National Republican., 1883-07-28
SOUTH PASS.
Annual Report OF Capt. IIcuor on the
Work at the Misslsslpprs Mouth-The
best Channel Ever Found Since the
Jetties Were Commenced.

Annual Report OF capt. heucr on the
Work at the Mississipprs Mouth-rhe
Best Channel Ever Found Since the
Jetties Were Commenced.
Capt. w. II. Heuor corps of engineers, has
submitted to Gen. Wright his annual report
of the progress of the work on the improve
ment of tho south pass Of the Mississippi
river from which the following extracts have
been taken:
Except for FIVE days in July, 1882, there
has been a channel between the jetties having
least depth Of 30 feet of water in it, and
the 90 feet deep channel in the jettics had
during the year, except for nine days in July.
1882, q least width of 200 feet. At present
there is 81 feet depth of channel in the
jetties, and the least width Of the 30 feet
channel is 80 feet. The least width of the
26 feet channel is 2i0 feet
In the pass itself there is channel 81 feet
doep, and the 30 feet channel in the pass has
least width of 160 feet. In other words
there is now channel at least 100 feet wide,
and having a least depth of 26 feet of water
in it, from the gulf into the main river. This
is the best channel that has ever been found
since tho iettics were constructed.
But eighteen days dredging has been done
on tho work during the year, Of which five
days was in the pass, nine days in the ietties,
anu lour uays Oh muu lump outslue Ol VHe
jettics.
The 30 feet channel within the ietties has
much improved during the year for q
small portion of the year tho narrOwcst part
of this channel was only 10 feet in width.
This has increased until now its least width
anywhere is 30 feet. The improvement is
attributed to the construction of an inner
ietty, built parallel to and about 200 feet in-
side Of the east jetty. The length of this
is Oslo foet While the inner jetty has i'm
proved the channel in the jotties it has re-
duCed the width of the waterway between
the jetties to $50 feet. Before the wing dams,
cribs, and inner jetty were built the waterway
was about 1000 feet in width In September
last u cyclone passed over the jetties, and
worked much damage to the east jetty, about
one-half mile in length of the concrete wall
OH this ictty being badly broken, and solid
blocks of concrete weighing twenty eight tons
being displaced The channel within the
jotty, however, remained uniniured. Surveys
made during the year beyond the ends of the
jettes, extending out to 100 feet depth of
water show very little change to have oc-
Cured on what is sometimes called the bar
On the ictties proper no work has been done
during the year within them. Work has been
confined to building the inner ietty and five
wing dams projecting from the east jetty. In
tho pass proper eleven new wing dams have
been built at Crane island, three near Goat
island, and seven near Bayou Grande, vary
ing from 20 to 250 feet in length.
At these places the pass was wider and
shoaler than in the narrower parts of the
pass. In fact the depth of water in the
channel was hardly an inch more than
the 26 feet of depth required. After the
dams were built the current rapidly secured
out the crests of these shoals until depth of
80 feet of water was obtained
| At the head of the South Pass there is now
q fine channel 400 feet wide and having
least depth of 80 feet. Tho channels at the
heads of Southwest Pass and South Pass A
| L'Outre are also increasing in depth, but the
bars at the mouths of these passes are re-
ported as being very shoal. That at South
west Pass is reported as having only f2 feet
channel through it, while Pass A. L'Outre
bar is said to have but feet Both of these
passes are now so little used that but little is
definitely known about them except where
our surveys cut into them near their heads.
| During the year ten vessels grounded in the
pass, jetties, or near the jetties but inspec-
tion proved that in every instance they were
out of the channel, which was amply wide
deep, and practicable.
The appropriation for examinations and
surveys is reported to be insufficient to con-
tinue the work beyond Dec. /, 1858.
| During the last fiscal year $10,290 was ex-
lipended in making these surveys. An addi-
| tional appropriation of $4,000 is requested for
the present fiscal year, and $l7535 for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1885.