The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-03-20
SHALL We DIG IN, on BUILD OUT


Editor Dcmocrat-Star
1t Is said that old Mohammed first
tried to make the mountain come to
him, but when the mountain refused
to come, he then went to the noun
tain. 1t Is also said in the Scriptures
that a house divided within itself
shall fall, etc.
Now, it has been the hope and dream
of our people for generations that
Congress will appropriate means to dig
out M harbOrS, bars and rivers, so as
to bring deep water into PascagOula,
Scranton and Moss Point. desire in
this communication, to cause our PEG.
pie to take a broad and more accurate
view OF this subject. or course, every
foot gained in the depth OF water, over
the bar at the mouth of u river, Is
worth thousands of dollars to our
State. But II we hope to take rank
with Mobile, New Orleans and Gall
weston, we must reach to as deep water
as they have. Galveston claims that
after spending millions Of dollars, she
will have q feet of water. Mobile
claims, that after her millions are
spent, she will have % feet Of water.
New Orleans, after spending tens Of
millions Of dollars, claims even more
water than either of the others.
| have heard it urged by some
Of our people that ii we can finally
get 10 feet OF water from Ship and
Horn Island harbOrs, through the
bar Of the river and on up to our
mills, that this il all We need. Now,
| have always thought il a nan was
going to be afcll0w at all, ''he ought
TO be a hell Of a fellow" And il Mis-
sissippi is going to build up aseaport
and commercial city, she ought to
have a real one, and n with as deep
water as any place on the Gulf Coast.
This we can have at a cost of less
than one million dollars, If we will
build wharf from Point Aux Chienes,
out to 20 feet Of water, then drcdgc
out the bumps oil shoals in the Horn
Island harb0r and outer pass to % feet
OF water, so rs to make a depth OF not
less than % feet from the Gulf in to
our wharf. The soundings made by
the legislative Committee clearly
show that there is at Horn Island a
larbor large enough to hold all the
navies of the earth, in water ovcr %
feet deep.
1t seems to me that in actual use
and practice, % feet Of water is ut
least ten times more valuable than
even 20 feet OF water. 1t is somewhat
like the question of "ten square miles
or ten miles square," Twenty-Five feet
Of water would be worth an HUNDRED
times as much to our county and State,
as the l2s feet that we o have. 1t
is plain to any one that in order to get
b feet Of water from the Gulf of
Mexico up to Moss Point. we would
have to spend millions Of dollars tn
drcdge all The way from Horn Island
harb0r, through the bar at the mouth
of the river, and on up the river to
each mill, and this channel would be
necessarily narrow and hard to follow,
requiring plotting and tow boats, and
by every high water or storm it would
I'LL up. But If we build out to deep
water (and this requires no longer or
more difficult bridge than has for
years been across BAY St. L0uis) we
would be like M0hammcd OF old, have
our prayers answered. for the Lord
gave us brains. as well as hearts de-
sircs, and lie helps those who help
themselves.
The best demonstration Of the effect
OF ONE foot deeper, is shown from the
fact that as II Urn Island outer pass
has never been dredgcd out, and as
Ship Island outer bar has a foot more
water than is now on Horn Island
outer bar, there is to, day over a dozen
large vessels at Ship Island, being
loaded from the mills on PascagOula
and Dog rivers.
Our State and county's ambition
ought to be higher than to wish to be
a suburb Of Mobile or New Orleans.
We ought to use the great advantages
given us over those places. and build
up for Il own State a seaport with
not less than 25 feet of water, and
soon our "pier head" would fairly
bristle with grain elevators, and with
long freight trains loading with the
tropical fruits destined for the great
Northwest, through the mc.ium of a
railroad built through the center of
our State, where, at nearly every de-
pot, would be built up factories for
the manufacture of our raw material,
and to whose operatives our farmers
could sell all their products. So mote
1t he. Amen! M. A. DEES.
Jackson, Miss, March IS, 1896.