The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-29
hundred dollars; retail dealers in malt liquors
twenty dollars, wholesale fifty dollars.
The Mouth Of the Mississippi.

hundred dollars; retail dealers in malt liquors
twenty dollars, wholesale fifty dollars.
| The Mouth Of the Mississippi.
| We have already given an abstract of the
report recently made, of the Commission of
United States Engineers appointed to ex-
anime the different projects to clear out the
| mouth of the Father of Waters" The en-
gineers, with the exception Of one, declared
in favor of the jetty scheme. We are not
welded to any one scheme all we desire is,
to have the General Government fix upon
plan and push it forward as quickly as posi-
bic, by which a free and safe egress and
ingress can be obtained for our commercial
marine The South Pass would, no doubt, be
the best at which to make the experiment, as
the Southwest Pass and Pascal Outre. our
present great outlets to the Gulf, would then
be left unobstructed. Touching the report of
the United States Engineers, we take the fol-
lowing from the Chicago Tribune:
The Fort st. Philip Canal is rejected by the
commission for the following reasons Its
execution would be too difficult and expen-
slve; it would give channel of only 800 feet,
against one Of $50 III the South Pass, if the
latter is improved by jetties; its cost would
be 81, 514, 200, or twice that, as the case
may be, against S794l, 10 for the South-Pass
lefty improvement; passage through it would
be slow, on account of the delay made necessary
by the locks; it would have to be constantly
dredged dredging the mouth of the Missis-
sippi has already cost millions of dollars) to
prevent its filling up; and, even when it was
first constructed, its capacity would be SO
small that light vessels, drawing II to If feet
of water, would have to use the natural chan
nels in order to allow the heavier ships to
reach New Orleans in any reasonable time.
For such reasons, SIX OF the seven engineers
charged with the recommendation of a tea-
sible plan, after having studied the subject
abroad and at home, concur in the opinion
that the jetty system of Capt. Eads should be
adopted.
This system is, in brief as follows: Piers,
composed Of bundles of trees, weighed down
by stone, and Of piles, are constructed under
'rater on both sides of the pass to be i'm
proved. By narrowing the channel they in
crease the velocity of the current, which
therefore deepens the river-bed. It is a
strong point il favor of the jetty plan that i.
does not oppose, but supplements nature.
The mouth OF the Mississippi was once, SO
biologists say. near Cairo H., perhaps few
miles north Of it. The river has gradually
southwark channel. Where the Jet
ties are finished, the channel is navigable. |
Ahead of the firm banks the delta has always
spread, a series of bars that effectually barred
navigation. AT the present rate of natural |
jetty building, it would take one hundred and
seventy eight years for the river banks to
reach the crest of the present bar, which lies |
seven and one-third miles to the south. Then
there would be another delta and another
great bar. Capt. Eads says that the bar has
been just seven and one-third miles from the
completed banks ever since the white man |
has known the river.
He inters that this is the distance at which
the average current Of the river will certainly !
form it. If, therefore, man builds, in two or
three years, the jetties which the river can
not construct in less than 17S years, the next
bar will be nearly two centuries in forming,
and may not form at all, for the cross-currents
Of the Gulf sweep over the spot where it
would otherwise be. The board of engineers
think, however, that the jetties would have
to be annually prolonged The wording of
heir report on this point is somewhat OBJ
scare. If this annual prolongation is to go
IN forever, the ietties will reach Yucatan or
cuba in course of time.
This favorable report of six out of seven
engineers will probably secure the adoption
If the jetty plan, especially since the seventh
member OF the Board opposed it only on the
ground Of its practicablity, saying expressly,
: If an adequate and permanent channel
oud be obtained at any one of the passes, it
would no doubt be preferable to the proposed
anal.
The improvement of the mouth of the Mis- !
issippi is work Of national Importance
ne OF the few internal improvements which {
hould be executed at the national expense
is completion would of more value to the
outh than that Of any number of Tom Scott
ailroads across the Arizonian deserts.
a NIJSEMENTy ,