New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-18
SURVEY OF THE wHARvEs,
<Vhas Our Comm.rcs Needs.

- DUASEH OF THE WHARvE6
Whas Our Commerce Needs.
IA the matter of the wharf lease seems Il
have been settled, and Messrs. Eager, Eller
man & Co. have Notified the harbor mas teri
to remove vessels, steamers and other craft
that lie where it is necessary for them te
place their pile drivers, it remains to BE-
seen if the contractors will carry out to the
letter the requirements of the lease, and Of
! commerce, by giving Us good and substan
tial wharves.
A careful survey of che condition Of the
! ship and steamship landings in front of the
| city, and what needs to be done now while
the river js low, resulted in the following
report:
Post l3, used as steamship wharf for the
Florida and Mexican line of steamers, has
SO little water at its front that it is rem
dered useless. Beside that, the planks,
stringers and piles have become go rotten
that it has for two months been consid cred
unsafe for the receipt or delivery of cargoes;
| SO that both steamship lines have aban-
doned it, and arc at present using the
Mobile and Texas railroad wharf. This
wharf needs to be rebuilt altogether, and
extended into the river about forty feet,
which will give depth OF twenty feet at
low water.
Post IA is what is known as the Red river
steamboat landing. and is in tolerable goo
order. Although shoal when the siver is
low. that matters little, as there is seldom
any use made Of it until the Red river is
navigable.
Post u was extended into the river over
two years ago about twenty feet. Nothing,
however was done to the inner portion of
the wharf, except on the upper side, where
the jackson railroad have track for re-
ceiving their coal and other supplies, and
for shipping their old iron and other ma
terials to the North. Here they drove q
few piles and laid few short planks. Aside
from that the wharf is a wreck, and should
be rebuilt at once, a. it is in one of the
most important localities in the city. There
are sixteen feet Of water at the wharf when
the river is at the lowest.
Posts l6. II and Is we're also built out
from thirty to forty feet during the latter
part Of Administrator Lewis term, aud at
the time had a depth OF twenty feet at
their end. They were thoroughly repaired,
when needed, with second hand material
But they are now in bad condition, espe.
cially near the levee. The stringers are
partially yotted off. as also the ends Of
many Of the piles. They need ~ thorough
overhauling from the portion that was e1'
tended to the levee bank, as they are unfit
to bear any heavy cargo. And it is here,
when the question of high priced labor
does not interfere, that about all of our
goods from the North are landed. -.
Posts 10 and 20 have had very little re-
pairs upon them since they were built. and
with little judicious labor could be made
to last through another season. There is
from sixteen TO eighteen feet Of water at
these two wharVes at the lowest stage of
the river.
Posts 81 and % are both in bad condi-
ton, and at their end have only six feet Of
water. Both these wharves are in close
proximity to the cotton presses. In fact,
all the wharyes mentioned up to this
point are the most convenient to the farg
est number of presses in the city. and if
put in good repair will save many dollar
in drayage. damage and stealage.
Posts % and q are used for the gas
works and nuisance wharf, and are kept in
as good repsir a. required by those cor.
poratiOns.
Post % has long ceased to exist; and .
decay moved it out. coal flats moved in;
and what was once post Is is now the bat
ture coal landing of Messrs. Coyle, Wilmot
and Wood.
Post 26 is in dilapidated condition, and
has only eight feet Of water at its end.
This wharf will have to be entirely re.
built, and extended about thirty feet fur.
Their into the river.
Posts q. % and 90 can all be repaired in
short time, but each one needs to be ex-
tended about thirty feet. During Admins
traitor Lewis term he put thousands of
tons of ballast in front of these wharves,
while at one time they were the worst.
There ia about ten feet of water at the end
of these wharves at the present time.
Posts 80, 81. 80 and 80 are opposite, 4nd
just above tho Waterworks, and right in
the vicinity of the stave yards of Messrs.
Bobet Brothers and Schex1aider, and are in
almost constant use the year round, either
in receiving or delivering slaves. These
wharves wear out, while the most of the
others rot; therefore when rebuilt-which
they need badly-they should be built
strong and of the best material. They
need extending about twenty feet, as there
is but ten feet of water at them now. Post
"a, just below the Bulls Head, is the last
wharf in approaching the upper portion of
the city that is inclined to fill in and grow
shoaler each year. From this to the Eleva-
tor, with one exception, there is water
enough at each wharf to float line of battle
ship. This wharf, in the busy season, is
capable of accommodating three of our
heaviest ships abreast, and it is important
that it should be rebuilt at once, as the
stringers and many of the planks are a
complete shell through decay. Its extern
sion is necessary, are there is but twelve
feet of water at its end.
Posts 81, 36 and 81 need strengthening
and some other slight repairs. There is
plenty of water at all stages of the river, at
the end of these wharves, for the largest
ships. A true current, and less drift, be-
sides convenience to the horse cars, make
it a favorlte landing for our regular traders.
Post 80, the last wharf in the First Dis
trict, is(b near 81 and 80, that it has never