The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-06-25
Deep Water Operations at Ropes Pass.

The work at Ropes Pass is being
pushed forward vigorously. A large
force of teams have cut away the hills
and high ground ahead of the dredge.
These teams are now within 500 feet of
the gulf. This is being done for the
purpose Of diminishing the amount of
work to be accomplished by the
dredge.
Indications constantly multiply
that this is the spot where Corpus
Christi Pass formerly went out from
Corpus Christi Bay to the Gulf. The
site of the present works was selected
because of numerous surface indlca-
tions Of a similar purport. The dredge
is now bringing up out OF the bottom
Of the channel large quantities of per
feet sea shells; some Of them are Of a
kind which the boatmen about here
say they have never before seen.
Ropes Pass is situated at point op
posite the middle Of Corpus Christ
bay, where the deep water curves in
Corpus Christi bay come the nearest
to the deep water curves in the gulf.
Tradition has 1t that when Corpus
Christi pass was upon or near this
spot, there were "a feet of water upon
the bar This is doubtless true, for it
Is well known that there was 20 feet of
water upon Arkansas bar when Arkansas
Pass was located three miles north of
its present position, and opposite the
foot of Arkansas bay, where the amount
of tidal inflow was very much less
than into Corpus Christi bay. Corpus
Christi bay is the finest tidal basin upon
the gulf coast. If there were "a feet of
water maintained upon this spot with.
out any artificial means, it may be safe
to assume that dredging, revetting and
jettying will add at least 6 feet to that
depth, when this pass is reopened
People who are not informed upon
engineering matters may suppose that
the work at Ropes Pass is without a
parallel, but this is a mistake. A
similar canal was cut across the Hook
of Holland" from the river Mass in
Holland, by which the port Of Rotter-
dam is now furnished an outlet to the
sea, which makes it sea port of great
by dredging across the dry land and
running out jetties into the sea just as
is proposed at Ropes Pass.
The jetties at Ropes Pass
will be shorter and consequently
less expensive than at any point upon
the Texas coast. The distance to 80
feet of water is about 1000 feet. This
is about one half the distance to 30
feet of water at Arkansas Pass and is
less than one sixth the distance to a
similar depth at Galveston. This will
reduce the cost of obtaining deep
water at this point over that required
at any other point, and will effect a
most valuable saving In point of time.
There is no noise or excitement be-
ing created over this work as the first
cut nears its completion, but on the
contrary the people of this section
are apparently soundly sleeping, while
work is being pushed forward under
their very noses, which is of the
greatest Importance not only to them
but to the state OF Texas and the great
Northwest
The first cut will give about ten feet
of water from bay to gulf and chan
mel width of only fifty feet. When the
waters of the gulf and bay are per-
mitted to rush back and forth through
this channel with each tide, the
securing" will be very heavy, and the
channel will be widened and deepened
by the currents more rapidly than
twenty dredges could do it. The
dredge will then be run back
and forth through the cut,
which is about 10000 feet
long deepening it with each trip she
makes, and this added to the action of
the currents, will greatly and stead
lily increase the size of the channel,
until it is able to receive and accom-
modate commerce of the deepest
draught. Jetties will also oe thrown
out into the gulf to the 30 foot depth.
These will be built of stone and be
permanent, solid structures.
N RiUOars, Huok1oharru Gor5io1r