New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-07

Crossing the Bar at seuth Pass.
On Friday last . number Of the delegates
to the Immigration Convention accepted
the invitation Of Captain Eads. and visited
the scene of the jetty works at South Pass.
Arrangements had been made to send .
schooner to ses by the jetty pass, and 40.
cordingly the Matte w. Atwood, drawing
thirteen feet of water, found the ocean by
the jetty route after experiencing some an.
noying delays. The schooner was mainly
aided by the tug Wicaco, concerning which
aid, Captain Joseph Averill, of the Wicaco,
makes . statement, in substance - follows:
March 4, the tug Wicaco, with the
schooner Matte w. Atwood, got to the
head of the paeses ut A. NJ, where she
waited until 10 A. NJ, for the pilot to be
sent by Captain Eads, as per arrangement.
The captain of the schooner Atwood became
the Southwest Pass. went dOyn as far as
1 could and blew my whistle. 4 boat came
from the telegraph station; and told who
ever came ont that South Pass pilot was
wanted. He went back with the message,
but was gone too long, and 80 we started
for the Southwest Pass. Captain Eads'
pilot then came down, and we went
back. He took 10 in ut the South Pass at
2:l0 P. NJ, and We went down the pass after
sticking at the entrance thirty minutes.
When We arrived at the jetty station, John
F. Girsdorff and Robert TilfOrd, bar pilots,
came on board, and went on the bar with
the Wicaco and the small tug Bryerly.
When We came to the first b1oy the schooner
stuck fast. q little to the left Of the channel.
Captain Eads and party were on the tow
boat Julia, and they came up and sounded,
and found eighteen and nineteen feet OF
water in holee, and sounded in other places
and found twelve and thirteen feet in the
channel. At 4 P: NJ, the revenue cutter
John A. Dix came and took hawser
from the starboard bow of the Atwood, and
helped No down some distance. The Bryer-
" and the julia, the Eads boat, were as
sieting us on the port side. We worked
until 6 p. NJ, when the Dix let 60 and went
of. The tide had fallen so much that the
cantain of the schooner and Pilot Girsdortf
concluded we could not get her out. We
then all let 60 and came back to the tele-
graph station.
Eads, Colonel Andrews and pilot Robert
Tilford and others came on board the tug
Wicaco at 10 A. NJ. They told me that the
schooner was af1Oat and working in her
bed, 90 at 1920 A. NJ. started down,
having received orders from Captain Yorke
that If did not get the Atwood out in an
hour he would send another boat. There
were then about twenty five of the persons
in Captain Esds' party on board the tug,
besides nv crew. l took the hawser of the
Matte w. Atwood and pulled the schooner
over into the channel. and she went over on
to the south jetty. 1t was 90 rough then
that the sea filed my decks several times,
IL >AA oh nvya hoU
being told by the captain and pilot that II l
let 90, the schooner would be ruined. l
spulled her round and the captain got on
some sail; then Stacked mp the hawser,
and the schooner drifted down on to the
end of the south jetty, and her stern
grounded on Q mud lump. 1t was then 80
rough that some seas were going over the
schooner, and had to wait for chance TO
get head out. As soon as possible towed
the Atwood six miles to sea. The pilot had
to be taken off in yawlboat. He came on
board the tug, and we returned to the tele-
graph station wharf ct 2:3O z. NJ.
Captain Averill has been solicited to
make this statement that all the facts pos
sible could be elected from persons uncon-
nected with the jetty constructor, regard
ing the sending of q ship to sea through the
jetties.
A dispatch given to the Associated Press
was as follows:
EApspoRr, March 5-The three masted
schooner Matte w. Atwood. 783 tons, with
cargo of 2250 bales cotton. and drawing
thirteen feet six inches, was put to sea
through the jetty channel at South fass
this morning. This is the hret merchant
vessel that has passed though the letty
channel, where, seven weeks ago, there was
barely seven feet six inches OF water; now
there is fourteen feet.
A special dispatch to the Times, from the
same place, same date, took . most hopeful
view of the success of the schooner Atwood.
A paragraph says:
At 1890 P. NJ. to-day the towboat Wiaco
fastened her line to her and headed for the
sea. No delay or difficulty was experienced.
and she glided over the bar as easily as II
there had been twenty feet of water, which,
/ can assure the readers of the Times, there
will be before many days.
The dispatch of the fourth instant to the
Bulletin, from Port Eads, and signed Jets"
says:
The revenue cutter Dix pulled her OF,
and she proceeded down to the shoa!est enc
part of the bar, which is now Io,1VV ,eeo 'eeo
from the upper end OF the jetties, and l9Oo
feet from their sea ends. Here she got
a little out of the channel, and having only
one tow boat, and that very small one'
the Wicaco, che could not be got on before
the tide had ebbed so much as to necessf
tate her remaining until tomorrow: She
has fifteen feet of water within hfty rect OF
her bow, and from there out to sea enc Will
have plenty of depth.
The Matte w. Atwood is a schooner OF
653 tons burden, drawing twelve and tn'r-
teen feet of water fore and aft. When she
a.temnted the South Pass she had cargo
of 2l5O bales of cotton, and was bound 1or
Reyel. After risks of delay and wreck, she
finally made the passage out. II there ls
continuous channel through the South Pass
tho Atwood was unfortunate in not being
kent in it BY the pilots. In fact, che first
grounded at the very entrance OF the pass
and stuck for half an hour at Chambers
Island.
With 60 many conflicting ideas concern
ing the depth of water at the south Pass,
it would be interesting to know the sotuai
depth to be found at all times in continu'
Qua practicable ship channel. A good tug
ho.t can overcome st least foot OF soft
mud. 40 that where . thirteen foot ship
sticks it is concluded the water is less tnan
twelve feet. In . crooked and shi1t'ng
channel. with mud Jumps coming mp and
going down, it can safely be said that there
ia now twenty and twenty-three feet
r -Ln-o <horA wAa formerly