OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF BILOXI. 29 



rounding it, especially between its eastern margin and the Mississippi- 

 /:Jabama line, the sand is mingled with sufficient mud to give it the 

 requii-ed consistency. This firm bottom lies in a depth of between 8 

 and 12 feet and covers an area of about 4,200 acres. It is fairly well 

 protected from freshets and is of a character which should permit it 

 to be worked v^dth dredges. 



Point aux Chenes. — Lying south and southwest of the western half 

 of Pomt aux Chenes is a strip of stiff and soft mud stretching from 

 the hard sand flinging the shore to a distance of about 1^ miles from 

 land and with a length of upward of 2 miles east and west. Its 

 western extremity is near Beacon B markmg the approach to Pas- 

 cagoula. The depth of water ranges from 6 to 13 or 14 feet and the 

 area of the tract is about 2,000 acres. This bottom is softer than 

 that previously described, but a considerable part of it is suitable for 

 planting either oysters or cultch. Its proximity to the mouth of 

 Pascagoula makes it susceptible to the influences of freshets. 



East of Round Island. — Adjacent to Round Island, especially on the 

 east and south sides, is a sandy shoal gradually merging with the 

 surrounding mud. The sandy bottom in depths of less than 5 or 6 

 feet appears to be shifting, but in the deeper water to the eastward 

 toward the Pascagoula Channel there is sufficient mud to serve as a 

 "binder," and enough sand to correct the excessive plasticity of the 

 mud. In consistency this bottom varies from "hard" to "soft," 

 most of it being what is designated in this report as "stiff." This 

 area, which covers about 1,300 acres, is open to the same objection 

 as the area of Point aux Chenes — its exposure to the effects of freshets 

 owing to its proximity to the mouth of Pascagoula River. 



Off Bellefontaine Coast. — From about 1 mile west of the mouth of 

 Gravelme Bayou there is a strip of more or less hard bottom stretch- 

 ing almost without interruption to Biloxi Channel, but for conven- 

 ience of description it appears advisable to divide it at the shoal run- 

 ning from the east end of Deer Island. The portion here described 

 is a curved strip about 5 mUes long and from 1 to 3 miles wide encir- 

 cling the shoal projecting from Bellefontaine Coast. It lies in water 

 from 6 to 11 feet deep and varies in consistency from stiff to soft. 

 In shoaler water the bottom is composed of hard sand liable to shift 

 and in deeper water the mud is too soft. Owing to its proximity to 

 Dog Keys Pass and its relative remoteness from large fresh-water 

 affluents, it is subject to less danger than the preceding two localities 

 m times of flood. It covers an area of approximately 6,500 acres. 



Off' Deer Island. — This area stretches from the western end of the 

 preceding to the dredged channel leading to Biloxi, outside the sandy 

 area fringing the shore and forming a bar at the eastern end of the 

 island. In depths less than 6 feet the bottom probably shifts more 

 or less under the influence of waves and currents, and is therefore 



