitted the canal will be built of necessity;
but how long in the distant future the
knowledge of man runneth not. The div
ing bell man Of st. Louis declares the
"canal must be abandoned, and proposes
the "jetty" plan, Endorsed, perhaps, by
the Board of Trade Of his growing city. Most
likely, however, some noon session or inform,
al meeting adopted the approving resolu
ton. This modest engineer PERSISTS in the
jetty principle, exploded and abandoned
even by its originator forty years ago, offers
it to Congress for the little sum of five mil
lions, more or less, and it is believed in the
interest OF monopolists, who can well afford
to pay for any delay, which contesting plans
would naturally induce.
A magnificent structure spans the Father
of Waters from East to West st. Louis, cost
ing in round figures ten millions. j. B.
Eads published an engineers letter in 1866,
the cost of this structure would
not exceed four millions dollars. Who knows
that the diver, gun boat contractor and
bridge engineer may not have false esti-
mates nOW before the Committee of Congress
in his jetty speculation. In the case of the
bridge his estimates We're only a few mil
lions of errOr-while the engineering skill of
ages is placed to his credit-a browning sue
cess to the glory of the West; a monument
Of her enterprise and her wealth-the honor
al, halo fn 1o Int ho
lead, while Eads has pocketed the pay.
History will award the honor, let the .jetty
plan fail or succeed.
Another plan overcomes the difficulties of
ngress and egress over the bar, known as
iowan's plan. By this, ships large as the
Great Eastern are easily lifted out of deep
water below the bar, carried safely over into
leep water above the bar, and vice versa.
This was the successful mode of clearing
he harbor of Sebastopol of the 1O5 ships
cuttled in said harbor during the Crimean
var, and appears to be an available, cheap,
ellable and expeditions plan of surmount-
ng the difficulty.
Some years ago a stock company was or
anized under the corporate laws of the
tate of New York, for the pretended pur.
ose of applying or using this plan at the
louth of the Mississippi River. The COM
any purchased of Col. Gowan his patented
lans and made application to Congress for
n annual subsidy of one quarter million dol
IT'S, with guarantees. A bill was intro
uced in Congress to the third reading, to
lake the necessary appropriations, but
as quashed as a measure Inimical to the
erchants, shipping and railroad interests
the Atlantic ports, as we'll as Chicago,
he North and East.
To sum up the plans and estimates
ne Fort st. Philip Canal is estimated to !
he Jetty plan is offered at a cost of. 800. 5000, 700
ne pile driving or mud scrapiDg plan
would cost 100000
lie lifting or buoying plan would COST. 2,OOO,OOO
lie present dredging plan. ............. 100000
the plans would Observation-Disclosures. 27,0OO,OOO
This summary counts five plans, one a
led failure still in operation four untried
r the purpose discussed. The total cost of
], if one succeeded, would be trifling, COM
'red to established certainty, which the
ccessful plan would afford to American
Thus, interests squabble, sectional inter-
is conflict, adventures jockey, contractors
lrgain, Congress delays, trade hesitates,
'riculture droops, commerce languishes,
onoplists pocket the surplus, taxes and
nd grabbers take the substance, patriotism
at adiscOunt, while statesmen risenot equal
the honor and work.
hundred million dollars could we'll be y
pended toimprove the "Father of Waters"
ouble track railways might be built upon
rong and permanent levees from Cairo to
e mouth-the need of which millions of
operty annually wastes or is destroyed by
erf1ows. At points jetties may be used to
vantage, at Others, piles, rip-raps and H
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