St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-11-30
GALVESTON HARsOR.
" 0nderTul Jettles to lse Constructed TOR
the Purpose q: Securing Eeep Water.

Of modern times is the construction OF
the wonderful jc.ties built To secure
deep water for ocean steamers i'll the
bav at Galveston. Anyone who never
saw these jetties at Galveston has no
idea Of the magnitude of this scheme
to get deep water. From 1870 until
four years ago the United States gov
ernment has been letting contracts in.
termittently for this work. Each an
propriat tion would be something like
one hundred thousand dollars. When
that amount was expended there would
be long delay until another appro-
rriation was made, and little good re-
suited from the work. In 1891 Uncle
sam took the bit in his teeth and de-
termined to rush things lie entered
into a contract for six million, two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars of
work. The contractors have already ex-
pended about four million dollars and
say they will require one million eight
hundred thou sand dollars more.
There are two je:ties. known rs the
north and south jet;y. The south
iettv begins at the north end OF Gal.
crly direction thirty-two thousand
eight hundred feet, or six and two
tenths miles. When it is completed
it will be seven miles long. The north
jetty starts at Bolivar peninsula.
ard is now built for four and one
half miles. The two jetties. probably
two miles apart at the shore end,
gradually v approach each other as they
run into the gulf. so that at the water
end there is but narrow channel and
a sort of funnel is formed. Within the
bay thus formed the water is suffi-
GENTLY deep for the safe anchorage OF
the largest ocean steamers. but near
the head, or small end. of the funnel
these jetties make a sand bar. 1t has
been growing in recent years. and
there was great fear that big vessels
would be shut ont of the harbor.
This is the simple duty the jetties
are supposed to performs: When the
tide comes up into the bay it comes
from deep water and brings little
sand When it goes out through the
narrow channel formed by the ietties
the current is naturally stronger and
swifter, the water is more shallow,
and i. carries the sand into the sea. In
a few words, this is the plan of the
jettv-makers. In addition the jetties
make q safe harbor within their
bounds The sea never runs high
there. That portion of the jetties
nearest the shore is made of ordinary
limestone: further ont it is made OF
granite taken from Granite mountain,
at Marble Falls, Tex. These jetties at
the top will average about fifteen feet
in width, at the base about one hun
dred feet They are on an average
eighteen feet deep. Try to form
an idea of the amount of stone
that has gone into this work: The
quarries at Granite mountain have been
sending TO the Galveston jetties twen.
ty carloads of thirty tens each twenty
six days in the month for the last four
years-nearly seven hundred and fifty
thousand tons. and yet not more than
forty per cent. of the material used sc
far has been granite. A five-ton block
the waves would make playthings OF
lighter weights. and a ten-ton block
costs forty four dollars
Out over the jetties. on a trestle built
over the rocks. rams n railroad track.
1t is standard gauge, but fussy lit
tie engine hauls the cars Nowhere is
the railroad track more than four OF
five feet above the water. Four miles
out at sea worms damaged the wood
work of the trestle SO much that the
track was abandoned and another
built alongside oft. At the water end
of the jetty squad of men are en-
gagged in sending big pine poles forty
five feet long into the sand The occu'
patton is a most hazardous ono. The
gulf current is very strong mere and
once a man loses his footing, precarious
at best. it is all over. As the piles are
driven and the trestle formed the rail-
road track is extended. Carloads of
granite are run out and unloaded. There
is no placing of this stone. 1t is dumped
into the water and allowed to find its
own resting place. Car load after car
load is emptied into one spot withou,
showing above the surface and with
out perceptible effect. When the
winds blow for days from one direction
and the gulf runs high the danger and
the discomfort of the work increase
greatly. The breakers strike the jetty
and 60 high in the air.
The contract for the work is claimed
to be the largest single contract ever
let by the United States government
and while an immense amount oi
money is being literally thrown into
the sea, the cost of these jetties will
be insignificant compared to the ben
efits. if the plan succeeds. 1t will be
the longest jetty system in the world,
and all the west will derive benefits
Already IN immense waterway bust
ness is done at Galveston. 1t is esti
mated that one-half the entire crop o!
Texas, three million bales, is shipped
from this island city. The bar which
it is the purpose to destroy with these
jetties does not prevent the entrance
of steamers now, but the increase il
business a free and safe port will cause
can hardly be estimated Louis
Republic.