The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-06-18
THE WADDELL THEORY FOR HARBOR
and CHANNEL IMPROVEMENT.

Avn Ou1NNLL lhi NV
Having seen some OF the pubIlca-
tionS relative to this plan OF liaroor
and Channel improvement, now uhucr
Investigation by the Scientific Depart
mcnt Of the United States Govern
mcnt we called on Mr.. Il, b. Waddell,
who is visiting P~ascagoula, ana ASKED
him to explain his theory. lie replled
that while the plan he proposed was
new, yet the principal was as ola as
nature and needs only to be Thought
of to see its practical working, by d.
recting a force already existing
what force do you speak OFF,"
''Thc force OF artesian water pres
sure. Ask yourself what Ia maze
the hills and hollows on the earth's
surface and you cannot fall TO answer,
water currents have dug out the mol
lows and left the hills on either side.
You will find all the big springs are
at the foot of hills and the deep hol-
lows lead from the spring to the sea.
The springs made the hollows, the
| hollows were not made to put the
springs in" ",
But how will yol Ike springs"
Have you Seen the Ulg fountain at
Biloxi?" 81.
Yes" IT,,
THAT is only a very big spring ard
a thousand such springs can be made
in "A line through Horn Island pass to
and up the P~aScagoula river to Moss
Point, Pipe them to a point say thlr-
ty-iye feet below tide water and let
them flow at the bottom OF the chan
mel, and you will produce an upward
flow Of artesian water at the bottom
Of the channel, and you Will produce
an independent bottom current which
will allow nothing to settle near 1t.
The result will be a channel as deep
as the point OF discharge of the
spring"
But what will prevent the springs
from filling up with sand?'
The upward pressure OF arteSian
water. The same force that causes
the fountain to play at Biloxi"
would you take a contract to cover
up the Biloxi fountain with sand?"
II had to answer that tile SAND
would wash away as fast as | could
put it on
Il understand that the upward ar.
tesian pressure all along the coast Will
raise water in a pipe about fifty feet
above the level Of tide water, this
would give an upward force of about
10000 pounds to the foot at the tide
level, in other words an artesian well
pipcd up to the level Of tide water
and set to flowing would lift a stone
weighing 5000 or 10000 pounds. Ne
sand could settle near it. A line OF
these wells from Moss Point through
Horn Island pass put down in the
channel and made to flow thirty OF
forty feet below tide water will wash
out a channel that deep
but what will it COST"
1.-The cost would be small compared
to the value" .
but IS there artesian water enough
! to support SO many wells as this work
would requirc?:"
Il think 1t is demonstrated bcyont
reasonable doubt that there iSas mucl
} water under the continent OF Amcric;
as there is in the Gulf of Mexico. NJ
, artcsian well south Of Cairo that ha'
been properly constructed has eve
failed in the lcaSt. Memphis has siXtl
wells in IA radius Of aquartcrOf a mile
! they have been tested to about 60, 900,
600 gallons a day without making al
impression on them. At all point
between here and Memphis where ar
= teSian wells have been bored the sam
. condition ~. SITS. III my opinion LhcI
is no place on the Gulf where natur
has so nearly made a deep harhor a
at Scranton and Moss Point. A it'll
help to the currents you now hav
D.. will give you any depth of water 20
desire from the Gulf TO Moss Point
, Did you ever think what made PaSca
d goula river, what made the pas
through Horn Island, what mad
$ Horn Island and all the islands alon
the coast"
a | had to confess | had not though
Z what caused these islands, and asked
What did it?'
Mr.. Waddcll replied that he had
theory on that subject, but had nc
o time now to 90 into it, but would .
some other time. 1t is enough to sa
now that the 30 feet depths in Pasci
u gOula and Dog rivers at Moss Poir
are due to the artesian flow of watt
|, which nature has permitted at thos
n points.