1. Ship Island Lighthouse bearing 29° true, Reverse (Gulfport Channel Entrance The channel across the bar is marked by The course passes 350 yards to the westward of Ship Island West Point Light. 2. Gulfport Channel Entrance Front Light; at the intersection of Gulfport Channel Entrance Range; and Gulfport Channel Outer Range: Direct 1 Reverse 1 There are numerous lights and buoys along the east side of the channel and several buoys along the west side. The Intracoastal Waterway route crosses Gulfport Channel at Light 4. 3. Gulfport Harbor Breakwater Light; to east of light on above range. Thence into the harbor. 1 At the south end, the channel is marked by Gulfport Channel Outer Range and at the north end it is marked by Gulfport Range. LAKE BORGNE (Chart 1268) Lake Borgne is a westward extension of Mississippi Sound, from which it is partly separated by three islands and outlying shoals. Between the islands and shoals there are several navigable passages. The lake is about 23 miles in length, 5 to 10 miles in width, and 7 to 9 feet (2.1 to 2.7 m) in depth, but 8 feet (2.4 m) is about the greatest draft entering. The shores of the lake are low and marshy, and are but sparsely populated. The lake is of importance chiefly as a connecting link for inside navigation from Mississippi Sound to Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. The lake is tidal, but the tides are small and are greatly modified by the winds. The tidal currents through Grand Island Pass have considerable velocity at times. Vessels coming from eastward generally enter Lake Borgne through Grand Island Pass, which leads northward of Grand and Grassy Islands and close to the northerly shore of the lake; it is a deep channel, marked by Lake Borgne Lighthouse and St. Joseph 57738°-36--14 Island Light on the north side of the pass and a black can buoy on the south side of the pass near Grassy Island. There is a fog bell at Lake Borgne Lighthouse. The red nun buoy south of St. Joseph Island Light marks an obstruction 8 yards north of the buoy. There is a dredged channel 9 feet (2.7 m) deep and marked by lights and buoys across the flats from Grand Island Pass to mouth of the Rigolets. Lake Borgne Lighthouse, on the north side of the pass, is a white tower surmounting a dwelling on brown pile foundation. The light is fixed white, 44 feet (13.4 m) above the water, and visible 11 miles. There is a bell fog signal. Pearl River empties into Lake Borgne from northward through two mouths, known as East Pearl River and West Pearl River. East Pearl River, the principal mouth, is 3 miles westward of Lake Borgne Lighthouse; there is a dredged channel through the entrance with a controlling depth of 6 feet (1.8 m) in 1935. This channel is marked by buoys and by a beacon at either end, the southern one lighted. It is reported that a depth of 8 feet (2.4 m) can be taken to Logtown, 12 miles up the river. There is a large sawmill at Bogalusa on the upper river. A railroad drawbridge, with 85 feet horizontal clearance, crosses the river about 1 mile above its mouth. English Lookout (formerly known as Dunbar) is a small settlement and railroad station on Pearl River Island, 11⁄2 miles above the railroad bridge. There is a small dredged basin here, off the south side of the river; only boats drawing less than 3 feet (0.9 m) can enter. Gasoline, oil, and some provisions can be obtained and on the river there is a marine ways capable of hauling out boats up to 50 feet in length and 5 feet (1.5 m) draft. West Pearl River, the secondary mouth of the Pearl River, empties through West Mouth into the easterly end of The Rigolets, 1 mile west of the railroad bridge at the east end. It connects with East Pearl River by means of East Mouth, North Pass, Little Lake, and Little Lake Pass. In 1935 there was a controlling depth of about 7 feet (2.1 m) in the channel through the northerly end of Little Lake; the south side of this channel is marked by a series of black can buoys. A draft of about 4 feet (1.2 m) can be carried from Pearl River through the western end of Little Lake and East Pass to The Rigolets. The passage through the shoals in Little Lake is generally marked by stakes. The Rigolets is a deep passage, 71⁄2 miles long and one-fourth mile wide, connecting Lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain. The entrance is 81/2 miles west of Lake Borgne Lighthouse at Grand Island Pass. The shores of The Rigolets are low and marshy. Two drawbridges cross The Rigolets. The first, a railroad bridge just westward of the Lake Borgne entrance, has a horizontal clearance of 154 feet and a vertical clearance of 15 feet (4.6 m) above mean low water. The second is a highway bridge about 1 mile from Lake Pontchartrain with corresponding clearances of 150 feet and 11 feet (3.4 m) respectively. At the western end of The Rigolets, each shore end of a submarine cable is marked by a flashing red light. Rigolets is a small settlement and railroad