The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-05-27
What are Jetties?

Inc Dc!enIlllC hlItIlSuH b'''n "
familiar description Of the ietty system
which is TO be applied in the improve
mcnts at the mouth Of the Mississippi,
as follows
The long discussion relative TO the
most practicable method Of improving
the mouth Of the Mississippi, 10 aBto rem.
der the same passable to vessels Of deep
draft and thus to open the river ports
to direct ocean traffic, was virtually
terminated by the granting Of an mp.
preparation by congress, for the con
%struction Of a system Of i%etties, Mt one
Of the passes through which the stream
enters the Gulf. The plans involving
canals, which have been s%trenuously
advocated by many eminent engineers,
are therefore for the time at least set
aside, and to Capt. j. i, Eads, an On
gineer now widely celebrated Tor his
successful construction Of the ST,
Louis bridge, has been entrusted the
task Of causing the mighty current Of
the father Of waters literally to undo
it's W work and TO break down the
barrier which Itself has creatcd.
The delta Of the Mississippi is formed
Of narrow stripsof land, mostly low lying
banks, through which the river winds
till it makes It's exit to the gulf by a
number Of narrow passes. In sOmo OF
these channels, previous attempts have
been made to deepen them by dredging,
with but partial success, however, as Il
single food has been known TO carry
down sufficient sediment TO fill them to
their original depth and the current
besides, cmptying into the open water
at'the mouths, speedily left ut that point
bars Of blue clay, Burmountable only
by light draft ships. The glst OF Capt,
EadB' plan will now be readily appro-
hcndod when it is regarded as shifting
the point Of deposit Of these barriers
from the Bhoai water mt the entrance Of
one pass, out into the deep water whore
filling up by natural causes is impOssi-
BILE. BY this means the river current ~
TO be made TO cut ont and ScOur its own
channel across the present bar. To do
this, it is obvious that the banks # the
pass must DO extended, 80 M to lead tho
stream far enough out ; another section
of conduit, as it were, must be added,
and this il now to be formed of the
submarine dykes or %ietties.
The materials Of which these BLruc,
lures are to be composed are willow
twigs bound in bundles, termed by en-
| pineers " facinca," eight 0 n ten feet in
length, and about IA many inches in
diameter. A large number Of fuciucs
will he laBhcd together to form RATS.
The RATS will be from scventy-iive IL
two thousand feet in width, the largcs.
being sunk in the deepest water. III,
RATS will noxt DO tOwed to the prope0
point, there loaded with stones an,
submerged, ard thus the worI
will continue, II raft being sum-
above another until the suriac
Is reached. Each line of the raft
will be narrower than the ono be
) low 1t until the upper course will not b
> more than ten feet wide. The tive
) which will thus be constructed will h
"prOlOngutlons Of the banks, and be
tween them will form II channel witt
slipping sides. I'm tho cOursp of time,
the intcrqticcs of twiPs and stones viii
fill with sand and mud, SO that ovcntt-
ally two solid submarine loveoa will be
produced. Very little pile work, it is
said, will be required except, perhaps,
at the head of South Pass, which is the
outlet at which the ~jettics are to be
built, il order to provide for the proper
regulation Of the volume of water in
til" new channel Mt various stages of
the river.
Captain Eads has already begun his
surveys, in which work, together with
the making of the necessary contracts
for materials, labor, etc, the summer
will be consumed. The first raft, it is
expected, will he sunk by the beginning
of October next.