American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-01-05
EADS'S JETTIES.
What the Great Engineer Has to Say of
His Mammoth Undertaking.

What the Great Engineer Has to Say of
His Mammoth Undertaking.
From the Washington Post.l
The greatest American civil engineer,
Capt. James b. Eads, made hasty Wis
it to this city on Saturday, but did not
succeed in getting away before an ubi-
quitous Post reporter fastened his con-
versational hooks upon him. Captain
Eads is looking well, and can boast of
better health than he has been blessed
with for many years. He is just from
the mouth of the Mississippi, where he
has succeeded in earning the second
payment of half million of dollars due
him from the Government on account
of his stupendous engineering scheme,
the sea jetties, an uniform depth of %
feet, with a uniform width of 200 feet of
channel, having been secured. When
he shall have widened it so feet more,
and increased the depth 2 feet, he will
be entitled to another half million; q
period, he believes, not very far distant,
as the new dredge-boat which he has
invented and constructed is powerful
auxiliary to nature in clearing out the
Instructions. Captain Eads's con-
tract with the Government is as
follows: On obtaining depth
of 20 feet with a width of 200 feet he
was to receive 100000. The payment
was made nearly six months ago. On
a depth of % feet and width of 20G
feet, 100000. This payment is now
due On depth of "a feet and width
of $50 feet, $780, 600 On a depth of 26
feet and width of 500 feet, $500, 900.
On depth of % feet and a width of $50
feet, 100000. On a depth of 80 feet
and width of $50 feet, 100000 more,
or 50, O00,0 900 in all.
In addition to this he is to be paid
$3.50, 900 for maintaining the channel of
! 250 feet in width at a depth of "A feet for
! one year; like sum for maintaining for
year depth of 26 feet and width of
! 800 feet like sum for maintaining %
| feet depth by $50 feet width a year, and
/ $500, 900 for maintaining the channel at
its greatest depth 60 feet at the same
/ width for another year, or 81 100000
for maintenance. In addition to all
this he is to have S2,OO0,0 900 for keep
| ing the channel at 30-foot depth for
twenty years, or 100000 a year, and
more, that being the amount reserved
by the Government as security for the
works progression. This amount is
to draw five per cent interest, total OF
S7,25O,000. Capt. Eads has no doubt
whatever of his plans, by far the greater
and most difficult part of his task having
been performed. So soon as he has
drawn the present and succeeding pay
ment, he will be relieved of his financial
embarrassments, which have been OF
more magnitude than the engineering
obstacles to be overcome-and then he
intends to devote himself to the work o.
making the Mississippi River a docile
and we'll behaved stream from its mouth
as far up as Cairo. Those who know
Capt. Eads do not harbor so much as 6
suspicion of his inability to do what ht
is willing to undertake to do, and it is
quite probable that if he should be Civ
en- by the Government the opportunit J
! Oh Settling DOlluQS 10 the VI bls
Father of Waters that all the capita
necessary will be subscribed OF
favorable terms. The Secretary o
War has telegraphed to Gems. Barnard
and Wright, two eminent army en-
gineers now in New York, to proceed a
once to New Orleans and certify that thu
work has been done according to con
tract, and in accordance with these in
structions they have replied that the.
would start Tuesday night. There is
of course, no question us to the accu
racy of the statement of Capt. Brown
who certifies as to the width of the chan
mel, but the Secretary of War is careful
to have the details complete before h,
pays out a large sum of money, anC
hence the supervisory examination b.
Gen. Barnard and Gen. Wright. Capt
Ead- left last evening for New York
feeling in good spirits at the prospect o
distributing among the friends ant
hackers of his great work a half mil
lion of crisp Treasury notes now LOCKED
up in the Government vaults.