The Passes of the Mississippi River

Large sea-borne commerce on the Lower Mississippi is entirely dependent on free access from the Gulf through a number of channels or passes. In the old days, sandbars at each mouth limited the navigable depth to about 9 ft. For more than 100 years, maintenance of a deep channel has engaged the best efforts of noted engineers. Capt. James B. Eads, M. ASCE, contracted to develop a 26-ft depth; his final successful jetties at South Pass were historic, and a model for later continuous construction and maintenance at Southwest Pass. The development of methods, modifications, and repairs—by Eads and latterly by the Corps of Engineers—is described to show how a standardized and successful status with a 35-ft ruling depth has been achieved.