station on Rabbit Island. Gasoline, oil, and some provisions can be obtained here. A draft of 7 feet (2.1 m) can be carried to the landing on Little Rigolets by enter (23) CHEF MENTEUR PASS 205 ing from eastward. In 1935 there was less than 3 feet (0.9 m) through the western entrance to Little Rigolets. Just inside the western entrance to The Rigolets, on the south side at the highway bridge, there is an old circular brick fort (Fort Pike) with sodded top which is quite conspicuous. The airway light close by is a prominent mark. To the south of the old fort there is a small-boat basin; boats up to 30 feet long and 3 feet (0.9 m) draft can be hauled and gasoline, oil, and water secured in limited quantities from nearby service stations. Currents, The Rigolets.-Tidal currents are very irregular and greatly influenced by winds. They set with great velocity through The Rigolets at times, and especially through the draws of the bridges. Velocities of 21⁄2 knots off West Rigolets Light and 334 knots at the L. & N. R. R. bridge have been observed. At the L. & N. R. R. bridge westerly currents set west-southwestward on to the fender on the southwesterly side of the draw, and easterly currents set east by north on to the fender on the northeasterly side. The ordinary maximum velocity is 0.6 knot. The bridge should not be approached closely until the draw is opened, and then only with caution. Chef Menteur Pass is another connecting passage between Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, its entrance from Lake Borgne being 12 miles southwestward of The Rigolets. It is 6 miles long and of considerable depth, but with shallow water off the entrances. It is used considerably by small towboats and by small pleasure craft and fishing boats from New Orleans. Two drawbridges cross this pass, a railroad bridge and a highway bridge, both with horizontal clearances of 97 feet. These bridges are 2 and 21⁄2 miles, respectively, from the Lake Borgne entrance. The south entrance is direct from Alligator Point Light. The north entrance is close along the southeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain from the western end of The Rigolets. Bayou du Pre and Lake Borgne Canal, also known locally as Violet Canal, connect the west end of Lake Borgne with the Mississippi River at the village of Violet, about 10 miles below Canal Street, New Orleans. It is a toll canal, operated by the Violet Canal Co., and is good for a draft of about 42 feet (1.4 m) at high water. Its approach in Lake Borgne is marked by a flashing red light. From Lake Borgne to the river, the distance is 6 miles. The canal has one lock at the river end, 275 feet long and 40 feet wide. Immediately east of the lock, there is a railroad and a highway drawbridge. Since the opening of the New Orleans InnerHarbor Navigational Canal, connecting the Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain, the traffic through Lake Borgne Canal has greatly diminished. Directions, Mississippi Sound to Lake Borgne Canal and Chef Menteur Pass. From a position 1.1 miles 229° true from Lake Borgne Lighthouse (1 mile west of the light on the Intracoastal Waterway courses), a course 229° true (SW. 1% W. mag.) for 15.8 miles, with Lake Borgne Lighthouse astern, leads to Alligator Point Light. To enter Chef Menteur Pass proceed northwestward, passing about a mile southwestward of Alligator Point and on into the pass. To Bayou du Pre Light, off the entrance to the Lake Borgne Canal, the course is 250° true (SW. by W. 5% W. mag.) for 6.7 miles. LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN (Chart 1269) Lake Pontchartrain is a fresh-water lake, roughly elliptical in shape 36 miles long, 22 miles wide at the widest part, and 10 to 16 feet (3.0 to 4.8 m) deep, lying 4 miles northward of the Mississippi River at New Orleans. At the eastern end it is connected with Lake Borgne. At its western end it is connected with Lake Maurepas, through a narrow passage called Pass Manchac. It has considerable commerce with New Orleans; the principal items being sand and gravel, shell, stone, lumber, and foodstuffs. A shoal fills the eastern part of the lake, through which the North Shore Channel connects the lake with the deep water of the Rigolets. This is a dredged channel 100 feet wide by 9 feet (2.7 m) deep. Each of the two cuts of this channel is marked by a lighted range and by numerous buoys along the west and south sides of the cuts. The North Shore Channel is part of the Intracoastal Waterway from Mobile Bay to the Inner-Harbor Navigation Canal at New Orleans, the controlling depth of which is 9 feet (2.7 m). The periodic tide is negligible but the variation in the water level due to winds may have an extreme range of 32 to 4 feet. It is claimed that the surface of the lake is lowered at least 2 feet during the winter when northwest winds prevail. A railroad bridge crosses the neck of the eastern extremity of the lake 411⁄2 miles west of