Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-08-16
CAPTAIN EADS' JETrIEs.

The Channel Deepening CODttp-
ually-Now Nearly Twepty.sne
Foet-OhRDge I'm the shoals.
WASHINGTON, August 10.-The
secretary Of war has recently re-
ceived from Captain NJ. r. Brown,
of the United States engineers, sta
toned at the South Pass of the
Mississippi, his report on the pro-
gress of the work ON Captain Eads'
Jetties. Captain Brown says that
the expenditures upon this work
during the last four or five months
have been much greater than dur
ing any other equal period since it
was begun. The result is that
there is now an uninterrupted chan
mel entirely through the pass to the
sea 20 6-l0 feet deep on an average
at flood tide; that with the excep-
ton of one small mud lump, the
twenty-five feet channel is 200 feet
wide all the way through to within
1900 feet of the sea. From this
point the twenty-tw feet channel
is narrower to within 145 feet of
Of the sea. The lump mentioned,
and the last 145 feet, are 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 is required by law to report
to the secretary of war when in his
Judgment the several payments for
this work become due; and Captain
Brown expresses the opinion that
Captain Eads will very soon be en-
titled to his next installment of
$5OO,OO0. A very little dredging
would make him entitled to it now,
Captain Brown reports that he
has made careful survey Of the
gulf bottom and front Of the ietties
for distance of a mile seaward,
and covering an area Of one square
mile, and that he has also made a
careful comparison Of the depth as
certained with those shown by sur
yey. He finds a slight average
deepening of the contour lines on
the outer slope. The bars down to
fifty feet deep have receded, while
little change occurred in the con
tour curves at greater depth
Captain Brown also refers to a re-
markable deeping of the channe
between the dykes at the head O
the pass, and reports twenty-fouI
feet of water through the shoa
there. Below Grand Bayou, which
is in the middle of the pass, there
has been an enlargement of tn,
channel, and above Grand Bayou ,
ill Of deposit. The latter is due
to the fact that 250,00 cubic yardl
of material have been washed out
from the shoal at the head of The
pass. The total amount of materia
removed from the passes by tht
current since last March is 1900,
900 cubic yards. At the same tim,
that the river was removing thi
million and a half of cubic yard
of earth from the jetty channel, i
was also transporting more thai
100000 cubic yards Of sedimen
to the sea. Of the character of TIL,
construction, Captain Brown speak
very fayorably A large amount 0
stone has been used since the las
report, md this of much bettej
quality than previously used in th,
Yazoo river; $50, 900 cubic feet 0
mattress work has been putin plae
in the last four months on the jet
ties, and about as much more OIL
the works at the head Of the pass
The jetties are now in very goo'
condition, no further sinking Q
the ends having taken place sine
! March last They will now with
. stand severe storms.
: The river and harbor bill Of 1S7
: contained a proyiso, that whel
/. there shall be On open channel wit
eighteen feet of water at mean It'd
to and from the sea through th
J ietties, and to and from the port {
. New Orleans, no part of the 800
. 600 appropriated for dredging sha
be any longer available. 1t Is bl