New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-17

A.
its columns of injurious statements OF sn0
.ff.;ra cf Nav orleans. They are usually
eossiping exaggerations, but sc"e'lu.s
moro reprehepsible, because utterly oevolu
of truth. Nearly oil of these appear IN 'ss
,atters from its New Orleans correspond
ant. The merchants of New Orieens' ne1
railroad and canal projects, her efforts TO
regain prosperity. and even social ana'ie'
All have been unfavorsbly and unfairly
commented on. The last instance occurs
in that writer's letter, published in tho st.
Louis Republican Of March IL, and copied
in the New Orleans Times yesterday morn
ing. where tho following statement is gwen
~ coming from IN ''old sea captain"
AJoLLY CRUISE.
Ireckon it is bout three years ago com,
msnded Q steamer on the lake. Uno usy
got sealed orders to carry lot OF tne 9e% eSs
bers Of the State government SOME =. M S10
legislative chaps and I don't know M9o Hn:
out on . cruise-s big drunk. O!G 1en
Thompson was one OF the party snu 49, = 49,
Ss ~ xr"rreA = monument officer of the United
States engineer corps) Well, after We
were ont and under way, the major toio me
70 hesd for Robbins bsy, where they pro-
nosed making the end of the canal. Inc
follovine morning, when the steamer
reached the bay, Major :" showed me :
big map all drawn with lines, wnefe NO salo
he wanted me to run the boat ana 20 neave
the lead; 'but," says he, no mss.er n,M n"M ass,
out not LEES than four fathoms." Then"
said /, "najor, you'll have to get anothe. NJ,
man to heave that leao, for id If III tell
a liz with . lead line. Now. l suppose
thev had come down there to learn the true
stafe Of the water, to report it to the gov
ernment and the people, but that We
mistake. Well, / know towboat captain
that was aboard. and l toid tne ms!ot =
refused. 40 et last . tugboat captain was
found and that lubberly cuss sounded and
called tour fathoms, four 4nd half ana st
that rate. all over the bay, when knew
nlentv of places where there wern't half
that water. and that report went to Con-
erese, . lie from beginning to end.
This outrageous concoction no DOUBT re-
fers to the investigation ordered by the
Secretary of War, which was conducted on
the Creole May 2, 3, 4 and S. 1873. This
was the result Of an application to him by
the Chamber of Commerce, the Cotton Ex-
change and Board of Underwriters. This
application was made because Southwest
Pass was completely blockaded by vessels
fast on tho bar. The Minnesota had been
there weeks. The Alabama got of the day
after the investigation. The Memphis, with
q most valuable freight, laid there four
weeks, and then had to return to this city
and unload for Q new wheel. Other vessels
were in the same strait; unable to got in or
out. Eight million dollars worth of prop
erty was lying idle. Such Q condition OF
things naturally aroused the interest in tho
Fort St. Philip canal, and Major c. w.
Howell was directed to take charge Of the
matter. Doubtless he is the officer who is
discourteously referred to a. "Major -"
The captain is made to tell the
story. The commander of the Creole was
Captain Hopkins, but that gentleman
would not be likely to be guilty of saying
he received 'sealed orders" when the trip
was one we'll known to sll people of New
Orleans, and its results q matter Of anxiety
The REPUBLICAN reporter was present dur
| ing the whole Of the proceedings on the
| trip, and remembers every circumstance
perfectly. The passengers were not - lo'
| of members of the State government, some
of tho legislative chaps and don't know
who ALL" Chief State Engineer General n
JEFF Thompson was the only representative
of the State government, and there wert
no members of the Legislature.
Some of the principal guests of the engi
neer department were w. H. Bell, City
Surveyor; g. w. r. Bsyley, civil engineer
Collector Casey, Marshal Packard. Cap
tains Silas Weeks, Pegrsm, Trinidad, E. A
Yorke, G. 81. Res, Tom Mcclellan and G
L. Norton, Judge J. H. Kennsrd. Colone
Febiger, DR.. Bonzano, Messrs. j. II. Ogles
by, Cyrus Bussey, L. J. Highly, w. n. Bur
we'll, D. g. Lobdell, II. Tyler, C. Tyler, Mr.
Zerega, w. r. Buddendorf, c. Seller
Walter L Bell, j. c. O'Fsllon. s. H. Scran
ton, D. E. Conger, B. F. Glover, Thomas Has
sam, L. Lacombe. and regular represent
ative of the St. Louis Globe, the Picayune
and the REPUBLICAN,.
The steamer left the Lake End Friday
May 2, and Saturday was spent in sound
ing at Sable island, the gulf end of the For
st. Philip canal, and going through Pass-a
rOutre to Southwest Pass. The sounding
we're not made by ''tugboat captain" or I
'lubberly cues" but by Captain George L
Norton and Captain Hiram Follett. Ths
Major Howell could be guilty of telling
either of these gentlemen or tha commands
| of the Asteamer on the lake" to give falls
calls of the depth is impossible to believe
The fact was that thirty feet of water wa
found, and the eoundings agreed to sur
prising extent with the charts of the coas
survey OF thirty years ago and the sound
ings Of the British naval officers in 1915.
Coming up the river, meeting was hell
and brief addresses made by j. H. Oglesby
Major Howell, General Cyrus Bussey, Hon
j. H. Kennsrd, Captain E. A. Yorke
Colonel W. NJ. Burwell and j. c. O'Fsllon
Esq., of St. Louis. These are not men VIII
go "out on . cruise, . big drunk" VIII
the correspondence authority is is not Q
much consequence. He can not be Captain
Hopkins, unless that gentleman has great,
changed. Certain it is, the correspondent
does not speak from his own knowledge, fo
neither he nor any one representing the 81
Louis Rep~bHcan or the New Orleans Time
was on board of the Creole.
At the conclusion of the addresses serie
Of resolutions were adopted, attached t
the report and forwarded to the War DE-
partment. They indorse Major Howell, d.
clare it the unanimous opinion of all tina