New-York tribune., 1905-04-02
LETTERS 70 THE EDITOR.
"HAUPT JETTY" PLAN.
Secures Depth by Control of Cur
rents Without Dredging.

70 the Editor of The Irloune
SIR. The teiegrapmc dispatch from Galveston.
5e,cd March L. 10 The Tribune contains so many
ieles5inr statements that. IN the interest OF The
-,r1ic economies and Of commerce. the writer begs
- submit q correct statement OF facts in as few
words as possible
d.. 5esp water channel at Avansas Pass, the govern
mont has declared the one letty plan failure Up
- $50 the government had expended over 10000 In
Farrs 20 secure l2-fOot channel al this inlet on 2
Twin 5etty plan and then renQuished il 10 private
-.r,les with results reported 10 be insignificant
'rtese partles then expended over $4,000 more and
berdorea the effort. A company was organ
.zed and the so-caled ''Haupt 5etty' was started
,,-5er the impression that tie former government
.u-s-k had disappeared. reported me oe-
rr Of The Haupt 5etty was 10 secure depths by the
control Of The currents and without dredging and II
should he stated that. although this plan had re-
oeirea the highest Endorsement from disinierested
ernerts the government engineers had condemned
as eary-as lsSs purely theoretical ana unworthy
~ a test Within few months the bar was secured
out down 10 the old jetty." and there being no
fnds for its removal the company suspended opera
Mons and finally conveyed its work 10 the govern
-,ent on condition that an appropriation be made
s4- lis completion Congress at once appropriated
s. 09 Tor the specific removal OF the obstTuctlng
,etrv lying across the channel. but the money was
applied building up the inner END or the Aeupt
ietty IN violation OF The plans Of the inventor.
Ths obstruction was not removed untl last
SIMMER Eve years after. although several appTo-
priations had been made for the purpose and il
r,reveutez tie formation OF the channel Now That
II is out the predicted depths OF - feet ana over
exist where the jetty is completed. aithouSh the
currents stu escape across section OF LOU teet
=, length IN the middle Of the WORK which also ad-
,rgs the drift 10 the channel, causing the shoal
where the former diminished government work has
settled Had this heen closed from the emergency
ar af 1903 there would have been % foot channel
entirely across the bar Al this date The WORK.
r. afa rar
-bs her from over a mile TO about one-quaTter BY
ra-,aysrg over Is1auo yards, ana this shoal IS
only where the gay occurs. The government
estimate was reduced S5-a.5=3 , in consequence OF
,be work which was reported 70 be OF no value
il has expended less Than sS5o.oD 10 date on the
..r7-f,pt frrtg." ana has appropriated $4,000 in
"a. 7-,s,rt act 10 complete IL. Congress. having
fai-h IN the plan adopted IL in 1872, and has not
declared IL O failure tsee present aetl The govern
eat plan relied upon l.2 Jeti'es ana 5 l551 ~
oluLluE t,e llest-. 4Ltt ise,S iees man
S=aa8 for plan VIII ,h VIII nave cresatSd l.s s 9NH
.,.- -ei-e MANY a million ana half Of dollars
Ths fttry rr1nolncei 10 De d iiiesl sI4t4I t.-s
sgc-ess ay t7e lseai PISS, ana @ IS ar IN S,,i The
last when the oie Ieo!s @ee e 80 1 ,.ssseis = i
&c s-s i-r8 th.. harbor IL a severe storm and
S- tst,v was net designed 10 be 1900 feet
lrre- which IS nearly three miles but aoout o,oOl
-a.T rfttle more than one mile. II Was 10 nave
been completed IN Ten months. instead 'of which
-..tt.- q ms maintained q better channel than
ever existed Al thls site - sla 9I ialts VIII
a-.t having removed q yard ts ,redglng- lhe gov
s-rD,arr engineers seem 10 think t1at the most
economical method ~ creating chafnels IS ug en-
tl.1enc Iarce hydraulic dreGges AZ heANy cLaTee
to- maintenance and 70 50 lntQ the business az
oor~rartrirn with contractors. although there are
others uha believe Jre better way is pH causing
~ currents Ia do the work by suitably built
single detachea 5reakwater T. The government would
ouiy open the door lo responslole 2lIa2eLloh: "a
1al9 The writer proposed 10 open THIS port al his
CRu risk hut the chief o. engineers obJecteo tnal
although the proposal saieglateo l4lt
flfv. IN would establish q bad precedent so The
Was taken over bv Congress, without cpEpen-
satIou. and the work IS noW suspended ror l2ck OF
the reconuler dation - close iAe g@p rom rom ne
emergency act passed Tor the maintenance OF
channels in 1904.
As 10 the port being 'prs rscticaliy ruined by the
hul5ir- az his ietty stated. this question was
rrfe~-ed 10 q government engineer in charge by
Congress before e. took over The plan, and he re-
p!sd 30 substance II incline 10 the opinion that
zion ~ second oettv or with dredging. al IN
Fuch manner 10 secure All The essential results
such interference impress me as un-
ukeiy'
From the above brief statement Il would seem
Thar II tre gap were closed LiIc Ch2rnel OF twenty
fret depth VII almost Immediately follow. as i ola
Tie building up ~ the outer portion OF the work
LUee- The last contract. closed tn september -st
and The question VIII be- determined 70 whether
tbs work has has NOT greatly henented the
government and The port al an isolatea lnlet,
ne local Interests ~ Southwest Texas have been
seeking open port FOR about a half century IN
vain Tho cost ~ this plan VIII have been about
one-foIrth THAI ~ The tWO leIty plan. and the re-
government plan and estimate are not based on re-
suite secured by natural forces, but by dredging,
u which me secretary o. var has slaleo. re
government should not engage in business in COM
petition with private Interests -
HeV-York Cs,y. March 2S 1895.