New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-04-04
Rads. Prearnn,,,ne.

NOW Cn8C C8pC0lu EAOs mas gOt HLb dp
preparation" as Colonel Sellers would say,
and the festivities proper to the occasion
have been duly observed, the next objects
Of public interest in connection with the
great work of opening the mouth OF the
Mississippi are the methods by which the
work itself will be carried on, and the
preparations in progress. Accordingly, a
Republican reporter yesterday called on the
captain at his Office in the Insurance build.
ing, to learn the facts. Captain Eads de-
scribed the method of building the jetties
quite mlnutely, and gave many interesting
points as to the nature of the undertaking,
the number of men that would be employed
on the work, the difficulties to be encOun-
tered, etc.
The jetties are made Of willow twigs. 1t
may seem an odd proposition at first
thought that the untold hydraulic forces of
the mightiest river in the world are to be
brought into subsection by willow twigs.
But why not? Many human will which in
mature life has perceptibly influenced the
current of events has, in earlier years, been
subjected by willow twigs, and certainly If
these agencies are potent enough to control
the human will, they ought to be powerful
enough to control other things when they
have mind and will to assist them. The
first thing is to cut the twigs. They are
then bound into bundles, called in engineer
ing parlance "fascines." These fascines are
say eight or ten feet in length and as many
inches in diameter, though, of course, their
size is varied at the convenience of the work
men and according to the requirements of
the work Having been cut and properly
secured the fascines are put together in the
form of q raft like timber logs, towed to
the required spot, and then loaded with
stones until they sink to the bottom. This
process is repeated with successive rats
IT, g L. =
entire length of the proposed line of jetties.
The first or foundation RATS will be from
seventy five to 200 feet in width, according
to the depth of water where they are sunk,
the deepest water requiring the widest
RATS. As soon as the foundation is COM
pleted in this manner another line of willow
RATS is sunk on top of those already down,
and go on until the surface of the water is
reached, each line of RATS being narrower
than the one below it until the topmost line
will not be more than ten feet across.
By this means channel is created with
sloping sides. The water gradually fills up
the interstices between the twigs with sand
and sediment, and in the course of a few
years the structure becomes as solid as a
wall, being in fact submarine levee. 1t
will be readily seen that an almost incalcu-
liable quantity of willow twigs will be re-
quired to construct these two long lines of
jetties the whole length of the South pass,
and the work of cutting and preparing
many men. The stone work will not be
elaborate, inasmuch as the rock will not
require az cutting or dressing, being used
merely as weight to sink and hold the
rats in position. But very little pilework
will be required, and Captain Eads said h 9
could not tell until after careful survey of
the channel how much pile driving would
have to be done. He did not know how
much work would have to be done at the
head of the pass in order to provide for the
proper regulation of the volume of water in
the new channel at various stages of the
river, and as most of the piling would have
to be done in this work he could not now
determine it's extent.
With respect to the relative merits of the
two passes, the South and Southwest, for
testing the practicability of his plan, Cap
tain Eads said that while the securing of a
permanent channel such as he contemplated
through the Southwest Pass would be of
greater commercial advantage to the coun-
try than the channel he could make under
the provisions Of his grant through the
South Pass, yet the work would be less
difficult and of much smaller proportions in
the latter than in the former pass. The bed
of the river through the South Pass. he said,
was of character much better calculated
to render the work easy than that through
the Southwest Pass. The latter was much
longer than the South Pass, and hence the
velocity of the current in it was less, by
reason of the fall being more gradual. Be-
sides, the volume of water flowing through
the Southwest was four times as great as
that through the South Pass. On this ac-
count the sedimentary deposit in the South
west Pass was much less firm than in the
South Pass, the more sluggish current
in the former allowing the light earthly
particles to settle in its bed to a
much greater extent than they could
be deposited in the latter pass. where there
was stronger current. The result was
that in the South pass there was more
complete separation Of the sand from the
mud, the sand, which was the heavier, being
deposited in the bed of the stream, while
the mud, being lighter. is held longer in
solution and carried further out to sea.
This leaves the bed of the South pass almost
entirely composed of sand, which packs
hard and becomes smooth, while the bed of
the Southwest pass is much more OOzy and
of muddy, shifting character. For these
reasons the South pass is more advantage.
Gus to his own interests, both professional
and financial; while channel through the
Southwest pass, though more difficult to
make, would be of greater commercial adj
vantage to the public, and hence to the
government. by reason of the greater vol
ume of water that would flow through it
and the less velocity of the current, the last
being an important item to navigatOrs.
Captain Eads has appointed Mr.. G. w.
Il. Bayley, of New Orleans, his first assist
ant and resident engineer, and upon this
gentleman will devOlve the active super
vision of the work The captain said it was
his intention TO give New Orleans and Lou
isana as much of the benefit of the disburse-
ments in the prosecution of the work as
possible, because he thought the condition
of that community was such as to require
all the aid and encouragement that could
be afforded. The prosecution of his work
would furnish steady employment to at
least 1900 men for several years, besides
the additional employment that would be
afforded in carrying materials and supplies.
He believed that the large disbursements
which would be constantly made for labor
and supplies would do much to temporarily
relieve the financial and commercial pros
tration of New Orleans, while the increased
activity of her commerce. when the COM
pletiOn of his enterprise should have en-
larged her facilities, would afford perma-
nent relief.
Adverting to the work itself. Captain
Eads said he was going to New Orleans the
latter part of this week to begin the survey
Of the pass preparatory to sinking his RATS,
TO make arrangements for the materials
and to transact other business in connection
with the enterprise which might require
ais personal attention. The summer would
be consumed in surveys and in making con
tracts for materials, supplies, labor, trans
etc, and he thought he could
,et ready to sink his first raft about the
irst of October next. He did not intend to
begin active operations until he had made
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