The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-18
THE .JETTIES.
THE PROPOSED NOTIFICATION IN
CAPT, EADs' CONTRACT.
The Matter Referred 10 Congress by the
Secretary Of War.
Ipt. Louis RepuhIican.l


TO Congress, with report on the same from
the commission OF engineers to whom 1t had
been referred. The following are the salient
points in the report Of the commission. Re-
lerring to Eads' petition they say
eve by no means depreciate the extent or
value OF the works as they exist but we can
moi concur in the petitioners statement to
the effect that we have already completed at
least 80 per cent Of this entire work We as
members Of the commission of 1876 and as
ourselves constituting the commission Of
1877 have expressed our opinion that the work
is being constructed according to the spirit
of the act. We believe, moreover that the
work Is now SO far advanced and success so
far pronounced that II is for the interest of
The construction carried on, but pushed with
the utmost possible vigor to such point al
least as shall insure their security and the
utmost efficiency Of action in the Increasing
capacity Of tile channel"
With reference to the proposed change In
payments they say
I'm lieu of the terms of payment and widths
and depths OF CHANNEL prescribed by law the
petitioner desires that the following be au-
thorized On securing q channel through the
jetties 49, "a feet deep by 80 feet wide, pro-
vided II shall also be ~ feet deep by 400 feet
wide, 100000; az % feet deep by $50 feet
$50, feet wide S75o,ooo; % % feet deep by $50
feet wide, provided IL shall also be "a feet
deep by 800 feet wide, s5oo.0oo: go ~ feet deep
by 100 feet wide, provided IT shall also be "a
deep by 100 feet wide, provided 1t shall also
be "a feet deep by $50 feet wide, 1875 900; (sl 20
feet deep by 100 feet wide, provided it shall
also be. "a feet deep by $50 feet wide, s25o,OO0,
tD) 80 feet deep by 100 feet wide, provided it
shall also be &c feet deep by 200 feet wide.
1886. 0000 total. 81, 250, 0O0"
Referring to the channel proposed by the
United States commission OF 1874, they say
Petitioner is quite right In saying that the
Com mission Of Engineers authorized by Con
gress In 1874 and which reported In favor Of
applying the lefty system TO the South Pass,
proposed to secure a channel 30 feet In
depth, and the permanent maintenance of
only 25 feet, without any specified width
That board aimed Mt simply maintaining,
under al contingencies, a navigabIe depth of
unspeclhed width at mean low water OF 25
feet We find that depth prescribed for his
desired fifth payment TO be about equal to
what the board Of 1874 aimed at permanently
maintaining, 1t must he borne In mind that
ut the mouths Of the Mississippi nearly all
the depth on the bar can be realized in actual
draft will include probably es per cent Of the
sea-going vessels Of the world"
In conclusion, the report says
"We find that under The desired modification
to get the fifth payment, the contractor must
have secured a navigation capacity probably
equal to that contemplated for permanent
maintenance by the board of 1874, while he
will OF this stage Of progress be entitled to but
total. As the law now stands he would be en-
titled to 5000 including the sum of $780,
90o Tor Keeping an open 24-foot channel for
ion, as before stated, that the widths of the
channel proposed by the petitioner may be
considered as fairly meeting the present
wants OF commerce. but the widths proposed
by the law as 1t now stands are obviously de-
sirable, and the question whether the large
concession asked FOR in those widths should
be granted and compensation for depths be-
tween "a and % feet increased ut the expense
OE deeper one seems TO be one on which we
can hardly be considered proper opponents"
THE SECRETARY or WAR.
In transmitting the report the Secretary of
ut will be seen that while the board are of
+ opinion that the width of channel proposed
by the petitioner may be considered as fairly
meeting the present wants of commerce they
regard the question whether the concessions
asked for should he granted rs peculiarly n
question for Congress TO decide. The views
expressed by Gems. Barnard and Wright are
concurred in by this department"
CAPT EADs' CLAIMS
MIR. Eads says in his petition:
THE provisions of the law were intended to
afford reasonable reimbursement of our
OUTLAWS and as fast as work progressed after
certain specified depths of channel should be
secured by permanent works It was i'm
possible, however. TO tell with any degree of
accuracy how much of the whole work would
have to be executed before we could be en-
titled to first payments under the law and
while the total cost Of Improvement will not
exceed the original estimates the proportion
Of the entire outlay necessarily expended to
the present depths has great Y exceeded
our expectations Experiences has shown
and custom has sanctioned the wisdom of the
government paying out q percentage CT the
contract price Tor work as IL progressed, by
which those who undertake it may avoid ex-
ceSsive rates of interest which can result In
no benefit to the government. II we were
compensated for 80 per cent Of the work done
we would receive $2s5ooo more than has
been paid to us We do not ask for any such
liberalty, but refer to this fact to show the
hardshlps which wC arc laboling under by
the terms Of the law and the absolute security
with which the government can grant the re-
lief we are compelled TO ask We have, by
the terms of law, until September 3. 1879, to
secure % feet and to September J. 1880 to So
cure 26 feet channel The interests of the
public will OF course he promoted by the at
ianment OF these depths at an earlier day,
Under the present terms of payment it will
beimpossihle Tor lie to expend upon the work
tho large additional sums still necessary to
secure the maximum channel at the earliest
possible period. for tho reason that the in
lebtedness already incurred will absorb SO
much Of the next payments rs to leave for H. n
totally inadequate provision. We undertook
the construction and maintenance of these
works for 5000. 10 less than The official estim-
ate of the commission upon whose report tho
act was framed. We also assumed the whole
risk of their failure TO produce the desired
channel, notwithstanding confident and reiter-
ated predictions made by official and other
experts that they would be unsuccessful We
likewise took all the risks Of their destruction
by storms and treaoherous foundations, dan
gers which were believed by many to be in
surmountable Besides all this we were not
permitted to improve the pass of our choice
with its normal depth of ii feet, but were given
one only quarter as large with depth of
but 8 feet. In spite of natural difficulties
which were to be surmounted during q period
of unusual financial prostration we had car
ried this enterprise to point where its com
plete success Is acknowledged even by It's op-
ponents. We have changed the little pass
into grand channel Of commerce. through
which the largest shipping that visits the
port of New Orleans floats In safety. while
every prediction Of failure, of reformation of
the bar In advance of the jetties, is shown by
ho,