The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-20
New OrIenns Alarmed.

The Eads jetties, which make South Pass
at the mouth of the Mississippi river the
outlet for ocean freight of New Orleans,
has enabled that city not only to retain
her commercial prominence but also to
greatly Increase it. Had it not been for
the ietties New Orleans would have gone
backward during the last twenty years,
instead of advancing in wealth and COM
mercial Importance as she has done She
would have lost much of her cotton bust
ness and would never have gained the
great grain shipping business which she
now has. Before the jetties were con-
structed the main entrance to the Missis-
sippi was Southwest Pass, and, as a gem
eral rule, vessels drawing more than thir-
teen feet of water found it difficult
to get into the river. Consequently steam
ers of deep draft were barred out It was
no uncommon thing for a whole fleet of
vessels to wait outside of the passes for
days for such a tide as would permit them
TO enter the river.
New Orleans is now alarmed by the
prospect of a return to a similar condi-
ton of affairs. When Capt. Eads made
a contract for the building of the jetties
he was allowed 100000 year, for twenty
years, to keep the South Pass channel
open. That contract expires within the
next three years, and it is by no means
certain that it will be possible to get an
other similar allowance from the govern
ment. If congress should refuse an appro-
priaton for dredging out the mud Jumps
xxrb aric in, bn no ,f
the pass the channel would soon become
so chOked that vessels could not use It,
But the fear of failure to get an ao-
preparation for keeping South Pass open
is not nearly so great as the fear that
the pass will be wholly destroyed by a
great crevasse in Pass-a-Loutre. This
crevasse draws from South Pass a large
part of its normal amount of water
water that is needed to scour out the
pass and, according TO Engineer Cor
thell, has attacked vigorously the jetty
works which extend into the waters from
South Pass, widening them and sweeping
them away and making a channel, almost
a gorge, or crevasse, adjacent to the
South Pass with from 60 to so feet
of water where formerly but twenty-five
to % feet existed. Engineer
Corthen further says that there is no
doubt that within a few years unless the
Pass-a-Loutre crevasse is closed. and the
works destroyed by 1t are restored, navi-
cation through the South Pass channel
will have to be abandoned forever"
The Mississippi is a mighty river and
hard to control. The government has
spent many millions of dollars upon it.
and there is no doubt that it will have to
keep on spending money upon it in order
to confine its power for destruction and
continue it's effectiveness for the promo
tion of commerce. OF course congress
will see to 1t that New Orleans highway
to the sea is kept open. Her commercial
Importance is too great to permit her to
be bottled uD.
The report is that Gov. Atkinson and
Chairman Clay are against fusion in Geor-
gia. They are right. The democrats
have recently demonstrated their ability
to carry the state without the aid of the
popunsts. The populists put out their
best strength in the state election upon
which they were practically united and
had the prohibition support. A great
many populists will vote the democratic
national ticket, and it will have the sun
port of democrats without distinction.
Fusion would ALLEVIATE many democrats
from Mr.. Bryan. and might prove the en-
tcring wedge to the disruption Of the dem
ocratic party. Probably the leading flu
slonists would like TO see the democratic
party disrupted. Atkinson and CLAW
should stand by their guns.