144 HAUPT — REACTION BREAKWATER AT ARANSAS PASS. [Oct. 6, 



The Plan Saved from Destruction. — Thus the integrity of 

 the invention was preserved for the time being from emasculation, 

 and the Government was saved over ;^ 1,000,000 by securing the 

 work done by the Harbor Company, without consideration and by 

 avoiding the unnecessary additional work proposed, the effect of 

 which would have been to obstruct the tidal influx and destroy the 

 natural scour. It should be added that during the consideration of 

 this important subject by both Boards, the Consulting Engineers 

 were given no opportunity to be heard, and did not receive a copy 

 of the reports for months after their presentation to the department. 



Results Officially Reported by the Coast Survey. — Whilst 

 these matters were pending in Congress last winter the Superin- 

 tendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Dr. 

 Henry S. Pritchett, detailed the survey steamer, *'Bache," during 

 January and February to make a detailed hydrographic survey of 

 the bar, but the report thereof showing the remarkable results was 

 not available until the end of June, too late to be of service before 

 Congress. 



In this report the assistant in charge of the ''Bache," Capt. Welker, 

 stated that the weather was so bad as to prevent work on the bar 

 for more than about one day out of each week and also that 



"In 1895 the Aransas Pass Harbor Company constructed a jetty in 

 the shape of the letter ' S,' on the north side of the entrance, which is 

 still in existence, and ever since its construction there has been a marked 

 increase in the depth of water on the bar. The present channel crossed 

 the Mansfield jetty, portions of which are still in existence. An attempt 

 was made to remove this by explosion of dynamite, with the result that 

 the rocks scattered over considerable area and without doubt they pre- 

 vented the current from scouring the bottom to its full capacity." .... 

 " It is my opinion that by the completion of the present jetty and the 

 clearing away of the rock in the entrance that a channel of at least 

 twenty feet in depth would soon be secured." 



This rapid and progressive deepening of the channel was known 

 in the neighborhood by report of pilots and by the draft of vessels 

 entering the Pass, but does not seem to have merited the attention 

 of the Board in the preparation of its recent plans and estimates. 

 In fact the deepening was so remarkable that many persons were 

 very skeptical as to the facts, and it was therefore necessary to have 

 the official confirmation of the Coast Survey as stated above to 

 verify them. 



