American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-08-14
Capt. Eads' Jetties.

| A PARTY Of English capitalists interested
in the improvement of the Mississippi
River recently visited the scene of Capt
Eads' operations, and showed a great ap
probation of the work. The method o
constructing the jetties is thus described
by the New Orleans Picayme:
Along the shore, and overhanging thu
water, was Il htge framework, perhaps 6Ot
yards long, worked by means of rollers
On this framework were the willow mat
tresses already prepared. Each mattress
was forty feet wide, hundred feet long
and two feet deep. 1t consisted of willow
trees, branches and all, lying horizontally
and closely embedded, so as to form a.
solid a mass as possible. These willows
were all securely bound in pine-wood
framework of the dimensions given, and
fastened by means of thick wooden pins
driven down through the willows from one
board of the framework to the opposite
one underneath. When finished they are
launched into the river by means of the
larger framework On which they rest, and
which works on rollers. They are then
floated down to the point where it is pro-
posed to sink them, and securely fastened.
A layer of stone is then placed on them,
which sinks them; but they would them
selves sink in twelve or fifteen hours by
the mere accumulation of mud.
L V,
and the willows are obtained from the
Jump
Till within the last few days work was
entirely confined to the eastern wall This
wall will be 1920 feet long, but piles to
the length of Z 900 feet have already been
sunk. Work was at first commenced by
means of one floating pile-driver- This
is huge and intricate machine, with an
immense hammer, worked by steam,
which, with one ponderous blow, buries
the pile in the ground. The average
length of pile, where there is a uniform
depth of water of ten feet at high water,
is twenty five feet, about one foot and a
half pretruding above the surface of the
water. These piles are of yellow pine,
twelve inches by six There are two rows
of them for each wall, each row being a
uniform distance. of twelve feet from its
fellow. When fascine is fioated down it
is secured to one of these piles layer of
stone is then placed on it, and the fas-
cine is sunk; another fascine, with layer
of stone, is sunk on the top of this, and SO
ON to the end. These fascines, of course,
are sunk on the river side, and there is
nothing as yet between the two rows of
piles. These fascines are SO firmly Sc
cured that by no possibility can they be
disturbed in their beds.
Naturally the mud will seek those sides
and settle ON the fascines, and thus form
hem into concrete mass, thereby build
ing up wall of mud-the best possible
etties. A sheeting of yellow pine is
fastened on the inside of the piles. Be
ween the two rows of piles willows will
also be sunk, as also on the other side of
he outer row. A solid base being thus
created, a stone wall will be built for a |
couple of feet over the water, and thus the
cities shall have received their finishing
ouch.
Work on the western wall has only just
In consequence of the jut of
and here running into the sea this wall
will be shorter than the other by 4, 900 feet |
The terms of Capt Eads' contract require |
hat the minimum distance between the I
walls shall be 700 yards, but he proposes
o,run both walls parallel and of a uni |
orm distance of thousand feet. The |
tone used in the construction of the jetties
ONES from Cape GiEardeau.
Already, with the comparatively little
work done, there is a notable increase in
he depth of the water. According to the
Attest soundings taken by the United
tates Engineers the depth of water at
ertain point was 90 feet. Mr.. Bayley, a
ouple of days since, sounded in the same
pot and found four feet of an increase;
kewise, a place found by the same engi-
eer to contain 80 feet of water has in
reased to 80; a place of 10 to %, and
So 10 10. This is promising exhibit
18th the little that has been done. The
ntire number of hands employed round
ne jetties is about $50. Capt Eads ex-
ill be uniform depth of 26 feet at the