Texas: the rise, progress, and prospects of the Republic of Texas, Vol.1 Page: 94 of 432
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42
TEXAS.
[BOOK I.
glance, that let either of the lower passages be the one
deepened, the effect will be to permit vessels to enter,
quartering with the wind due north, that being the only
direction from whence a breeze renders it at all difficult to
enter.
"cc The four feet channel immediately south and west of
Pelican Island can never deepen so as to be of service, as it
lies nearly at right angles to the direction of the current
running out, which scours the bar; it also lies parallel to
the direction of the south-east winds, and their action on
the waters from the gulf from the bars. The coast of St.
Joseph's Island is slowly being worn away by abrasion,
though by no means so rapidly as the shoals are forming,
which will unite Pelican Island to the Peninsula, so that, at
a future time, when the passage next the peninsula may
have closed, it can be secure from further injurious washing
by a sea-wall built parallel to its base. I suggest this project
for action at some remote period, when the compression
of the waters into a much narrower channel than they now
flow through will (as I think highlfy probable) have increased
the depth over the bar. Then, great national
benefits may be received by expending an amount of
money to make the change permanent, which will be
trifling when compared with the good resulting therefrom.
The soundings over the bar were taken on two different
occasions: on the first day, there was an average low tide,
then the least water fomnd was ten feet eight inches. On
the latter occasion the tide was remarkably low. A long
continued north wind had reduced the level of water surface
lower than it had been for three months, notwithstanding
that this is the season at which extremely low tides may
be expected. Then I found nilne feet eight inches to be
the least depth over the bar, in the position between the
breakers noted on the chart; so that from ten to eleven and
a half feet water may be calculated on with safety, as the
average depth to -be found there. I arranged the beacons,
so that they now point 640 feet further west on the line
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Kennedy, William. Texas: the rise, progress, and prospects of the Republic of Texas, Vol.1, book, January 1, 1841; London. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2389/m1/94/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.