The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-17
w AN TEN
A signal station mt Port Igads.
NEW OnhiANH. La. February d. 1873.

|
Chief sisnal OfIiear Of The Army, Washington.
GentSui Il have the hols,r to state that |
have been asked by many OF the citizens OF
| this place and those Interested In the com
meree Of this port to. recommend thai Sg-
nal station for the display. ut least. of the
lla1s, ut the mouth Of the river. o
AsI have already informed you in my semi
annual report for the half year ending De
eember 81 1877 vesaels leaving thisaolaae have
are seriously endangered by passing storms,
aud when in reality leaving harbor are twelve
hours voyage from where they could Hee
display OF the eautlonary signal. and0in con
sequences II is OF no use te them.
! have. since my arrival here taken every
mu,ns in my power Of sending word to the
mSuth Of the river Immediately on signals
being ordered at this station or ut Tsxas
ports, and in this have been greatly assisted
by the '.'Eads Jetty Company who have
kindly photographed The information down for
me gratis. aud had their employees give 1t us
| much oil a circulation IA possible But of course
a signal displayed there by authority of the
chief eignal officer would be far better. "A |
have informed you. there s II tower already
there. nearly one hundred efeet high. from
which the signal could be displayed to good
advantage: and there is little doubt but what
|at could be employed for that purpose
Presidents Of the Good intent Telegraph
Company" between Now Orleans and the
bar Chat he would transmit tho business OF
the service nj the same rates charged by the
Western Union Telegraph Company or one
| cent per word from here to The bnr. and Us 1t
would be necessary to send messages after tho
operators Of theiE company had left the office
Tor the night. he would give persons author
lied by the service access 10 the telegraph
Instruments for the transmission OF signal
service messages al all hours that there
might be ns delay in ordering up or down sig
nails.
df 1t is not consistent with the interests of
the service to at present establish nh office ut
Port Eads. aud send men OF the service there .
would respectfully recommend that at least
some person, resident Mt Port Eads. be fur
| nished with signals flags and lanterns and
authorized To display them at such times as
ordered from your office to do So and think
arrangements can be made to that effect ut
slight cost to thS service. and wiel immense
profit to com merce.
will cite one case where a vessel, the
United States dredgehoat MeAilister. sailed
from Port Eada the evening of January. 1873.
and was total loss with all on bA,rd. about
thirty In number. At The time signals we're
UP at Galveston and lndianola, but there WAS
10 way Of notifying those in charge Of the
Other large commercial ports situated at {.
distance from the sea like this such rs Phila-
delphia, Baltimore, Wilmington and Sayan-
| nah, have cautionary signal stations for the
benefit Of their shipping after leaving them
| and before going to sea, and would earnestly
| recommend that one be established here as
soon ,'o. as possible Very respectfully your ODE
Signal Service Officer.
Sri respectfully urge the great import
anee of complying with the above recommen-
dation. Very truly, etc,
JAs b. EADs.