The first thing,
of course, that will require doing will be the tires; as far as I can
see nothing else will want doing for some time."
A very fine engineering work has now been accomplished in America in
reference to navigation, namely, the deepening of the channel at the
mouth of the Mississippi through the training of the river by jetties
and banks. In consequence, ships of large size may now go up the
river--there being plenty of deep water above the mouth--and bring down
grain cargoes, without the expense and inconvenience of transshipment,
thus reducing the freight of corn to this country. This great
improvement is the work of Captain Eads. A somewhat similar improvement
was the blowing up of about 50,000 tons of rock from the bed of the
river at the narrow pass of Hell Gate, near New York. It is to be hoped
that these good examples may spur on our friends on the Continent to
improve their harbors, so that large channel boats may cross with
comfort to the passengers, thus avoiding the excessive expense that a
tunnel would involve.
Great improvements have been made in the illumination of lighthouses
by oil lamps; a light equal to 1,300 candles has been produced by Mr.
Douglass, of the Trinity House, and now two such lights will be placed
one above the other, where required.
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