New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-04-07
WHOLE NUMBER 2l49.

report bill passing free through the mails
seeds, cuttings and plants from the Agricul-
tural Department.
| The Agricultural Committee have agreed
to report bill that cattle shall not be kept
| on the cars more than twenty-fOur hours
without food and water.
Senator Sprague's House Seized.
| Senator Sprague's fine house here has
| been seized in bankruptcy proceedings.
Amportant Decisions in the Supreme Court.
Justice Clifford, Of the Supreme Court,
read long and important opinion today in
the case OF Wilson ct al. vs. Bell ct al, on
appeal from Louisiana, reversing the judg-
ment OF the lower court and sending it
back for trial de nOvO, with leave to
libellant to amend ibels SO az to claim a
maritime lien, intimatng that when that
question comes fairly before the court it
will be held to apply to vessels for supplies
at home ports. John A. Grow for appellants
and Thomas j. Durant for appellees.
Chief Justice Waite, Of the Supreme
Court, in the case of Rodd ct al va. Heartt
ct al, also an appeal from Louisiana, an.
nonced the unanimous decree of the court
that this case be reargued on the second
Monday Of the next term, when there will
be a full bench 1.-TWO of the judges having
been absent at the first hearing), with leave
to all parties who are interested in appeals
involving the same question to come in and
participate in the argument.
The question involved is the jurisdiction
of courts of admiralty in cases Of supplies
to vessels in home ports.
Thomas j. Semmes tor appellants and
John A. Grow for appellees.
On account of the absence of Judge Da-
Wis the Stockdale cases against the Mer.
chants Mutual Insurance Company and
other corporations were again postponed BY
the Supreme Court, and probably will not
come up until Wednesday.
General Sheldon's New Dredgiug BILL
In the House General Sheldon to-day in
troduced the following bill, and had it re-
ferred to the COmHittee on Commerce.:
Be it enacted, etc, That the Secretary Of
War is thereby authorized and directed to
enter into a contract with the Mclean
Dredge Company for making and main
tanning channel twenty feet deep at ordi-
nary flood tide through one of the mouths
of the Mississippi river, that they may be
navigated safely and expeditiously by YES
sells drawing twenty feet of water, and
that he shall contract to pay said company
$1,000 after they have obtained and main
tanned for six months the channel herein
provided for, and in addition thereto he shall
pay monthly to said company $4,000
per month for each month that the
channel shall be maintained at the twenty
feet provided for, beginning from the date
that shall be shown that said channel was
of said depth and free for navigation, and
provided further that for each additional
foot in depth up to twenty-five feet that is
maintained by said company it shall be
paid $4,000 per month additional.
Be it further enacted, ETC., That if said
company shall fail during any one month
to maintain full twenty feet of water, as
provided for, no payment shall be made for
that month; and If there be continuous
failure on the part of said company for two
months to comply with its contract, the
Secretary of War may use the funds herein
appropriated in such manner as he may
deem best to secure the object of this act,
and such official inspections shall be made
from time to time as may be deemed neces-
sary to fully inform the Department of the
true condition and progress of work herein
provided for.
Be it enacted, etc., That the contract
herein provided for shall continue in force
for five years, unless forfeited by failure to
perform work named, and the sum of -
is hereby appropriated out of the moneys
in the treasury not otherwise appropriated
for the purposes herein named.
MIR. Sheldon desires to say that the above
bill does not antagOnize the st. Philip
canal, but is intended for immediate relief
The dredging system is the same as that of
the Chamber of Commerce. recommended
and in6orsed upon the motion of Colonel
WOlhey in 1870.
Appeal for the Fort ST. Philip
Canal.
The following was laid On the table of
Senators and Representatives to-day: Mud
lump blockade at mouths of the passes;
forty-seyen vessels blOckaded at South
west Pass, and one hOisted upon a mud
lump that has suddenly reared its head
right across the channel; Major Howell
the great dredges at Pass al Outre,
replies to the prayer for relief that he can
not respond, because his own pass is blocked
by a vessel on a new mud lump in the chan
mel, but in two days he feels confident that
he can get her Off with his dredges; he is
he ia under orders to work away
on that pass in order to keep it open
and the Southwest Pass will have to take
care of itself. For pity and economy's sake.
If not in the interests Of the commerce of
the Mississippi valley, give US the Fort st.
Philip canal, that all engineers agree and
know will be a permanent channel for deep
out of reach of the inevitable
mud Jumps that weekly, daily and hourly
menace the channels at the mouth of the
river. The lifting power of the mud Jumps
IS irresistible, and must destroy any jetties
Dr other works of man, under which they
are liable to rise. Forty-seven mud Jumps
ianked the bar of the Southwest Pass on
the last coast survey.
z. o. HEBERT.
G. G. FORSHEY,
Civil Engineers, Of Louisiana.
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