The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-05-04
LETTER FROM CAPTAIN EADS.
THE JETTgEs SEVENTEEN FEET ON
THE BAR.
A Permanent Increase In the Depth on
south Pass bar.
New ORLEANS, May 3, 1876.

Editor Democrat:
Dear SRI have read your article in
this evenings DEMOCRAT by which your
readers are informed that official sound
elaborately made by Major Howell,
United States Engineers. You say !:
"In fact, the soundings are made Off
cially at the Governments expense. and
are part of series of coast surveys
which are under Major Howell's super
vision, although the jetty works may
not be-
This is the first declaration have
seen published to the effect that Major
Howell, United States Engineers, is
also making official soundings Of the
Pass. and your editorial seems. to 60
into such details as to leave but little
doubt that you have obtained your in
formation from his Office, as you say If /
made from time to time, of the South
Pass Of SO elaborate character that he
Cd will confess that, by comparison, his
(my) own autographed charts must pale
before them"
Gen. G. b. Comstock, United States
Engineers, was appointed by the Secre-
tary Of War to discharge the same duty,
which, it seems by your editorial, is be-
ing performed by Major Howell and his
assistants. Gen. Comstock's assistant,
Capt. M. r. Brown, United States Engi-
neers, and party were yesterday en-
gagged at the jetties in making elaborate
soundings by order of the War Depart
ment also, and radial soundings, imme-
diately In advance OF the jetties, are
likewise being made by the United
States Coast Survey. YH}El4 y
Elaborate soundings are made at least
once a month, and sometimes twice per
month, by my Chief Assistant Engineer,
Mr.. h. l.. Corthell, assisted by Mr..
Marx Il. Schmidt and Mr. w. T.. Webb.
civil engineers, the results of which
have from time to time been promptly
published by me. 1t would seem, there
fore, that between the cost to the Gov
ernment and to myself and associates,
the public are likely to be well informed
upon the subject.
There seems to be, however, consider
able discrepancy, by your statement.
between the results OF Major Howell's
and my own soundings on the bar; and
especially respecting the reformation of
the bar in advance Of the jetties. On
the appearance OF anonymous tele-
grams in the St. Louis papers sent re-
Gently from this city, stating that the
water was shoaling In advance Of the
jetties, authorized the emphatic decla-
ration to be made by the South Pass
Jetty Company's Secretary in that city,
that this report was "a malicious false
hood" " say SO still, although it seems
less anonymous than before.
Your editorial leaves but little doubt
of the TACT that you have been misled by
information derived from Mai Howell's
office. You say, This compilation
shows, among other things you men
tioD, that the bar has simply been
pushed out, slope, shoal and all, as
though it had been bodily removed from
one point to another" etc. To this /
tions." or charts of soundings, showing
any such result rs this, is absolutely
false and unreliable.
The contour lines Of soundings on
the outer slope of the bar embrace be-
tween the width Of the ietties 1000 feet,
and these lines have frequently altered,
sometimes receding on the east side OF
this width and advancing on the west,
and again retreating and advancing on
the opposite sides; and again, these
lines have retreated and advanced In
the middle of the jetties, leaving nearly
equal depths on each side Of middle
ground at their mouth On the 25th
ult. we had a channel Of nearly equal
depth on each side of such middle
ground, while on this latter, the depth
was but two or three feet less than in
these channels. Last Sunday the depth
west sixteen and half feet, while but
feet was over the shoal between
them. At no time, however, have these
contour lines advanced on one part Of
the bar front without retreating on
some other, and there has not been, and
s not to-day, any average advance ali
over the front Of the bar At no time
has any part advanced anything like so
much as you assert. The eighteen foot
contour line, for instance, is not to-day
further seaward than 1t was year ago, |
while the deeper contour lines have
nearly all retreated; that is, have come
'urther landward, making tho outer
slope OF the bar sleeper than ever be-
lore; while beyond the thirty feet con-
our line the deepening has lbeen very
decided, ranging from one to fifteen |
'eet repeat, therefore, emphatically, |
he jetties, or the reformation of the |
BAR on its sea slope-a phenomenon |
predicted by Major Howell |
md other opposers OF the jetty system
--has not occurred, and that the effort |
low being made to create this belief is
In ignorance or malice. :.9g,.
The cavilers at this improvement de- Y
,lare they have come through the Jet
les and found places with but ten or
welve feet on them, when we have
eported fifteen or sixteen. They ignore /
he fact that the jetties are 1000 feet
vide, and expect to find the maximum |
lepth from jetty to jetty, yet praise the
'hannel maintained by the dredgeboat
It Southwest Pass to. a degree that
makes 1t surprising that any one should
want better one, although a deviation |
4 thirty feet from It's centre gives but
lfteen feet or less, and within dis
ance not one-quarter Of the width OF
be jetties, there Is but eight or nine
eet. HHffs 81 stEa 4.s5}
The persistent MISREPRESENTATION
nd hostility shown by portion OF the
itizen1 and press Of this city to this en-
erpfise, is one OF the most unexpected |
nd remarkable features developed by |
T.. Twas led to believe that every in
elligent citizenlof New Orleans wanted
eep water at the mouth Of the river.
came here with the authority OF I