New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-26

N"tI SIN le'N VI ~dlcl, h-ltE
twenty.tour feet, sunk more than foot un-
der three and hall foot blow from a
3U00-p0uud ram.
The penetration OF the piles varies from.
twelve &c twenty-five feet,
Along the channel .ow OF pi,es. where
the row is double, line OF sheet piling has
been partly completed, its length aggtegat-
ing 5iov feet, the piles having an average
penetration of about thirteen feet These
sheet piles rest against s!y-inch by twelve
inch waliEg pieces fastened 20 the main
plies.
Along tie channel side Of the rows OF
Piles, and II contact with j, il laid line OF
mattresses in bottom layer which extends
10 distance OF abou, II 300 feet from the
wharf.
These mattresses vary from seventy.i7e
20 100 feet in length, from :orty to fifty III
wiGtA and are two and half feet il thick
ness.
A second layer extends from the wharf
Tor lao feet; from pile No. 81 70 No. 80:
ard from No. 90G TO No. 94j, making al
aggregate length Of about $40 feet. The
usual size Of these mattresses is leo feet
long, thirty-tve feet wide and two and a
hall feet thick
These mattresses are made OF small vii
lows, from a quarter OF an inch TO two and
a half inches IN diameter az the but; .ney
are built on ways, and pulled trorn them
mo Inc river DV rug.
These WAYS are parable, tweivein ~
twelve-ineh timbers, about SIX feet apart,
placed at right angles TO the edge OF the
river, and with slope toward 1t from one
eighth TO one.tweltth. On TOP of each tin.
her is &. small jois,, with rounded top, which
is creased 10 diminish friction.
Measured along the shore there are about
100 feet OF these ways in al.
Gu the ways, and "a; right angles 20
.hs r,la UzraIsl vii -ira
feet apart, OF six inch by three inch
Pie, forming a base Tor the mattress
stakes two feet six inches long and
rise along these strips at five feet
intervals with their lower ends wedged
iu,o holes in tie strips. Then between
these stakes willows are piled up IN
layera, in some of which the brush are
parallel, IN others at right angles to the bot
:om strips. When the proper amour. OF
brush has been placed between the stakes,
the top strips Of sixlnch by one aud half
inch. or six-inch by two-inch pine, are
placed ct right angles to the bottom strips,
and the tops Of the lines OF stakes are
wedged into the holes in them, the brush
being somewhat compressed in putting on
the top strips. Later mattresses have been
strengthened by putting stakes al every
two feet six inches along the sides Of the
mattresses; by adding tour or six iron
bolts to aid tue stakes; and by putting top
stripe on the sides of the mattressse parallel
70 the bottom strips.
The experiment is also being tried of
placing the willows diagonally u the sides
OF the mattresses
Tie mattresses being completed and
launched, are towed To their places by
tug; here they are tied 10 the piles by
ropes. When tue river carrie> much sed.-
Inent they sink without assistance IN day
or two; at other times they have been sunk
by pumping sand on them, or by throwing
on gravel or stones.
At present, az the river carries little seGi-
ment, rubJle stone is used 20 sink all mat
tresses, from ten TO thirty tons being re-
CURED for each one.
Single, which has served as ballast for
vessels, mas been used IN part, and also g
cla!ky limestone, i'll masses ot less than
half cubic foot.
Tie sea cane which grows at the mouth Of
the pass was used TO construct about one
fourth Of Elk mattresses; these formed a
part OF the mattresses which We're destroyed
By tie storm of September l3 1875.
VEST JETTY.
Opposite a point about $500 feeton the cas-.
row OF piles of east lefty from its head,
and 1000 feet distant from it on the west
side OF south Pass, is the head Of a row OF
piles which runs parallel 70 those Of the
east jatty for a distance of about 200 feet.
its end being opposite that of the row of
piles for the east lefty. These piles are
sixteen feet apart for the first fitty-tive
piles; The distance is then increased TO
twenty teet. A portion Of the piiny is
do1bie, arising from slight change OF
plan.
The same is true for the east jetty near
pile No. 300
Single layers of mattresses, usually
th!r:ytve feet wide, have been put down
a. naGE sifA p4 tho O4 r,'loc 4 anh
from lts head 70 point about 1850 feet be
low.
The head Of the west ietty has a line OF
sixty.fve piles nearly al right angles to the
lefty and connecting it with the west shore
OF the pass These piles are eight Tee.
apart.
HEAD OF SOUTH TAss.
a line CT piles about 5000 feet long starts
from the east bank OF the South Pass at its
head, and runs in the general direction OF
the east bank Of the pass ont into the main
river, curving gently 10 the west. The
piles are twenty feet apart al it's root, and
the distance dilninishee TO eight feet at its
head, where there is twenty-one feet of
water. This line is but partly finished
about l20 piles having been driven az the
ends, leaving gap at the middle.
EFFECT OF STORM.
About September IS, 1875, rather Sc
we're gale displaced piles near the
END of the east ietty, five dis
appearing entirely. 1t also displaced
some of the sheet-piling. 1t destroyed about
1000 running feet OF mattresses, which were
IN position, but had not been sunk, and dis
turbed some that were sunk.
On comparing the coast survey map of
May and June. 1873, with the survey of Oc-
tober s-l4. 1879, given in the tracing here.
with, there appears TO have been not much
change in the depth Of water at the mouth
OF the South Pass, on the whole. At the
upper end OF the etties il NAV have in
creased little: on the bar it appears TO have
diminished from one to two feet; one and
ven-tenths feet have to be added to
soundings on the coast survey map to re-
duce them to the plane of mean high water
adopted for the survey of October, 1875.
Under general orders No. Is, War De-
partment, current series, James b. Eads
was authorized by me on September 80,
1873. to cut on public lands, in the counties
OF Hancock and Marion, in Mississippi. and
in the parishes of ST. Tammany and Wash
ington, in Louisiana. for use in construction
of jetties at the South Pass, SO many trees
as should make the whole number cut 5000.
On the same day letter, from which the
following is an extract, was sent to him CIV
ing the regulations deemed necessary to
prevent the taking of material from public
lands by contractors for other purposes
than use in construction of the jetties:
The aim OF the agents of the United
States IN reference to your taking timber or
other material from public lands, of course,
is to secure that no such timber shall be
taken or cut which liz not necessary to and
actually used in the construction of the
works at the South Pass.