New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-02
The Danube Jetties Perfectly Successful.

The REPUBLICAN Of July last contained
an editorial headed ''The Danube Jetties
Gone Up in which it was stated that they
proved failure; that ''ship canal at the
st. Georges mouth was to be substituted
therefor and you called for publication
Of s'the facts"
In response communicated what be"
lieved to be ''the facts" in an article to the
New Orleans Picdyune, and the correctness
of my statements are substantlated ana
interesting ''facts" furnished in the SUBJ
Joined letter from the eminent English
engineer, Sir Charles Hartley who designed
and constructed the Danube jetties for the
European commission of the Danube
As the s.tacts'' furnished are what Sou
called fore and such as should interest yOus
readers generally I respectfully request
the publication Of Sir Charles hsrsley's
letter. Yours very trufys
G. W. Re- BAYLEYs Civii Engines.
Condos august e 1874
go 6 sSo r. SayGeys ESQ., CSs& Easlneers New oE'
DsAR S1R-My attention having been de
rectad to an article headed 1.-The Danube
Jetties Gone Up" In the REPCBLIcA~e
Of New Orleans, of the eighth of Julys
and to your strictly accurate rejoinder to
the same in the daily Picaynnt two days
afterward, consider it incumbent on meo
known to the public, through your kind
insrrumentaliryo the facts which are 80
loudly called for by she &EpSBLIasSS eo.a'
cerning the said works.
In 1856 the European Commission Of chs
Danube was charged to clear the mouths pf
shat gfyer0 and to fix and levy dues on ship'
ping IN ordeg To- coyey the expenses OF the
necessary works of improvements sn lsSs
as engineer in chief OF the sommissiono
f,.epared projects for Improving the three
principal mouth. Of che Danube by means
OF parallel aSettiess and recommended shat
the ST, Georges snoutb should bs chosen IN
preference to ehe other mouths principally
because the Sto Georges branch was better
shan Che SuGina Granche and owing % che
foyMeg having q bar more easily dealt with
than any Of She baSs as tho ssouths Q: the
Pending u cnosca ef snonfh e. b. itr.
proyeds tIs commissioners decided 20 carry
out provisional works at the Sulina mouth.
on the fines os my project for the perma.
aens Improvement Of that mouth in order
to give relief 80 the navigation actually
frasuenting It, At the same time an Inter.
national commission of engineers was as.
sembied az Paris. 70 report on the best
means Of opening the Danube mouths.
This commissions none Of whom had ever
seen these mouths. condemned the applica.
ton of ieetles at any Of them. and recon.
mended Tho choice oi tho St. Georges
Srancho with q sea entry and gates lnde.
pendent OF the mouth so as 10 guarantee a
depth ae the entrance to the river Of sixteen
feet, which, at that time. was believed to
be the extreme depth which could be oh.
tafne6. Tor . reasonable cum. by any sys
tenn 0t improvement Whatever.
Tina plan proposed by the Paris conmis'
sion was disgegarded. as It was directly cp.
ment previously proposed BY: all the nava!
and en cheering authorities who had visited
she sew era! mouths OF the Uanubes and bad
studied their peculiarities On the spot.
The estimated coss Of the proposed
maritime canal at the St. Georges mouth
~as sous times. greater than the sum that
has been expended. up to the present time.
on Che Sulina ?etties. These 1etties were
begun IN 1858 -when the deptis ef the bar
pieted II . provisional manner in 1861.
when the Depth had Increased 30 seventeen
and a half feet.
The cost Of tho PROVISIONAL works &as
Jess than has been paid in q single year for
;i.i:erinS ships across sho bar, when
shs dcpt1 eu i :ar;ed !s0a eight 70 ten
feet.
sspSks ;ei to the proposal chat the same
system should be applied to the Ss Georges
mouth. Political and financial reasons.
bowevef. prevented this proposal from being
acted upon, and it was eventually decided
to consolidate the Sulina provisional works;
which was done from 1868 70 18Th
Ever since the completion Of fha con.
solidation, che depth on the bar has not
been Jess chan twenty feet. There are no
signs Of a aew bar; tho !ettfes are intact:
and The annual outlay. on their maintenance
since their consolidation has not exceeded
ons and . halt per Gen: cn che total cost
depth q: the Sui!na mouth. che charges Oh
skipping have been reduced srons fifteen
.hiilingS Hes ton 60 swo shilliugs and sig
pence peg s:or. and shipsseeks have dimin.
ished from an average Of Shirty.n1ne In
10000 n lSSS.6O. to two In lA.c00 in lS69-s3.
Tba above "facts" give CONCLUSIVE evi.
dencv Of the extraordinary success of che
application Of the parallel jettr system at
the Sulina mouth, and because Of this sucs
cess che European commission Of the
Danube has frequently contemplated the
improvement of The So Georges mouth by
the same method, 50 ns - take advantage
of che Superior facilities thai the st. Georges
branch offers Co shipping but Che said CONE
mission has Nevec entertained che idea
of constructing 3 maritime canal indes
pendent Of the mouthso Such a mode of
treatment, indeed, has been under the con-
sideratiOn of the Roamanian government
in connection with the Kilia branch of the
Danube, not tor want of full faith in she
nf tho ypffy hnt for fhn colo
veasons that the Roumanians desire to
possess port and river entrance on their
own seabOard, altogether clear of the river
mouths, which belong exclusively to Turkey.
Concerning the important question which
is now being agitated IN the United States,
as I'd the best means of relieving the navi-
CATION at the entrance of the Mississippi,
consider that no satisfactory decision can
be arrived at in regard to the respective
merits of an artificial canal scneme-sucn
as was at one time recommended 1or the
st. Georges mouth of the Danube, and OF
the ietty plan at one of the mouths, as ap-
Piled at Sulina,-until further surveys and
studies have been made Of the Mississippi
mouths, whereon to frasne detailed estl-
mates Of the cost of each system. came
to this opinion in January last, after taking
cognizance of all the data which at that
time was in the possession OF the United
States army engineers concerning the mis-
sissippi mouths, and then also ventured to
address myself, as follows, to q very dis
American engineer, on the jetty
plan of improvement:
'It has long been my opinion that it is
more advisable to improve the mouth of a
minor branch of river rather than to crap.
ple with the difficulties of a principal branch,
If that minor branch offers sufficient depth
Of water, or nearly so, Cor the navigation
to the poins where its waters are discharged
into the sea.