The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-04-18
rROM THE PASSES.

Our readers who perused the Monday
morning papers. have no doubt seen ID
the Times and Picdv,tne the correspond
ence between Mr.. L. J. Highly and Capt.
James B. Eads concerning the expedi-
ency OF obtaining the aid OF United
States dredge boats to secure, within
the shortest delay, q sufficient depth OF
water Mt the Passes for the free passage
OF the large amount OF tonnage now In
this port and the great quantity OF corn
in the States west OF the Mississippi
river awaiting deeper water for transpor-
tation.
There Is now about sixteen feet depth
in Southwest Pass. due principally to
the dredge boats. This is about the
average low water depth, but through
a long and crooked channel.
South Pass has twenty-five feet, ex-
cept for a half mile at the outer end,
where there is at least fifteen and hall
feet and in many places twenty feet. IL
is believed one OF the Government steam
dredues can in a week or ten days make
q channel twenty feet deep through this
and through the bar at the head OF the
Pass. so that our tonnage can oil load at
very remunerative rates, and thus mate
rally benefit the commerce OF this city
and oil the Valley States.
Mr.. Highly, on behalf Of the MGR
chants OF New Orleans, addressed
letter to Capt. Eads, requesting his as
sent to memorial to be forwarded to
Secretary Taft praying for the use OF
the dredge boats to insure a speedier
deepening OF the Passes.
Capt. Eads, though admitting the OPP
portunity OF the dredge boats as to tho
more immediate augmenting OF the
depth, refuses to be party to the memo
rial. for the reason that he has under
taken to do the work without that aid. He
very pointedly and truly sets forth that
Il is now ten months since the first blow
was struck upon the jetties, and. since
that short period, double the depth
mon the bar has been obtained, he con-
clusively saying:
IT do not wonder Mt the Impotence 81 your
merchants. notwithstanding this result. put.
under all tho circumstances; THINK there e, ,h rs
| equally Interested In securing deep channel ht
| the earliest moment all action In the matter you
| suggest
As the above shows Capt Eads. who
appears confident Of success, refuses to
be a party to the memorial asking for
the aid OF the dredgeboats; neverthe-
less. he seems, in an indirect way, 70
approve OF tho plan, and In consequence
the following memorial is being sub
mittcd to our merchants for signatures,
to be forwarded to Secretary Taft:
To tho Hon. Alonzo Taft Secretary OF War Of
the United States
We. your memoriaIsts. merchants Of New Or
leans. bog leave 10 represent to you that The
| work OF deepening tho channel acr9ss tht
South Pass bar. ut the mouth OF the Missis
spP nay fxs5 depth q twenty
| will soon be obtained through said Pass
To make this depth available for commerce, 1
channel across tho bar in the mississippi river
above the head Of the Pass. We are coniiden
that II you will issue the necessary lnstr4ctlon
to Major q. w. Howell to operate ono or both 9
the Government dredges on said bar that Tx
depth Of twenty feet can be obtained into tn
Of South Pas in n, very s ar time ahns to oa
with grain this spring which will MATERIAL
benefit the farmers and merchants OF the Yale
sideraby to the value Of the present cereal crop
And your mem rialists will ever pray.
We have no doubt the Secretary vii
accede to this request Of the citizens Q
New Orleans, tho matter being thini
of national interest, and Capt. Eads
glory in the premises will in no way b
attenuated, in the event OF his ultimat
success, by this timely aid given by tn
Government in q matter Of momentar
, necessity