The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-15
The Improvement NJ tho Mississippi
Mouth.

Since the commencement of operations
under the direction of Captain Eads con-
siderable improvement has been effected in
the navigation of the South Pass, and it is
now claimed that ships of sixteen feet
draught can traverse it at mean high water
without any difficulty. BY means of en-
bankments formed of mattress work, pro-
tected by sheet piling, the channel of the
South Pass has been 50 narrowed that the
water volume flowing through it has
dredged the bed clear Of large por-
ton of the mud deposit, and Captain
Eads asserts that there is now good
reason to expect complete removal of the
sippi by the action of the constantly increas-
ing volume of water. But grave question
arises in connection with the ultimate
deposit of the mud thus removed from the
mouth and channel of the South Pass, as it is
asserted that a new formation or deposit has
been recently discovered to exist several
hundred feet to seward Of the lower ter
minus of operations, and which is believed
to be due to the accumulation of the mud
that has been dredged by the river current
AS above described. Regarding this impor-
tant discovery we will express our opinion by
repeating the warning Of the HERALD on
the 9th and 8th of last September,
when the commission of engineers was in
session in New York, to consider the jetty
scheme and determine finally the plan of
operations. Referring to the danger Of an
overhasty action on the plans, tho HERALD
editorial article objectionable errors
may not become apparent until vast
amount of harm has been accomplished
indeed, q temporary success may crown the
efforts of the engineers at certain points on
the sphere of their operations, only to render
the evils sought to be abated irremediable,"
And again, suggesting the very difficulty
that is now believed to have presented itself
outside the mouth of the South Pass, "a
gradual closing up, by deposit, of the South
west and South Passes of the river which
will in time open on an area of slack water
between the Gulf Stream and the shore
line" These remarks were based
on our belief that the selection
of the South Pass for the proposed jetty i'm
provement was not wise one the project
being intended, we presume, as a work of
utility and not of mere experiment. The
latter reference in the article quoted is in
tended to show what would happen if the
Mississippi was permitted to adjust it's out
lets in accordance with the natural eastward
trending of it's channel below Baton Rouge,
which point marks the limit of the general
southwark flow Of the river. The oblitera-
ton Of the old western outlets by filling up
shows that if advantage is to be taken of
the enormous volume of the river waters to
render their outlets navigable, only those
that exhibit and favor the natural tendency
of the river should be selected and improved.
It is impossible to force the Mississippi to
follow perfectly straight course, such
rs that represented by the line from
the forts to the mouth of the South
Pass. The Southeast Pass presents more
favorable line, discharging as it does in the
general direction Of the littoral current
which is calculated on to remove the ex-
cavated mud from the river into deep water.
We publish to-day card from Captain Eads
addressed to directors to his scheme, in
which he presents the latest phases of the
improvement. We would deplore tho
failure of the Eads jetty plan in this in
stance, but we are of opinion that its failure
would be in application instead of prin-
ciple because of the injudicious selection of
the South Pass.