Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-12-21

reoi 'uS CONSTRUCTION or the east iettv /
was commenced, and about "A, 600 feet Of
1nls letiy has been built from the shore
,hlo tle gun, nearly all OF which, extend. 1
; lng rom tue shore, has been built up 10
nnoah hlgn-Water level. The appronria. (
. stop. These jetiy walls have sbont
reached the crest OF the bar NV 49,,
! told you, as briefly as possible. what has
( been done.
Reporter-But has any hepea, resulted
IRON the labor d0neg
Col Sit was not expected that
any appreciable benefit would be obtained
! until the ietties were built across the bar
INTO deep wateBhut already has the water
ueepened upon the bar, 20 what extent
am not prepared 10 state with accuracy.
As told you a little white age, before the I
reconstruction Of the iettics, there was NOT
q depth OF more than eight or nine feet
OF water on the bar, aud il Is now said
vessel drawing twelve feet o! water can
easily come in am quite sure tins depth
upon the bar, even with the ietties IA their
incomplete state, Is steadily mcreasng.
notwithstanding the securing power of
the waters coninedin the iettics Is greatly
wasted, because of the walls not being
completed across the bar. when built
across the bar the whole securing power
OF the water will be exertcd upon the bar.
and Il win soon be washed away.
, Reportcr-But will not another bar
, form further out as the jetties are cx-
teuded2
Col. S.--No, for the iettles win be car
ried 60 deep water and no bar can be
formed. The water, where confined be-
tween the ietty walls, runs with great
rapidity, and when | was at the pass
about the LIST Of last month, MIR. Ray
mond, the engineer in charge OF the
3 works, told me he had Just completed
i careful aud accurate surroundings of the
D water between the walls, and the in.
{ creased depth OF water was from eighteen
, inches 20 two feet. The work on the
east wall had lust then stopped, and 10
was confidently believed that the depth Of
water during the northers OF the winter
and the frcshots OF the rivers would in
crease toat least three feet,
Rcporter--Wby should the freshets of
# the rivers and uorthers OF the winter aid
In giving deep watcrt
Col. S.--Thc rains OF the winter and
spring will I'LL up the Sabine and Nechcs
rivers and their tributaries, which In turn
will raise the waters IN Sabine lake, and
its only outlet is Sabine Pass, and, of
course, an increased quantity Of water
will give greater velocity and scour-
ing power to the volume Of
water which passes through Sabine
Pass and the jettes to the gulf,
and this outpour or securing washes out
o the bottom, which is soft mud, and gives
n an increased depth. Here let me call
y your attention to two things in which
I. Sabine Pass has the advantage over other
places on our gulf coast First, the bar al
a Sabine Pass is soft mud and not qulcksapd
r Quicksand, like water, will seek its level
al and constant dredging must be done tC
y keep il from filing channels; with mud the
e securing of the ietties themselves viii
y be sufficient to keep 1t out of the way
~ Second, Sabine Pass does not dcpent
Of alone upon the action of the tide to fur
at nish securing power, for Il has not only
IN all the power furnished by the ebb ant
nj TOW Of the tide from the gulf but II ha,
III also the great power of the constant flow
ne OF two large rivers, the waters OF Whicl
Ut flow through il to the gulf, and there d
Is no other place on the gulf coast OF ToNa
Il enjoying these advantages. Again, there Il
Of another advantage nc Sabine Pass. WheI
X vessel gets into the pass IL is In per
1t, fectly laud-loCked harbor and rs not uN
re posed TO any danger from storms tia
II, prevail, often TO the detriment OF vessel
ot living in open bays. And within the pas
nd there Is room for the nayics of the worl'
II, to ride in safety, for there is suIllcien
" depth and ample sea room.
ON Reporter-Wnl the original estimate {
he the engineers be sufficient to complet
lily the work OF harbor improyementat Sabm
ID, Pass?
'al Col. 81 am sure it can be done fC
ms much less
ny Reporter-What do you think about Il
durability of the work already done5
ne Col. S.-The west jetty, as far as IT
completed, was built in 1888 and sin,
he then the oysters have built upon 1t unit
TO now Il is almost solid oyster bank and
NAV saw almost iudestructiblo. The 9th,
"? wall, so far as has been built,
the as well constructed Us the we
M wall. and doubt not but II VIII also
by, covered with oysters and be as strong
the the west wall. The work was well don
the aud have no apprehension ABOUT u
ide permancncy of Il. In this connectio
ich let me tell you another thing The tered
be small sea-worm which destroys JET
walls elsewhere by periorating the mate
try ial used in the cane or brush mattreSsc
do not affect the walls at Sabine Pa'
wn and the reason of this Is that the III,
ere tresses SO soon become encrusted Wi
OF mud, which is distastCful to the tered
all and they will not penetrate 1t, but sa
.isi- is no obstacle TO its rayages,
on. Reporter-When the iettics are bu
lbs, across the bar how much water do y
fec expect TO obtain
Col. S.-Not less than thirty, and in'
probably forty feet
,ple Reporter-The facts You have given
ear certainly encouraging.
1ple col. 81 have stated nothing
lere facts, nor have told you all, Tor to do
ned would occupy too much space IN yC
Idle, paper. am very glad that the Her
ries manifcsts an interest IN harbor
alter movement at Sabine Pass. All the p
can HE OF North Texas should be inleres
ut I In ID. II would give you market
the wheat and grain Cuba and all the W
blne indies would, rs it were, be at y