The Evening critic., 1882-06-29
MATTERS AT MOUTH
OF THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI RIVER

For the Consideration of Congress
and It's Investigating Committee
why Has Not the Warner Amend
meut About the .Jcttics Been Car
ried Ont why Haven't the Engi-
ucers Reported the Shoaiing ortha
Water ut tho Pass n EOutrc and the
Southwest Pass s?-Intercsting Iu.
formation That Can he Had by In.
vestfgating.
In the River and Harbor bill OF the Forty.
sixth Congress was clause which provides for
examinations and surveys to ascertain the
depth Of water and width OF channel secured
and maintained from timo to time by James
b. Eads at the South Pass Of the Mississippi
River" General A. J. Warner, Of Ohio, pro-
posed the following amendment to 1t: Sand
whether, and TO what oxtent, within n distance
Of five miles from the present mouth Of the
river at South Pass the gulf has Allied up by
deposits from the river since the construction
OF Eads' jetties.''
At the same time General Warner offered
this amendment, no had published in the
Congressional Record tho following Official
statement of soundings made by Major G. W.
Howell, U. $. A., IN 1874, and by Captain NJ. n,
Brown, In 1879, showing
The Gulf Fill
at those periods or South Pass:
$50 feet out the FIJI was 0il, feet.
1900 feet out the MI was feet.
5000 feet out the I'LL was feet.
1000 feet out the flll was IL feet.
5000 feet out the I'LL was feet.
5000 feet out the I'LL was 10 feet
1000 feet out the I'LL was feet.
5000 feet out the flll was feet.
D,000 feet out tho I'LL was feet.
1000, or two>sniles out, gulf 133 feet deep,
the nll was 80 feet.
10000, or two miles out, gulf 1873 feet deep,
$4,000 feet out, gulf 173 feet deep, the nll
was 2S feet.
10000 feet out, gulf 173 feet deep, the nll
was 40 feet
$4,000 feet out, gulf 2o5 feet deep, the MI
was 361h feet.
$4,000 feet out, gulf 205 feet deep, the fill
10000 feet cut, gulf 217 feet deep, the ill
was 40 feet.
21,oo0 feet out, gulf 217 feet deep, the nn
$4,000 feet out, gulf $50 feet deep, the MI
was 50 feet.
27,0Oo feet out, gulf 2lO feet deep, the MI
was 60 feet.
When General Warner made this statement
and offered the amendment above referred to,
Mr.. Gibson, of Louisiana, objected, saying that
there was no use in that, and that they did moi
want to know anything about the fill out there.
General Warner replied that this was Just
the information that Congress did want at that
time.
Mr. Gibson insisted on his objection, and It
was only after General Warner threatened to
call the yeas and nays that Mr.. Gibson finally
withdrew his objection, and the amendment
was adopted without division
How This Plan Was (NOD Carried
Out.
BY referring TO the report of the Chief of En-
gineers, 1851, part /, page $50, we.wil see how
This provision OF the law was carried out.
There is nothing to show that there was ever
sounding made beyond the depth of 100
feet, which, according to the reports of Major
Howell and Captain Brown, quoted above, was
not more than q distance OF one mile and
a-quarter out, instead Of llvc miles, as the law
called for.
| II would be interesting TO know Just
| what Arguments Eads Used
| 10 induce those charged with carrying out the
| law embodied in General Warren's amend
ment 10 neglect and fail to fulfill It's plain re-
| quirements! The idea OF that amendment
| was to officially detect and report on the I'LL
| that is constantly and steadily going on out In
| the gulf beyond the jetties.
These are matters that the Investigating
| committee of Congress can inquire into among
| other curious matters.
| Another Interesting Thing to Knew.
| In this connection 1t would be interesting to
| know why IL is that the engineers have
| never made report as to the amount of shoal
| ing at the sea bars of the Southwestern Pass
and the Pass l'outre, covered by the dams
| placed across the head OF these passes by the
| jetty builders.
| Bar pilots state that the Southwest Pass
once the best of all the Mississippi passos had
shoaled from twenty-five feet to twelve feet
| and that the Pass a iOutre has shoaled from
| seventeen feet to seven feet. The committee
| can examine into these matters, too.
| While the committee are down there they
| should also sound the jump and see II 1t has
| shoaled up to four feet in It's intersection with
the river, as claimed by the River Commission
or whether 1t has thirty feet of water as stated
| by Captain Cowdon, once river pilot.
| The committee should also ind tho shoa
| the commission say formed below the Jump OF
| which they say the Government had to place
| light TO warn ships Off.
There VIII be lots OF things the committee
can examine into and find out the truth about
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