The Osceola times., 1876-08-26
improving the mississippi.
PhIIadslphia Telegraph.


Captain Eads has matured plan for
the furthur improvement of the entrance
TO the south pass of the Mississippi
river, and surveys have been made to
perfect it. BY this plan the current is
TO be confined to narrower space than
it now occupies, by means of wing.dams
and dykes, which will greatly increase
its velocity as enters the jctties, securing
away the bar which extends from 1000
feet above to 80 feet within the pass, and
on which at present there il a variable
depth Of between IL and 30 feet.
CAPTAIN Eads feels confident that a
permanent channel can be secured and
maintained through this bar, il its entire
removal cannot he accomplished, by
placing these wing-dams, two on each
side OF the river, and jutting from its
banks, above the jetties. The upper
pair OF these dams will be 5000 feet
above the upper end OF the city work,
the one from the right bank jutting
200 feet into the river, and the one
from the left | 400 feet leaving an open
way for the passage of the water of 1000
feet The lower pass will be only 600
feet above the jetties. The right dam
will be 600 feet long, but does not rest
upon any base in the way Of bank or
dyke while the left one will extend at
an angle of ninety degrees from a dyke
already built and known rs the east
dyke. The latter extends from a point
500 feet below the head of the south
pass to 400 feet above it. The passage
between the last pair of dams will be 500
feet, which is The average width Of sotith
pass, and thus the body of water which
naturally seeks the latter is narrowed
and forced with greater velocity between
| the jetty walls. The construction Of
these dams will be begun ~ soon as the
surveys necessary To the work are com.
pleted.
The latest news from the jetties show.
n degree of progress which, it is thought
proves, from the constant deepening Of
the water in the south pass, that they
will eventually be perfectly successful.
Grand bayou has been closed, and since
that was done the speed of the current
has increased to such degree that it has
removed by its force vast body of earth
Captain Eads's principle-that O
making the river do its own dredging,
thus fully carried out, and will in time
become it is said by the prominent engi
neers, new feature in the science o.
improving navigation. Constant sound
ings, taken from day to day oy those OF
the work, prove that the channel Il
becoming a straighter, wider, and deeper
one, having an average depth of 20 fee
almost through its entire length. tn,
only places were this depth is not founc
are at the other end of the pass-withiI
800 feet Of its upper end and within ,OO'
feet of the sea terminus of jetties; anC
the least depth discovered at these point
has been 10 feet, and that only for
distance of rs feet up and down tn
steram. One of the arguments put for
ward by the opponents of his work ha
been that new bar would form at tn,
mouth of the jetties, the latter woul,
have to Re prolonged, another bar woulc
form, and SO on indefinitely. On tn,
contrary, it has been proved, it is asserted
that a sand or mud "lumps," which
formerly existed at the mouth of tn
pass, has been cut in two by the current
and is gradually washing away into thu
deep waters Of the gulf, channel nov
passing directly through it which i
more than 100 feet wide and 20l fee
deep, daily widening and deepening.