Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-01-11
OUTLET FOR OUR PRODUCTS
VIEWS OF A MEMBER OF THE RIVER
AND HARBoR COMMITTEE.
Dredging the Bars at Gulf Ports-Op-
position to Extravagance-Ener
of Flowing Streams.

An influential member Of the river and
harbor committee in the House said today:
1.-The editorial in The Star, Of the 9Th in
slant on the capitalization Of the cost and
maintenance of the Isthmian canal has at
tracted considerable attention and is be-
lieved to be the first presentation Of the
subject by the press. It has a direct bear
ing upon all river and harbor matters.
I'm view Of the probability Of some def
mite action by Congress on the canal ques-
ton at this session it becomes important
to consider how we may best provide for
the shipment of our surplus products to
foreign markets by the shortest and cheap
est lines. Since the great northern artery
of trade via the lakes is frozen up during
five months of the year and the Mississippi
river is not yet nayigable for vessels for
more than six feet draught during tow
stages. the only means of transportation to
the sea for the great middle basin is by
rail; and the shortest and best outlet is that
Of the gulf ports. But until Eads opened
the South Pass these were congested by
bars having only ten to twelve feet OF
water over them while the present freight
ers require not less than thirty feet
straight. 49,
Realizing this condition the government
| has been and still is making strenuous eff
forts by dredging and letters to secure
channels of ample capacity for the deepest
ships across these bars, and has at length
opened several Of the gulf ports to depths
of about twenty-six feet, which, though
great improvement, does not suff1ce for me
cheapest mOvem6 mt and the cost of mainte-
| nance Of these ch inels in the sea or large
/ bays and lagoons, as at Pensacola, Mobile
| and Galveston Is almost prohibitiye and is
| heavy annual drain upon the general
| treasury.
Energy of Flowing Streams.
"Of late years great strides have been
taken by the civil engineers Of this coun-
| try who have given much study to the
problem of utilizing the energy of flowing
| streams to the removal Of bars by sys-
| tenn known as the reaction jettY. which
has been tested by private parties at Aran-
sas Pass, Tex, where phenomenal results
have been secured at less than half the
usual cost Of former methods, which were
devoid of results. At the last session OF
Congress the proposal to apply this natural
method to the opening of the southwes,
pass had the effect of causing the govern
| reduce it's estimate by the large sum o.
| $1,000. 600 for construction alone, but nc
| appropriation was made, as the bill wa:
talked to death in the Senate.
"At Arkansas Pass the reaction system
will save more than 81 200, 600 and guar
antees a channel when completed. and We
there are some sections of country wher
the desire to secure large appropriation
from the public funds for expenditure Il
the district is so great that the service
| of their representatives are measured NOR
by the amount of the appropriation thai
by the benefcent. results obtainabie from
Its use. r .ii1~'' - H}u,E~ -. =
Opposition to waste of Money.
."There are other districts and sections
however, which are remote from nav1ga
BILE waters and which do not reap any di
rect benefit from the river and harbor ap
propriation, which resent this lavish an
| indiscriminate waste Of money for patron
| ape and which desire results by the bes
methods and in the least time, that the
NAV ship their products along the lines o
| least resistance to the open ports and thu
reach their markets. These are the mai
| sources of opposition to the expenditure o
public funds for tentative and unsatisfac
| tory plans of harbor improvements await
ing the time when experiment and expert
; ence shall have developer tne most eco
nomical methods of construction.
"It Is a striking commentary upon tw
| score years of experience that the latest re
port of the government on the Southwes
/ Pass of the Mississippi river which control
, | a vast trade should be forced to make thi
admission of ignorance as to the best cours
to pursue.
But there is no competition In this clas
of public works and until there is no chang
in method can be expected unless Congress
will open the door to Individual initiattv
and follow the excellent precedent estah
| lished by Capt Eads in 1875, when n
opened the South Pass at his own risk an
received payments therefore only after tn
channel had been secured.