The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-01

Galveston and it's approaches, and al tho
 last session of Congress $5,00o,000 was ap. propriated to extend the sea wall and make otfser improvements. Additional land Is to be reclaimed from the sea, and the government will soon have 1000 acres on each side of the channel near the en- trance to Galveston harbor, with ample room for Qualifications and other estab- lishments along the lines of preparedness The plans of the future include the deep
 ening of the channel to 35 feet, and also fuel oil supply tanks built so far inland
 that vessels of the enemy, should they
 ever enter the gulf. could not reach them
 with their big guns.
 The harbor is well fortified now. There
 are three forts protecting it's entrance
 and their big guns command the water
 far out at sea. It would not be wise to
 mention the armament, but 1t includes
 the most effective of coast defense weap- ons and the harbor is probably well pro-
 tected by mines.
 During my stay I have gone about the
 haroor on one of the government ves- sells and have visited a large part of the bay. I have also passed through the jet ties out to the gulf. The port Is one of the most interesting in the United States. It had its beginning in the building of the Jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi by Capt. James B. Eads many years ago. At the mouth of Galveston bay were large sand bars, but the entrance was so mar row that these were affected by the tides as they moved in and out, and it was thought that if the channel could be mar rowed they could make the force of the tides gouge out the bars and make a deep opening into the bay. This. you know, Is the principle on which the Mis- sissippi Is kept open, the waters of the rrIcb biv,er xrrtth F. narrow channel and carrying the silt out into the gulf
 Captain Eads came to Galveston with view to taking the contract to make a deep water port. He examined the chan nel and offered to bring about this result for the sum of $7,5oo,0O0. For this sum he was to make a channel 30 feet deep, and it was to be based upon the same conditions as those which prevailed at the mouth of the Mississippi. This matter was brought before Congress, but the bill failed, and it was not until some years later that it was taken up and the jet ties made.
 Since then the channel has been deep ened and the jetties improved, until now two great arms of granite blocks reach in from the gulf, protecting the harbor and forming pipe, as 1t were. through which the 100000 acres of water in Gal weston bay move in and out from the Gulf of Mexico at the times of the tides. The water goes with such force that it SCOUTS clean the channel and keeps 1t of an even depth. One arm of these jetties is seven miles long and the other is five miles. The width of the channel at the mouth Is about one mile and a half and the walls of granite thoroughly protect the en- trance.
 As rode along these jetties I was surprised at their massive construction. They are not like the. jetties at New Orleans. which consist of mats or rafts of woven poles sunken at the sides of the channel that they have caught the earth and have been built up into walls The jetties of Galveston are walls made of great chunks or blocks of granite dumped down one on top of the other until they have formed huge rock embankments, which hold back the water. Many of the blocks weigh 10 to 12 tons each. There are thousands of these