Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-07-28
THE JETTIES.
THE TIES.
REPORT OF THE PRoGREss OF THE WORK
THE PAST YEAR.

1hb fA5I iEAhs
WASHINGTON, July 27.-Cap'. w. H.
Heuer, corps Of engineers, submitted 10 Gen.
Wright his annual report of the progress OF
the work ou the improvement of the SJuth
PAS of the Mississippi river, from which the
following extracts are taken: Except for
fved ,ys in Jniy, 1882, there has been chan
mel b, tween Tie j.Itss having at least a
depth of ihiris feet Of water ia il, and
tweoty-six ct ids. The channel in the
jstty had oufin Inc year, except for nine
days in July. 1892 a. least q width of 200
feet. AT present there is thiriy-one feet
depth channel in The jstlies, and the least
width of the thirty feet channel is nioety
feet, and the least width OF the twenty
six foot channel is twenty-four feet.
In the Pass Itself there is a channel
twenty-seven feet deep, and the twenty six
foot channel in the Pass has a lesst width of
$50 feet In other words, there is now a
channel of at least 160 feet wide and having
least depth of tweniy-.ix feet OF water In
At from the Gulf into the main river. This
is the best ch annel that has ever been found
since the jstties were constructed. But
eighteen days hedging has been done on the
work during the year, OF which tve days
were in the Pss,, nine in the jetties and four
on the mud-dump outside of the j:tties. The
lhirty-foot channel within the ietties has
much improved during the year. For
small portion Of the year the mar.
rowest part 10 the channel was only ff-
teen feet in width. This has increased
until now lie least width anywhere is ninety
feet. The improvement is attributed to the
construction Of an inner jstty built parallel
to aud above, 200 feet inside the east j.tty.
The length of this inner jstty is 68l0 feet.
The inner jetty has improved the channel
in the jetties. 1t has reduced the width of
the wa;er way betwee en- the titles TO $50 feet.
Before the wind dams, cribs and inner jetiy
were built the outer way was about 1900 feet
10 width 10 September last a cyclone pass
ed over the jetlies and worked much dam
age 10 the esst j-tty, about one-half mile in
length of The concrete wall on this jetty be-
ing badly broken, aud solid blocks OF con-
crete weighing twenty--Ight tons being
displscsd. The channel WITHIN the jettieS
however, remained unirjured. Surveys
msde during the year beyond the ends of the
jetties, extending out TO 100 feet depth of
/ water, show very little change 10 have oc-
CURED on what is sometimes called the bar
| Ga the jetties proper no work has been done
during the year. Within them the work %
been conf ned 10 building the inner i.liy aad
| five wing dams projecting from the e.ss j-tty
| to the Pas proper. E even new wiug Dams
have been built, one at Cram Island, three
near Goat Island and seven near B AZ ou Grand
varying from twenty 10 $50 feet in Length.
, At these places the channel was wide and
stronge than in the narrower parts OF the
pas'. 10 fact the depth OF water in the chan
MI was hardly su ipch more nan the twenty
! Xix feet depth required here. After the dame
| were built the current rapidly secured out
the crests OF the shoals until a depth of
| thirty-two feet of water wa. obtsinsd.
At the head of South Pass there
is now a foe channel of 400 feet
wide ssd having a depth of at least
thirty feet. The channel at the head OF
Southwe.t Pass and Pass POutre are also
increasing in depth, but bars ct the mouth of
| of these passes are reported as being very
shosl. That the Southwest Pass is reported
as having only twelve-foot channel through
| it, while The Pass POutre bar
is. said 10 have but eight feet.
Both these passes are now 90 little
used that little is definitely known sbou;
| them, except where our surveys cut iute
them near their heads During the year ten
v, sseIs grounded in the Pass j.liy, OF, near the
jetties, but an inspection proved they were
out of ihe channel, which was amply wide
and deep, and . practicable appropriation
for examinations and surveys is reported to
| be insufficient to continue the work being
done. During the last fiscal year SIC, ,29O
IVES expended in msking these surveys. An
additional $4,000 is r, requested for The present
fiscal year, ard 81, ,539 for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1885.