The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-03-05
Legislative Group
To Inspect Ydrd
And Ship Channel
BULLETIN
BULLETIN


into a luxury passenger liner
by the Ingalls, ShipYard. was
scheduled to sail from New
York Thursday afternoon and
arrive off Pascagoula Monday
morning. The vessel was or
iginallY not expected here until
the latter part of this month.
Pascagoula and jackson county
will be hosts to a joint committee
of the Pascagoula House and SEN
ate this weekend. The group will
inspect the ingalls, Shipyard and
the Pascagoula river front and
ship channel in connection with
a bill introduced in the state
legislature last week to dredge
the Pascagoula channel to 6
depth of 80 feet.
The group was invited to Pas
cagoula by County Representa-.
tive Hermes F. Gautier, and
will include the following:
State Senators c. A. Hillman
Monticello; John Farese, Ashland;
Mitchell Robinson, Jackson; Deca-
tur P. Butler, Meadville; Carl M
Johnson, Calhoun City, and G. l.
Beavers, Lucedale.
State Representatives Harvey
Ross, Clarksdale; David Womack.
Belzoni; Mrs. Zelma Price, Green
vile; Mrs. T. c. Walden, Walden;
Charles Audy, Alderman; George
B. Grubbs, Mendenhall; Hayden
Campbell, jackson; Gordon Bow
en-, Futon; Garland Byrd, Mccall
Creek; Miss Evelyn Candy, Hat
tiesburg; Miss Anne Virginia Bar
cliff, Vicksburg, and John Alton
Phillips of Macon. Several other
legislators whose names could
not be obtained are also sched-
uled' to be in Pascagoula.
Kenneth Toler of the Memphis
Commercial Appeal and John
Hancock of the Jackson Daily
News, will accompany the legis-
lators.
A bill was introduced last week
by MI. Gautier under which the
state would make available $780,
900 for deepening and widening
the Pascagoula channel. Under
terms of the bill the U. S. Corps
of Engineers would let a contract
for and supervise the work. The
u. S. Engineers have agreed to
maintain the 30-foot depth.
Also introduced last week in
the national House of Representa-
tives was a bill by Representa-
tive w. M. Colmer which would
enable the Federal government to
reimburse the state for the cost
of the work.
Handicapped BY Channel
The ingalls, Shipyard has been
handicapped in its operation by
the shallow ship channel, which
is presently being maintained by
the u. S. Engineers at its project
depth of % feet. During the war
years the channel was maintained
at a depth of rs feet under an
emergency measure by the U. 5.
Navy. The navy maintained this
depth in order to handle the plane
carriers, attack transports and
other vessels built at the ingalls,
yard for war use.
However, sometime prior to the
cessation of hostilities, when the
navy was tapering off, this main
tenance ceased and the channel
was allowed to return to its nor
NAL project depth.
AS a result of this shallow
channel the ingalls, yard has been
seriously handicapped in its OPP
erations, and in several instances
was forced to decline to bid on
conversion work involving yes
sells of too great a draft to be
handled in the Pascagoula chan
mel.
The ingalls, yard Friday was
awarded a contract totalllng So,-
600. 900 for the conversion OF the
24.OO0-ton transport S. s. Rich
ardson into a luxury passenger
liner. The awarding of this con-
tract was announced in an extra
edition of the Chronicle Star Sat-
urday morning.
The Richardson is a two-stack,
twin-screw vessel Clio feet long
and when converted will have a
passenger capacity of 5Ss, and
will carry a crew of 342.
Delicate Job
Getting the huge vessel through
the shallow Pascagoula channel
to the Ingalls, wet dock will be
a delicate operation. The vessel
will come to the vicinity of Pas
Eranffr4faa IN maze faurl