The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-08-12


be inclined to believe the prospects for
| crops were not Of the most flattering ma
ture. e9 r.-. i.s. end e..
--+sss
THE work on the jetty at the mouth of
the Mississippi is reported as progress
ing finely, and even much more rapidly
than was anticipated. A report of resi-
dent Engineer Bayley, recently made to
the President of the Company, speaks
very favorably Of the progress Of the en-
terprise and of its prospects. The work
is being pushed on both the outer and
inner bars; and the ease with which it is
being accomplished is beyond the ex-
The plan,' as detailed some time since, is
to build up the walls on the side of the
jetties with bundles Of willows, and al
low the stream thus forced into mar
rover channel to cut it's way through the
barsand to keep open channel Of at
least forty feet in depth. These bundles
of willows, or mattresses, as they are
| called, after they are laid down are filled
with sand and the floating sediment OF
the river by the water, and quickly be-
come so heavy and solid as to sink
| through the sand and mud to the solid
foundation upon which the walls are to
be built. Concerning this the report
says: 1--WE find that our willow
mattresses, when launched and Sc
cured in position, on the river
side OF the piling, sink in about - hours
from the weight of the Mississippi river
deposit of sand and mud made on them,
without the use of any stone on them
whatever. We cover them with layer
of stone, however, alter they have sunk,
although, perhaps, unnecessary. Once
upon the bottom and filed or covered
with Mississippi river deposit, no force
of current can raise or move them. They
are perfect protection against any
scour of the bottom they cover, next the
jetty. The jetty with the mattresses
outside of it forming its base, will be
safe against any scour for all time. The
channel may and will scour out to be-
from 80 to 40 feet deep or more, but the
mattress -blanketed sides of the channel
will be unaffected. Itake great pleasure
in assuring you and all of our friends in
st. Louis that all the conditions for OBJ
tanning, at very early date, deep water
at South pass and an open channel to the
l,sea, are more favorable than we dared,
in the beginning, to anticipate. Every
condition is favorable for success, and,
in my opinion, success is absolutely GER
tain" This will be pleasant news to,
New Orleans and to the whole South and
West. The great need of the producers
west of the Alleghanies has been port
at the mouth of the Mississippi to which
vessels could obtain access at all times.
There is now one very necessary step to
be taken by New Orleans to pave the
way for. an influx Of business on the
opening OF her port, and that is COM
plete change in her system in regard to
port duties and taxes Of various kinds
upon the vessels which visit the port to
deliver or receive cargoes. Her Towing
Association has become monopoly OF
the worst kind, and has, by it's unjust
IdISs dAu cAbOILluudL6 ueuldHuS, 1eafly
driven away the class of commerce that
would have remained. The rates charged
by the association were SO high as to
amount 10 nearly the same as the freight
charges from New York. Besides this
there are other points ofinjustice claimed
by the vessels formerly entering the
port. The owners of steamship lines be-
tween that place and Mexico have petit |
toned the Chamber of Commerce there |
to have these restrictions upon. COM
merce removed. They complain that
they are mot only prohibited from EN-
ploying fheir own sailors in unloading
their vessels but that they are charged
nearly 20 cents per ton for wharfage and
harbormaster dues in addition to goy-
ernment raIes and other dues. This sys-
tenn, by which all ship owners are doubly
swindled on carrying into the port so
much in need of patronage, should at]
once be discouraged and broken up. The
country needs the port and SO does New
Orleans herself, and everything should
be done to create it and to attract fine
class of vessels to it.