New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-04
ORLEANS, A.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN,:

me Jetry Experinent. Z
EDITOR REPUBLICAN,:
ln'tAs0y the jstty engineers have de-
monstratDd the success Of the jetties b.
yond doubt. In prsctice endes vorea to
show from their own figures and reports
that it might be incoAvenient to bring the
Great Eastern through South Pass, when
the jetty retainers rushed gallantly to the
rescue The colonel swesrs the littoral our
rent Is go strong that it is carrying q way the
State Of Florida and converting it into the
State of Texas, the Brigadier General denies
any littoral current at all and gives Mr..
Minor Roberts ~ authority, while the
captain treats us to an essay on State rights
and political economy. If the jetties can
survive such defense my letters will not
injure them.
On November 9, 1875, Mr.. Bayley stated:
Iconsider all the indications are favor
able to our success in getting twenty feet
ormoee before the first of January next.
On reading the report was morally Ger
tain that twenty feet would be obtained.
The higf respect 7 had for Mr.. Bayley's in
cheering abilities has eEeatly offended his
friends. Eighteen days after the bunch of
hay was shaken IN the face of St. Louis,
Major Comstock, in his report dated New
Orleans, November 20, 1875, states:
About September IS rather severe gale
displaced piles near the end of the east
jetty, five disappearing entirely. 1t alse
displaced some OF the sheet piling. 1t de-
strOyed about 1000 running feet of mat
tresses, which were in position, but had not
been sunk, and disturbed some that were
sunk.
of May and June, 1879, with the survey Of
October S-l4, there appeaS to have been
not much change in the depth of water at
the mouth of South Pass on the whole. At
the upper end OF the jetties il may have
increased little: on the bar it appears to
have diminished from one to two feet.
If Mr.. Bayley desires to retain the conf
dence of the stockholders he should rise
and explain. In 1874, MIR. Bayley stated:
The river unaided by man made eut-offs,
never cut through it's banks or the banks Of
its passes, below Fort st. Philip; and it's
natural tendency is always to close it's sur
plus outlets by filling them up with silt and
deposit. The jump and the eastern passes
are now being closed in this way. and it
would be well to assist the father of waters
to close them by artificial works, instead Of
working to deepen the useless Paes-a-
rOutre, and all effort should be concen-
trated in improving the Southwest Pass.
After leading the public to believe that
Southwest Pass was the only outlet that
could be improved: will Mr.'Bayley explain
why he abandoned Southwest Pass and &C.
cepted more useless one than Pass-a-
rOutre? l ask him as . favor what the
citizen Of New Orleans might dem and az q
right. l Ieappeal to him ss . member of an
honorable profession to give his reasons.
They would be interesting and inst ructive.
Captain Eads ia the most conservative
and able representative of class who
might be called the volunteer guerrilla
engineer corps. Their bitterness toward
each other is scarcely equaled by the
grandeur of their projects, and they only
close their ranks when attacking their com
mon foe, the regular engineers.
Captain John Cowdon, OF Memphis, is q
guerrilla chieftain. His project is by means
of cut-sffs and outlets to shorten the dis
tance between Cairo and the Gulf 800
miles. This will reduce the height of the
floods twenty feet at Vicksburg, twelve
or fifteen at Memphis, and SIX or
eight at Cairo;" and by some unex-
planned process to lift millions of tons
Of mud on the swamps, con verting into
highlands the swamps of the St. Francis,
the Yazoo, all Louisiana and Arkansas, and
most of the Arkansas and Mississippi river
bottoms to New Orleans" He is now in
specting the ietties and gathering inferma-
tiOn for his annual message, which consists
of five columns in the Memphis Aratanche,
and as he changes his programme every
year, we await. with fear and dread the
benefits he has in store for US.
Another wing, of which j. B. Miles, of
Helena, is captain, intend to change the
route Of the Mississippi below Donaldson
vile, and convey it partly through Bayou
Lafourche, then overland to Lake Verret,
down Bayou Long and through the Atcha-
falaya river into Atchafalaya bay. By this
We will free the valley from inundation,
obtain deep water to the Gulf, erect the
future capital of America near Morgan
City, and convert New Orleans into fish
ing village and oyster depot.
Captain Eads proposes, as the Mississippi
goes on yearly tear, TO pat it in straigha
jacket, straighten itup and make it into
respectable river. He is in favor of closing
up all the outlets but South Pass, and gives
Z. wood cut in the Times showing the ad-
vantages to be gained. He states:
What would then result from the closure
of these two outlets, Pass-a L o. Outre and
Southwest Pass, which the theory of the
(levee commissioner report most emphat-
ically oppOses2 The steep grade from the
Cult to the head OF the passes would be
lowered Sc feet, or about nineteen inches
at the head Of the passes, and the food line
would be quite or nearly that IN UGH lower
on the levees at New Orleans, an d it would
be ultimately lesseued on every other levee
between that city and the head Of the delta.
The closure of all the outlets and passes
below New Orleans, SO as to cOnIine the
river to one channel to the sea, would alone
materially lessen the necessary height of
more than 1000 miles of levees req uired on
the two banks or more Of the Mississippi
and would greatly benefit a large portion
Of the levees on its tributaries.
That is in theory. In practice it would
be like pla cling nozzle on a hose pipe, re-
duce the area of discharge, and increase
the velocity.
In 1874 Mr.. Bayley stated that South west