The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-08-03

CAPT. EADEsSTRIUAPH.s
PASSAGE Of the stesInshipa Hadsen
4 Throueh tho Jetties-WhAt Has Been
Done At south Pass Since January.
From the New Orleans Bulletin. May All Il
From the time when, early in April
last, it became apparent to the friends
of the improvements in progress at
South Pass that sufficient channei
depth would soon be obtained for the
passage of steamship through this new,
and-for century, at least-unknown
channel, Captain e. V. eager, in COM
mand of the Cromwell Line, New York
and New Orleans, iron steamship Hud-
son, manifested desire to be the
pioneer who should first enter the Mis-
sissippi River by the new route. and his
wish to be the first navigator to prac-
tically demonstrate that such channel
had become available for commerce was
made known by him to Mr.. Moulton,
the agent of the Cromwell Line at New
Orleans, as well as to the New York
agents and to Captain sEads, Mr.. Bay
ley, his resident engineer, and Colonel
Andrews, the contractor. In April
Captain eager instructed Mr.. Francis,
the regular pilot of the Cromwell Line,
to proceed to South Pass and sound the
new jettied channel, for the purpose of
obtaining information as to its condi-
ton. This he did, but the attempt to
enter was not made until Captain
Gager's last trip from New York.
Agreeably to Capt. Gager's wishes,
| arrangements were made with
the pilot to sound the new channel
again, and this time carefully and
thoroughly, and Capt. eager was in
formed by telegraph, before leaving
New York, on the 9th inst, that he
could enter South Pass on his arrival
off the bar, and that all would be ready
for the trial on the 18th, the. day the
Hudson would be due.
On the 18th the pilot, Capt. Francis,
carefully sounded between the jetties
and across the bar at the head of South
Pass, and familiarized himself with the
location of the channel-way, in compa-
ny with Messrs. Eads, Bayley, Andrews
and Clinton. SIS - SCI
On the morning of the 18th the Hud-
son was anxiously looked for off the
|
had not occurred, and at 10a. m, when
it was at food, it reached only to the
zero of the gauge established by the
Government Engineer Inspector as the
plane of reference for the jetty
channel depth. This zero is fixed at
the mean or average height of highest
flood tide. Soon after 10 O'Clock the
tide commenced to recede, and steadily
declined thereafter. About 2 p. m. the
Hudson was seen approaching from the
southeastward, long way off, and she
was met to the south of the jettied en-
trance, about two miles outside, just be-
fore p. m. At this time the tide was
near half ebb, or about half foot be-
low the average high tide zero, and
rapidly falling; this causing strong
current out betweenlthe jetties.
It had previously been determined
that so large ship as the Hudson, 800
feet in length, should be run straight
up between the jetties, in direct line,
and that it was unadvisable to attempt
to follow the line of deepest water,
which, at the entrance, deviated first to
the right and back again to the left.
The shoalest point was within the ships
length of the outer ends of the jetties
(outside and inside there was an ample
depth of channel way), but it was con-
sidered that there was sufficient dep.h
across the cutoff to pass the ship safely.
The pilot, Mr.. Francis, and Messrs.
Eads, Bayley and Clinton boarded the
Hudson, as before stated, about two
miles outside South Pass, certainly not
less than one and half miles out.
To Capt. eager himself belonged all
of the responsibility of the proposed
trial passage between the jetties. To
his judgment and discretion the owners
had left the decision; he was and is,
and always will be, the commander Of
the ship whose deck he treads, and none
more worthy can be found to command
one. Mr.. Moulton, the New Orleans
agent of the line, was willing and even
anxious that Capt. eager should be the
pioneer Of the South Pass Channel, but
it was left for the Captain to decide yes
or nay.
After hearing the report of his pilot
i Mr.. Francis, and what was said by Capt
4 Eads and myself, after brief considera
ton he gave the order to the pilot
"Head her in for South Pass.'
As we approached the outer buoys the
Captain asked the pilot g Shall we rur
in slowp" 6 No, let her go at full
speed" And in she went, at the rate
as Captain G.. says, of fully four miles
and half in Is minutes, amid general
rejoicing and waving Of hats and hand
kerchiefs. $eE
The run up South Pass, across the
bar at its head, and up river to the
. Quarantine Station, Sc miles from Port
Eads, against the strong flood current