New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-08-11
SOUTH VEST PASS.
THE CHANNEL DEEPENING CONTAMINATION
NEARLY TwENTY-ONE FEET-CHANGE N THE


NEARLY TWENTY-oNE FEEr-CHANGE N THE
SHOALS.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THR TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1O.-The Secretary OF
War has recently received from Capt NJ r. Brown, Of
the United States Engineers, stationed at the south Pass
Of the Mississippi his report on the progress oil te WorR
on Can't Ead,'s Jetties Capt Brown that the OK
pendtures upon this work during the last four or five
months have been much greater than during any other
coua period since 1t was begun The result is that there
is now an uninterrupted channel entirely through Che
mass to the sea 2Oeo feet deep average at Hood
tide that with the exception of enc small mnd lump
,e TWENTY-FIVE feet channel Is 200 feet wide all the way
through to within about 200 feet Of The sea- From ihis
poirt the twenty-five feet channel is narrower to within
I45 feet Of The sea- The lump mentioned, and the last
145 feet arc the only obstruction to prevent vessel
drawing twenty-five feet OF water from passing through
from the river to the gulf.
The officer in charge OF this work required by law to
report to the Secretary OF War when in his judgment the
several payments for this work will become DUE and
Can't Brown expresses the opinion that Capt Eads Will
very soon be entitled to the next nstallment Of hi'
100000 very little dredging would make him ell
titled to il now.
Can't Brown reports that he has made a careful sur
vey Of the Gulf bottom and front OF the jetties FOR
distance OF mile seaward, and covering an area Of over
one square mile, and that lie has also made a careful
COMPARISON OF the depth asccrtaued with those shown
contour lines on the slope The bars down TO nifty
feet depth has receded while little change occurred in
the contour curves at greater depth Capt Brown also
refers to d remarkable deepening Of the channel between
the DYKES at the head of the pass, and reports
twentv-four feet OF water through the shoal there
Below Grand Bayou, which IS in the middle OF the
pass, there has been enlargement Of channel,
and above Grand Bayou a nj Of deposit. The
latter is due the fact that 100000 cubic yards Of
tera have washed out from the shoa at the head
OF the pass The total amount Of material removed from
the passes by the since last March is 100000
cubic yards Al the time that the river remOy
ing this million and half Of cubic yards OF earth from
the lefty channel 1t was also transporting than
1900 900 cubic yards Of sediment to the OF the
character Of the construction, Capt Brown speaks very
fayoraby large amount Of stone has been used since
fhe last report and this Of much better quality than
previously employed in the YazOo River $4,000 cubic
feet OF work has been put in place in the last
four months the Jetes and about as much more on
The works AT head Of the The Jecs are now IN
very good condition further sinking OF the ends hay
ing taken place since March last They will now with
stand severe storms.
The River and Harbor bill Of $50 contained proyiso,
that when there shall be open channel with eighteen
feet Of water at mean tide and from the through the
Jet,ies and TO aud from the port Of New-Oreaus no
mart Of the 100000 appropriated for dredging shall be
any longer available 1t is believed that the Secretary
of War Will Immediately call upon Capt Brown for a
certificate showing the depth OF water through the
passes aud order the work at the Southwest Pass to DC
suspended. Capt Eads has been III Washington to-day
for the purpose inducing the Secretary OF War 70 issue
An regulating the OF the Southwest Pass soas 10
preyen the destruction OF his boats and barges employed
in the work OF construction by the rapid passage OF
steamers Several accidents " this Find have already
occurred Capt EadH desires To patent some Improve
ments made in the construction OF his dredgeboa which
has just been built at Pitisburg'