The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-08-09
THE MISSISSIPPI JBTTIES,
Ihe Difficulties and Triumphs of the
Work as Performed by Captain Eads.


The greatest difficulty that had to
DC solved i'll building the channel
ut the mouth of the Mississippi
river was how to control the waters
OF tho great river, and so compel
them to cut out the much peodcd
channel. A hundred cubic yards of
flowing water, spread over u wator--
course of one hundred yards wide,
would give only yard of depth.
Tho problem was, speaking relative
ny, to coniine that one hundred
Me yards into u channel which
no,S '1no,, a(s compel it to scoop out IL
,eei, ,,eet oitatSael. ot Masonry had been
i'',I "n1>. ,.'''', ~ vNs mouth of tho Danube,
~"' ,a',i'1 1',''ao,fy s,n for such gigantic work
"ouitl iaf eN.Ned in cynonsc onv
possibility that wns Within y ihs
powers Of The %"; "n'A'i e Gio t,'o
Mississippi. At this not s,nct,ro % sou, u,'o y
one suggested that ,u Wiz 'J,i,u ,,nI
been used to direct the ,,,''.o '''s.c ~
streams and to confine theifIobbo,o ~
nels. Captain Eads and Cow,
Andrews consulted, and the ressst
was that they hit upon Q plan fol
utilizing the trees which grow in great
thickets on tho alluyial soil of the
Delta to help them in their work.
On a bar, or rather m island, which
came into existence in the river
forty years ago i'll front of a crcvassc
known as the Jump" there is q
willow thickct covering some thirty
! square miles Of land. Here was the
material if it could only Ec utilized.
After long and anxious discussion.
plan was agreed upon and PATENT
Ell in the names of the inventors by
which willow mattresses were
: brought into use
The mode of construction and
subsequent handling OF these mat
trcsses is particularly ingenious.
On the bank of the pass there is,
first OF all, constructed "launch
Way, consisting Of lumhcr,b,lilt
inclined platform, six feet above the
level to tho landward and gradually
sliding down to the waters edge.
On the platform are two ribbands
| of well CREASED pine which serve as
the ''ways," to use shipwrights
parlancc. On these ways are laid,
first of all, strips of pine, three by
slX inches in dimensions and five
feet apart. till the total width re-
qnrcd is reached These strips arc
plcced on end till Il total length of
about one hundred feet is achieved.
The number Of strips is determined
by the required width of the mats
Lresscs, which vary, according to
circumstances, from fifteen to fifty
feet. The strips being placed in
| position, a number of holes arc
bored III each, into which arc in
scrtci hickory pegs at short inter
walls, which, when boltcd in with oak
wedges, stnd ont thirty inches
from the platform. On the foundi-
ton thus made are laid the willows :;
the first layer is laid crosswisc of
the strips for about six inches, and
then lcngthwise, and SO on the
layers keep alternating till the tops
OF the pegs arc covered. When
Tins point is reached other strips are
laid crosswisc ON the whole mass,
III which holes corresponding to
the hickory pegs have been bored
, Thon, each peg having been fitted
to the superintendent hole, power
full leverage is brought to bear and
the binding cross strips are forced
down on to the pegs and securely
boltcd with oak wedges. This
completes the manufacture Of the
| mattress, which is then slid down
| from the 'ways" and iloatcd on to
the water. y steam tug then takes
the iioating mass in tow, and tugs
it to the position where it is to be
sunk. The mattresses vary in width
from fifty to fifteen feet, and sup
! posing depth of twenty feet has
to be filled up, ten of the mat
tresscs are sunk in the spot, the
lower one being Of full width and
the upper ones graduating down to
/ the minor dimensions. each of them
being about two feet in thickness
and % hundred feet long. In plac-
ing them in position they are first
! tloated on the spot and attached to
guide ,,osts, when II stone fbargc is
towed alongside and rocks thrown
on the mattress till it sinks. In
this manner the jetty is made. An
alternate layer of willow mattress
and rock, broad at tho base and
gradually narrowing toward the top
makes IL wall which is impregnable
to the assaults Of tho water, and SO,
NJ the jetties stretch out, tho cur
rent becomes confined and it's force
. concentrated. Not only is the
stream thus dcepcncd, b,lt by Il
curious reflex action the jctty walls
arc strengthened
cd The httoral current Of the gulf
runs flom west to cast, and the
Debris thrust out into tho gulf by
the concentrated stream, being
caught by the littoral current, be
comes filed up on the outside of
tho westward jotty, making Al firm
wall against all tho inroads of the