Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-09-17
OUR SEA GATES.
From the New orIeans Democra..l

lEIO" Tie new OEAchho OehVSsessb
Uuquestionably the jetties have
beeu shock and scourge to the
croakers. They began by detying
the disapproval of the stagnationists
and they have ever since kept on their
way with light-hearted contempt
for the SANDERS and detractions and
gloomy prophecies of their enemies.
In the early days it was predicted
that Capt. Eads was working in the
interest of the ST. Louis bridge. And
outlet to the Mississippi 80 that the
This speciOus argument struck terror
to the enlightened minds of the stag
uationists. The jetties were ilt,how-
ever, and the ST. Louis bridge has
somehow never figured TO any appre-
ciable extent in the result That
great universal protestant, Murat
Halstead, of the Cincinnati CONNER
cial, has thrown some light on this
subject by stating that he can, by his
own strength, shake the st. Louis
bridge until it tremblcs like all aspen.
In fact, Murat has made the assertion
to the writer of this article that,
more than once, he has walked to tho
middle of the st. Louis bridge and
there seized it iu his hands aud
shaken it nntil he felt affrighted lest
it tumbled into q shapeless wreck
while he was upon it.
Seriously ,hOwever,a and without go
ing again into detail over the ground
OF the triumphant progress Of the jet.
ties, we desire on this occasion to call
attention to the chart of the channel
of South Pass, as based on the sound.
ings made by Capt. Huer, United
| States engineer corps, during the lat
ter days Of July of this year-about
month ago. These figures speak for
themselves and furnish sufficient
refutatiun to the mass of foolish and
false assertions that have been flying
about from one irresponsible lip to-
another. They show that the least
depth anywhere between the walls Of
the jet,ies is 80 feet, against least
depth Of about 6 feet 8 inches before
Capt. Eads applied his scientific re-
sources to tue problem of giving
New ORLEANS q deep water outlet to
the sea. Furthermore, by reference
to the outline Of the bed Of South
Pass above the jetties, Illustrative Of
i Capt. Huer's soundings, it will be
seen that the points at which tho least
depth-27 feet-exists constitute very
small part of the bed of the channel,
being, in fact. mere spires Of mud.
which could easily be cut away 30 %
to give the pass, as well as the jetties,
-a uniform depth of more than thirty
feet. The current has now secured
away all the alluvium. sand, etc.,
: leaving only the hard blue mud,
which forms the normal bed OF tho
stream. To dislodge these fiue points
of clay will be an easy task.
} Another significant circumstance
the subjective argument in their favor
is the enormous increase in our ex-
port trade since the first demenstra.
: tion of the efficacy of tho jetties. It
J is q singular TACT that, while some Of
, our own people are doubling, cavil-
ling and slandering, the commercial
bodies of New York aud Chicago
have recognized the formidable atti-
Jude which New Orleans has assum.
D ed rs an exporting mart, aud are re-
sorting to the most extraordinary Of
forts to neutfalize rivalry which
they realize must result dlsastroQsly
10 them 30 long as exciting conditions
are preserved. The mere fact that
New Orleans has developed into q
: dreaded competitor of New York In
he matter of handling aud exporting
, grain is an eloquent aud unanswer-
= ible tribute to the success of the Jet
! ties, aud we refer to the figures given
: : elsewhere in, our commercial state.
ment to show " hat tremendous, what
amazing strides our port has taken
:, in this respect during the past few
: years. There could be no higher
testimony to the splendid work which
Mr.. Eads has accomplished at South
|, Pass, no more humiliating rebuke to
. the doubters aud scaudsl-m0ngere
!, who would deny and traduce the
most magnificent commercial achieve.
ment of the century.