The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-02-13
THE TEXAS COAST.
ENGINEER CORTHELL TELLS WHAT HE
KNOWS OF HARBOR FACILITIES
ON OUR COAST.
Some Very Hard Blows Hit the united
States Engineers for Their Late
Decision.

The following remarks vi WI WI
thsll, civil engineer, before the Senate
Committee on Commerce, United
States Senate, January 30, 1890, will
be of interest to all Texas Mr.. Cor
thell made, in substance, the following
statement:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of the Com
merce Committee
Nv experience as IN engineer III the
construction and examination OF mar
bors on the Gulf of Mexico leads me
to present my views in regard to the
proposed Texas Harbor legislation now
before this committee. l have mad
charge of the construction or eXamln-
alton of ietties at the mouth OF the
Mississippi river, Sabine pass, Gal
weston harbor, the Brazos river I'M
provement, the Arkansas Pass Railroad
system and its terminus at Arkansas
pass, the Tampico river, and the
Coatzacoalcos river, Mexico. L have
for fifteen years had experience in and
given close study TO these Important
harbor questions.
Before taking up the question I'M
mediately before this committee, de-
sire to correct some statements that
have been made to you in regard to
the work which have charge OF as
chief engineer, at the mouth OF the
Brazos river. This work, as you are
aware, is being constructed by COM
pany of private individuals to whom
YOU gave concession for deepening
the mouth OF this river. They have
already expended quite sum OF
money upon the improvement, have
also acquired by purchase and by the
payment of large sums OF money the
land bordering upon the river for sew
eral miles from the mouth, have made
the location and are prepared to con-
struct railroad leading from near
Houston to the port which they are
making, and are proceeding In
business like way, with their own
money, to carry out this very i'm
portant undertaking. The opinion
which, as an engineer, gave to this
company to the effect that the work,
if conducted on the plan which l out
lined, would be entirely successful, has
been fully confirmed thus far by the
results of the works, although they
are in an unfinished condition. 1t
was predicted by some that while
there might be obtained by jetties
built out to deep water, depth of ten
feet this depth would shoal up to
probably less than six during the low
water season of the year. The facts
are that when the work was planned
there was only about one and one
half feet of water on the bar directly
in front, and there was only a strag-
Cling channel with five feet of water
in it which turned sharply to the east,
ward inside of the bar. The works
were projected boldly across this chan
mel and out over the bar into deer
water. Although the jetties thus fal
have not reached the shoal part of the
bar within 1,500 feet and are in an
unfinished condition, leaky and low
and not consolidated, yet they have
deepened the bar on which there was
only one and one-half feet of water tc
ten feet, and they have preserved that
depth during the very period when il
was expected that the channel would
shoal. The present depth is eightanc
one-half feet, caused by the jetties not
being extended to the full depth dur
ing rise of the river. The waters
are not concentrated across the bar
and there happens, as there always
does under such conditions, shoal
ing, and then as the jetties advance 8
deepening with a gradually advancing
depth, which proves Enthusiastically
that when the jetties are carried Out
to eighteen or twenty feet of water
there will be good twenty foot chan
mel, with at least twenty-three feet
central depth, and that that channel
will maintain itself against the sedi
mentary deposits of the river and the
wave motion of the Gulf.
Senator Vest-Some assistant en-
gineer sent letter to this committee
in which he stated that there was
only seven feet Of water on the bal
and that the jetties had been nearly
ruined by the waves and that the pill.
ing and mattress work had beer
, nearly eaten up by the teredo. What
have you to say to this Mr.. Corthelli
Mr.. Corthell-I am positive, from
advices received today by wire from
the Brazos, that there is just the
channel that / stated, 81 feet, tina
the jetties are in an excellent state o
, preservation and that there has beer
no indication of the teredo in woTS
since the lst of last November ant
that the action of the teredo is con
fined mo tly to some piling which
the contractor who was building the
f WORKS extended too far out to sea,
against the protest OF the engineer
The channel comp ny has now taken
charge OF the work itself and il is t.
, he conducted directly under the super
b vision of the engineer. / wish to say
to the members OF the committee
who will recollect the contest tina
took place over the South pass jetties
that we are having the same ole
fright again, and l appeal to the com
mittee and to congress, which ha
given to this company this importan