New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-29

their hearts the overthrow of this COnfed.
crate league, and yet fear to come forward
and encounter its hate If this ia the case,
for deliverance from this reign of lawless-
ness but to the power of the North, inter-
ested as the North is in trade, in production
and in peace?
The Hamburg massacre shows clearly,
also, what the duty of the colored citizen
to himself is at this time. He should
avoid a conflict which is so IN
equal in all of its conditions and
so barren Of result The more the North
is thus made to feel the entire weight of the
responsibility in the case, the more united
she will be. Consequently, nothing is to be
lost by letting the truth in regard to the
Southern situation be known. That truth
is, that the Southern negro dare not exer-
cise his political privileges as an American
citizen in single Southern State if this ex.
ercise is hostile to Confederate interests,
There IS no power TO protect the colored
citizen of the South against this reign of
violence. He can only look to the North to
hold the government with firm hand un-
til time shall work out, through peaoeable
means, the great race problem we are solv.
ing in the ever slow section of the American
Union. B.
In letter to the editor of the New Or
leans Times Mr.. G. W. r. Bayley, the resi-
dent engineer of the South Pass Jetty
Company, makes some very interesting
statements regarding the work of the CON-
pauy, its results, and the designs of its
chief. We present our readers with ex-
tracts from the letter. The opening para
graph is as follows:
In January last the channel depth for
more than half mile in length across the
bar of South Pass was about eight feet at
ordinary high water. On the bar of South
west Pass, which discharges about tour
times the quantity of water flowing through
South Pass, the channel depth at ordinary
was and now is generally about eighteen
and One-half feet. Dredging there seems
to add but few inches, possibly at times
twelve to eighteen inches, to the natural
depth, and in q channel way ranging from
sixty to eighty feet in width.
This is q manly acknowledgment of the
failure of that prediction of Mr.. Bayley,
that the jetties would produce q twenty.
foot channel before the first of November
last.
We recognize in this candid confession
that professional esprit" for which en-
gineers are noted, and which always leads
them to tell the truth, though it may hurt
their pride.
The depth of channel at Southwest Pass
is fairly stated, but the author of the letter
is somewhat in error as regards the in
crease of depth due to dredging. On the
sixteenth of August last, when dredging
was commenced at Southwest Pass, the
depth over the bar at mean low tide was
twelve feet. or fourteen feet at ordinary
high tide. This shows deepening Of four
and one-half feet, OF much more than the
twelve or eighteen inches stated.
Mr.. Bayley, a little further on, continues:
At the Sulina mouth of the Danube TWEEN
ty feet six inches can be carried into the
Sulina branch from the Black Sea where
from seven to nine feet existed before) but
not more than from fifteen to seventeen
feet through it into the Danube itself.
Therefore. cargOes are Hyhtered to large
vessels lying a. Sulina, and the same Hing
might be done at Port EadS. inside of South
Pass. near its mouth, or near its head, Just
below the head of the passes. This how
ever, although really ali that the conces-
sion to Captain Ead's requires, does not
satisfy him, nor does it meet the demands
of the commerce of New Orleans. He
wants, and it needs, as deep channel into
South Pass as must soon be obtained to sea
through and from said branch of the main
river.
This looks like carrying our "Sulina'
precedent, about which so much has hinged,
to extremes. The necessity for lighterage
at South Pass comes from the existence of
bar at the head of the pass, which is thus
spoken of by Mr.. Bayley.
In the main river above the common
heads of Southwest Pass, South Pass and
Pascal Outre, where it is over 5000 feet
wide, or more than three times its average
wi6 tn between the forts and New Orleans.
there exists, and always has existed mid
die ground shoal.
As this bar has always existed, and the
fact has been known to Mr.. Bayley. we
wonder that Mr.. Eads and his New York
advisory board were not advised of its ex-
istence before contract was thrust upon Mr..
Eads by Congress.
Mr.. Bayley concludes as follows:
Captain Eads, not being disposed to con-
fine himself to the improvement of South
pass itself alone, and desiring to obtain the
same depth into the pass as through and
from it, has commenced, and avows his de-
foprp tsFly1t To <ho
of the works required to secure the needed
deep inlet. Had the improvement of South
west Pass been accorded to him as he SO
earnestly desired, no jettying Of it's head
would have been needed tor thirty feet
depth can now be carried into it at the or.
dinary high stage Of the river.
The situation, then, at present is that as
good if not a better channel to the sea
exists through and to sea from South Pass
than is to be found at the mouth of South
west Pass, with the near certainty of much
better one (which may be utilized by lighs-
erage over the middle ground shoal, as
suggested), and that the works needed to
SECURE like deep, navigable inlet channel
for through transit to and from New Or
leans are in process of construction, and
we'll advanced. G. W. r. B.
We can not sufficiently admire the pluck
and determination of Captain Eads. He
battles with the gigantic and subtle forces
of nature, as Goliah did with David, full of
earnestness and vim. He will do that
which it is not his duty to DO rather than
have that which he has done only benefit
the '.great people OF the Mississippi valley"
by bringing lighterage few miles nearer
their doors. We bid him God speed toward
-
grateful people in thanking Bayley.