New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-13

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beneficial effect. The facts ON which
was based are not generally known, N
and tho monopoly ct which II struck was
| position to Overawe It's victimt. This
now changed. The monopoly has bee
broken down, and in its place We have
very promising opposition in the towse
business.
Pilots, ship masters and ship agents .,
resuming their proper authority, and unde
standing the necessity for system of Law
to govern their action, that looks to tn
general good rather than the aggrandiz'
ment of corporation, are acting row YER
much as they should. For example, man,
pilots are taking greater pains to familial
ize themselves with the channel; master
frequently wait for high tide when thei
vessels are deeply laden; agents of steam
eTs, when it is necessary, take tOwbOat
to insure crossing the bar without deten
ton, and the towb0at companies are Willing
| to render 4 assistance without waiting
for the ves to get hard aground.
| These {: but q few indications of ,
growing, healthy, commercial sentiment
| which, properly tOstered, will make dredg
| ing as beneficial to commerce as it may b.
made. and place the efforts OF the govern
ment at their proper value.
The depths Of channel given in this re
port, it should be observed, have been oh
timed by reducing the actual sOundings tt
the plane Of extreme low tide for the year
This departure from the usual rule, adopt
ed in photographic work Of reducing tc
OF inducing greater care on the part Of
persons using the channel, and has, think
been Of practical benefit.
l have not worked up my records from
self registering gauges so as to ascertain
how far the plane of extreme low tide ie
above that Of mean low, but an inspec-
ton of the records indicates that the differ
ence is between eight and ten inches.
Great care has been taken in making the
sound,ngs, men being employed who have,
by constant practice, become expert and
sOftest.
Mushroom leads have been used. and
their length not included in the measure
ment of the sounding line-this length is
about four inches. The lines were the best
clOse-laid attainable. in this market.
These have been wetted, thoroughly shrunk
and measured each time before using,
and after using remeasnred. The depth re-
ported is the least depth obtained by cross,
tween buoys located by triangulation; in
many cases but one, two or three soundings
for this least depth have been obtained from
the whole number of from 600 to 800 sound
ings made in the channel. The width of
channel reported is also the least width.
This statement goes some way toward
explaining why vessels drawing from two
to four feet more water than reported in
the channel have passed the bar without
detention.
Adding to the depth reported. the height
and one foot for semi. fluid mud, gives the
actual commercial value OF the channel.
For example, in February, the depth
reported was frsm l6 to l644 feet Z tide 9
feet - Is to 1871 4 foot mud Id to 1914
feet During this month Q twenty foot
vessel was delayed LAG hours, ono drawing
less than fifteen feet ten hours. No other
vessels were delayed.
The twenty foot vessel Is Steamship de-
layed had jury rigging for her rudder and
grounded because unable to steer properly.
A sailing vessel drawing nineteen feet
seven inches, with the same depth of chan
mel sixteen feet six inches), passed out q
few days ago with but two hours detention.
With the dredges now employed, and the
manner Of obtaining and reporting depth
and width of channel, my reports do not
show the maintenance throughout any one
year of channel eighteen feet deep and
800 feet wide. Depths from seventeen to
twenty feet at extreme low tide are fire.
luCutly EcpOTt0u, Uut uOVcI d WNtu VI OVV
feet for those depths.
Yet it was reported that in 1853 and 1860,
for q whole year, q depth Of eighteen feet
and width of 300 feeL was maintained by
simply dragging harrOws and scrapers over
the bar at Southwest Pass, at q cost of
only 100000. Also, that under the con-
tract of Craig g. RightOr the same depth
and wl0th was obtained at South vest Pass
and Pass a pOutre, the latter by exploding
. few hundred pounds Of gunpewder on the
bar.
My experience on this work during 1869,
1870 and 1871 convinced me that there was
wrong about the measurements
on which these reports were based. If not,
then We were spending $3.50, 900 q year with
. plant worth $500, 900, when as good re-
suits might be obtained for 100000 q year.
l investigated the matter. Iquestioned
pilots, towboat captains, shipmasters and
of the contractors who received
pay for the results reported. The infOrma-
ton 80 obtained could not be put in shape
for report, for the reason that while the
men interviewed would freely tell me what
they knew they were unwilling to sign
written statements. A few months ago
suit for libel was brought against me by the
TOwboat Association, which offered an op-
portunity to bring this testimony out; but
The suit was withdrawn and costs paid by
The plaintiff.
In view Of the fact that have satisfied
myself that the depths and widths of chan
,el reported in 1853, 1857, 1853, 1859 and
1860 have been erroneously reported, it
'eems proper to state my grounds for be-
lief.
There are many tricks about soundings
hat, while generally known to seafaring
men, are unknown to or escape the Observ-
>tinn nf tho vnnst concentrations and oQPptuI
inspectors. ! will explain some Of them.
There are various qualities of lead lines:
Ill shrink more or less on being wetted.
Experiments l had made with several
qualities found in this market resulted in
moving q shrinkage of from six inches to
wO feet in length of twenty
eer. An inspector who does not
elect his lines and measure them
himself when thoroughly wetted, neglects a
prime precautiOn against getting wrong re-
ults.
There are various shapes and sizes of
eads suited to different kinds of s0undings.
When the water is only about twenty feet
leep and the bottom soft, as at the mouth
# the Mississippi, accurate results can only
,e obtained with light, flat lead, since
ong lead. and especially . heavy one,
though well thrown, will sink q great part
# it's length into the bottom, and, whether
he lead line he measured from the lower or
upper end of the lead, wrong results are
obtained. Then much depends on the
honesty of the leadsman. Even when the
water is smooth, it requires an experienced
md close observer to determine if he be not
Ealing from six to Twelve inches more or
ess than the actual sounding. In rough
water it is yet more difficult to detect error
If this kind, since the the leadsman him
elf must average the rise and fall of the
waves to give the true sounding,
1t will be seen from this, how. even
Iscribing to contractors and leadsmen aver
lga honesty. and to insnectors aYeraga