The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-06-01
CAPT. EADSS TRIUMPH,
Passage OF the Steamship Hudson
Through the Jetties-Wbat Has Been
Done at South Pass Since January

Through the Jetties-yVhat Has Been
Done Mt South Pass Since January.
From the New Orleans Bulletin, MAY III
From the time when, early in April
last, it became apparent to the friends
of the improvements in progress at
South Pass that a sufficient channel
depth would soon be obtained for the
passage OF steamship through this new,
and-for century, at least-unknown
channel, Captain f. V. eager, in COM
mand of the Cromwell Line, New York
and New Orleans, iron steamship Hud-
son, manifested desire to be the
pioneer who should first enter the Mis-
sissippi River by the new route, and his
wish to be the first navigator to prac-
tically demonstrate that such a channel
had become available for commerce was
made known by him to Mr.. MOulton,
the agent of the Cromwell Line at New
Orleans, as well as to the New York
agents and to Captain Eads, MIR. Bay
ley, his resident engineer, and Colonel
Andrews, the contractor. In April
Captain eager instructed Mr.. Francis,
the regular pilot of the Cromwell Line,
to proceed to South Pass and sound the
new jettied channel, for the purpose Of
obtaining information as to its cOndi-
ton. This he did, but the attempt to
enter was not made until Captain
Gager's last trip from New York.
Agreeably to Capt. Gager's wishes,
arrangements were made with
the pilot to sound the new channel
again, and this time carefully and
thoroughly, and Capt eager was in
formed by telegraph, before leaving
New York, on the 9Th inst, that he
could enter South Pass on his arrival
off the bar, and that all would be ready
for the trial on the 18th, the day the
Hudson would be due.
On the 18th the pilot, Capt. Francis,
carefully sounded between the jetties
and across the bar at the head of South
Pass, and familiarized himself with the
location of the channel-way, in compa-
ny with Messrs. Eads, Bayley, Andrews
and Clinton.
On the morning of the 18th the Hud-
son was anxiously looked for off the
bar of South Pass. Latterly high tides
had not occurred, and at 1Oa. m, when
it was at flood, it reached only to the
zero of the gauge established by the
Government Engineer Inspector as the
plane of reference for the ietty
| channel depth. This zero is fixed al
the mean or average height OF highest
flood tide. Soon after 10 O'Clock the
tide commenced to recede, and steadily
declined thereafter About p. N. the
Hudson was seen pproaching from the
sOutheastward, a long way off, and she
was met to the south of the jettied en-
trance, about two miles outside, just be-
fore 3 p. N. At this time the tide was
near half ebb, or about half foot be-
| low the average high tide zero, and
rapidly falling; this causing a strong
current out between the jetties.
1t had previously been determined
that so large ship as the Hudson, 500
feet in length, should be run straight
up between the jetties, in direct line,
and that it was unadvisable to attempt
| to follow the line of deepest water,
which, at the entrance, deviated first to
the right and back again to the left
| The shOalest point was within the ships
! length of the outer ends of the jetties
! (outSide and inside there was an ample
depth of channel way, but it was con
sidered that there was sufficient depth
across the cutoff to pass the ship safely.
The pilot, Mr.. Francis, and MeSsrs.
Eads, Bayley and Clinton boarded the
Hudson, as before stated, about two
miles outside South Pass, certainly not
less than one and a half miles out.
To Capt. eager himself belonged all
of the responsibility of the proposed
trial passage between the ietties. To
his Judgment and discretion the owners
had left the decision; he was and is,
and always will be, the commander of
| the ship whose deck he treads, and none
more worthy can be found to command
one Mr.. MOultOn, the New Orleans
agent of the line, was willing and even
anxious that Capt. eager should be the
pioneer of the South Pass Channel, but
it was left for the Captain to decide yea
| or nay.
After hearing the report of his pilot,
Mr.. Francis, and whatwas said by Capt.
EadS and myself, after brief cOnsidera-
ton he gave the order to the pilot;
''Head her in for South Pass"
AS we approached the outer buoys the
Captain asked the pilot " ShalI we run
in slow?" " No, let her 90 at full
speed" An6 in she went, at the rate,
as Captain q. says, of fully four miles
and half in Is minutes, amid general
rejoicing and waving of hats and hand
kerchiefs.
The run up South Pass, across the
bar at its head, and up river to the
Quarantine Station, So miles from Port
Eads, against the strong flood current
of South Pass and the river, was made
in exactly three hours, showing no de-
tention, and that the Hudson is one of
the fastest of sea- going steamers. An
inspection of this steamer throughout
and of her engines and machinery I'M
der the guidance of the engineer, Mr..
+. NJ Stats, convinced the writer that
the Hudson is one of the finest ships
which ever visited the port of New Or
leans. Her cost was reported to be
S350,000.
To set at rest all contradictory state
ments relative to the dimensions and
draught of the steamship Hudson, the
following certificate of her commander,
addressed to Capt. Eads, is given:
STEAMSHIP HUDSON, NEW ORLEANS, /
May ID, 1S76.-Capt. EadS: Dear Sir-In
reply TO your request / have to state that |
the steamer Hudson, under my command, |
arrived off the South Pass about 3 p. m. on
the 18th inst, stopped for the pilot to come
on board. and while stopped had the lead
east and did nCf yet bottom with twenty
fathoms. / went ahead through the jettied
channel and stopped at Eadsport at 3:l5,
proceeded at $3.50, passed out Of the head OF
the Pass without trouble or delav.
The Hudson's draught, by her marks.
when she left New York, was 10 feet 5
inches. Her draught when she arrived in
New Orleans was Ii feet ! inches. The
Hudson is an iron ship, of 4, 600 bales storage
capacity, length 800 feet, depth p feet,
beam "a feet. Respectfully yours,
f. V. GAGER, Captain.
The Hudson drew fourteen feet seven /
inches when she passed through the
South Pass jettied channel; the tide |
was at half ebb, or six inches balow .
average high water. The Hudson, ac- .
cording to the opinion of Mr.. Francis, .
the pilot, would displace water and .
bury herself fully nine inches when .
moving within a side-walled channel at .
her then velocity, and a straight cutoff .
l. Il. h. 81 81