The Tipton advertiser., 1876-11-16
THE MISSISSIPPI JETTlEs.
South Pass-..A Natural Ship Can.
8l.-Grand Bayou.

SOutn RoOSSsssA N0tuT8l SUup C0m'
al--Grand Bayou.
Entering South Pass we find a com
paratively straight channel, with a
width of about 700 feet. 1t Is natur-
al but perfect ship canal, with firm
clear-cut sides, and deep water all
along, right up against the banks
thus affording always, channel way
of near 7O) feet for the passage of ves-
sells, giving ample room for two large
tows abreast.
About half way down the pass is
the only off-shoo. of any madnitude-
it makes large 'ateral pass through
the right bank-this is Grand Bayou,
which is 100 to $50 yards wide, and
carries Off about one-fourth of the wa
ter which has come down the pass Ia
this point.
1t is the intention to shut off this
and throw the whole vol
ume in this lower arm of the pass, and
for this purpose preparations have
been made to close up the Grand
Bayou with a dam.
A row of pi!ing was driven clear
across Grand Bayou, just inside its
throat, with the intention of putting
down willow mattresses and forming
a dam, but some little delay occurring,
the recent rise in the river threw Il
vast quantity of drift against the piles
and this drift not sinking fully, de-
fiected the current downwards and
was cutting the line work into holes.
The piling was cut off five feet below
the surface in mid-channel, and the
DRIFT hauled through it so as to clear
the piles; and now another line of
piling has been put down up the
bayou, to act as guard line, which
catches all the drift while the dam is
being completed on the main line
This work is purposely left open, 81
that whenever it is desired to shut of
the whole of Grand Bayou, the dam
can be completed in three or four days
thus adding at once an increase OF
twenty-five per cent. to the flow Of
water running through the jetties.
Five and half miles below the
dam, at Grand Bayou, we reach the
Port Eads and the Jetties.
Following the east bank of the pass
until the land terminated in shallow
water, Col. Andrews pushed out a
double row of piles foot square and
the rows being twelve feet apart, and
the piles eight feet in their respective
rows. This was rapidly done by two
steam pile-drivers, moving toward
each other along the row of piles as
they were driven i'm front of them.
After these rows of piling had been
completed it was determined that two
rows were entirely unnecessary, and
that as the piles were no part of the
jetty proper, one row would be suffi-
cient, hence all the rest of the piling
consists of single row of twelve by
twelve inch piles, at about ten to
twelve feet apart. Continuing the in
ncr line piles from where the double
row ceased at 800 feet out, on the
east side single row was then driven
out until II, 100 feet, or about q miles,
were reached. These are called guide
piles, and, as before stated, form nc
part of the jetty proper, but simply
serve to anchor and retain temporari.
ly the willow mattresses when they
are fioated out to their places, and to
keep them in line until they can bt
ballasted and sunk with stone.
In order to make mattress the
workmen begin by laying down
lengthwise, and five feet apart, across
the ways, pieces of mattress strips or
binders, which are pieces of sawed
pine lumber, six inches wide and two
and half thick, filling out the lot
feet by breaking joints, which shor
piece well nailed over; inch augul
holes are then bored through, five fee
apart, and into these are wedge,
strong pins, made of hickory hoop
poles; these hickory pins project up.
ward, like wagon standards. At the
corner are iron rods, with screws ane
taps, as these bottom straps are care
fully adjusted to their placed unde
them in such manner as to have 1
loop at the waters edge and its two
ends passing diagonally under th'
straps to the upper one, so as to fur
nish means for the tugboat to draw
the completed mattresses into the nv
er, off the creased ways.
A barge loaded with willow brusl
Is brought alongside, and men on the
barge pass out the long green willow
poles to others, on the ways, an,
these rapidly pack them between tn
upright pins, first with tier acros
the straps, then lengthwise, and so OF
until with several tiers and spaces be
tween the pins or standards are close
ly packed, then cross-binders of strap
of s by u inch lumber are placed ovel
the mattress, and the heads of thu
pins or standards are fitted into tn
holes of the top straps and tightly
wedged. The screw taps are then pu
on the corner iron rods, and then thi
humble but mighty agent, the mat
tress, is completed, and it is measur
ell by the engineer to know how man.
cords of willow it contains.
Some mattresses were made so fee
wide by 100 long; but usually tn
foundation tier is IS feet wide by 10
feet long and two feet thick. Th'
next 80, the next 25, and the last 2
feet wide. There have thus far beel
about $1,000 cords Of mattresses pu
down.
It takes about twenty-four men t
make a full gang of mattress men, an