the Rigolets. It has two draws with double, clear openings of 106 feet at distances of 1 mile from either shore. There is a highway bridge immediately east of the railroad bridge with bascule draws opposite the draws of the railroad bridge; the horizontal clearance of the north draw is 150 feet and of the south draw 106 feet. The highway bridge has a vertical clearance of 13 feet (4.0 m) above mean low water while the clearance of the railroad bridge is but 5 feet (1.5 m). The city limits of New Orleans extend from Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River, but the business part of the city and the greater part of the residential section are on or close to the river bank. The pleasure resorts and the suburbs are on the lake shore. A concrete sea wall has been built along the south shore of the lake from the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal, westward to the New Basin Canal, a distance of about 4 miles. Two drainage canals and Bayou St. John open through this sea wall, the latter near the center point. The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal, also known as the Industrial Canal, is described on pages 212 and 228. Shushan Airport is located on a large tract of reclaimed land just east of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal. There are excellent facilities for servicing aircraft day and night, and there is a seaplane base on the eastern lake shore. The tower of the Administration Building is prominent, and there is an aero beacon. Bayou St. John, also known as Old Canal, is a small boat haven extending southward into New Orleans for 3 miles from its entrance on Lake Pontchartrain. To enter, pass close-by to eastward of Bayou St. John Light, head straight in for sea wall, and then follow along sea wall, passing about 30 feet off the east point at the entrance. A (23) NEW BASIN CANAL 207 depth of 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) is generally maintained across the bar, although there were but 1/2 feet (0.4 m) at low water in March 1935. Inside the canal the depth is about 5 feet (1.5 m). Several drawbridges cross the canal; the minimum horizontal clearance is 45 feet. The third bridge, 21⁄2 miles inside the entrance, is only opened on advance notice and is seldom operated. Just above the first bridge there are flood locks 400 feet long with 40 feet clear opening, which are only operated during certain high-water stages of Lake Pontchartrain. Spanish Fort, a pleasure resort at the mouth of Bayou St. John, is connected with New Orleans by electric railway. New Basin Canal extends south and southeastward into New Orleans for 512 miles, to S. Rampart Street less than a mile from the Mississippi River. The approach to the canal in Lake Pontchartrain is protected by jetties, with the west jetty projecting diagonally across the mouth, forming a breakwater. A depth of 7 to 8 feet (2.1 to 2.4 m) can be carried into and to the head of the canal. Thirteen drawbridges cross the canal, all but one of which have a horizontal clearance of 50 feet. The Liberty Street Bridge, less than 1,000 feet from the head of the canal, has a horizontal clearance of 40 feet. There are flood locks just above the second bridge, about one-half mile inside the entrance; they are only operated during certain high-water stages of Lake Pontchartrain. The locks are 400 feet long, with a clear opening of 52 feet. The canal is extensively used by tugs and barges and by pleasure boats. Passenger boats from Madisonville, Mandeville, and other towns on Lake Pontchartrain have landings a short distance inside the entrance. There is a toll charge of 20 cents per ton on commercial craft but no fee for small boats. The general vicinity about the entrance to the canal is a pleasure resort known as West End. Gasoline, water, and provisions can be secured here and there is electric railway connection with New Orleans. There is a repair yard on the canal with several marine ways, capable of hauling heavy craft up to 110 feet long and 8 to 9 feet (2.4 to 2.7 m) draft. The Southern Yacht Club is located on the west side of the entrance to the canal. There is a long pier to the clubhouse and a yacht basin immediately behind the clubhouse, with an entrance through a small drawbridge from the canal. Storm warnings (day only) are displayed at the Southern Yacht Club. The entrance to the canal is marked by New Canal Lighthouse on the east point and by a light on the west jetty. To enter, pass close-to southeastward of the end of the west jetty and favor the west jetty. New Canal Lighthouse is 52 feet (15.8 m) above the water and visible 12 miles. There is a bell fog signal. Directions, Intracoastal Waterway from Mobile Bay to New Orleans, are given on page 212. Directions To Chefuncte River and intermediate points from the north draw at the east end of Lake Pontchartrain.-Steer 287° true (W. by N. mag.) for 834 miles until Ragged Point is abeam and not closer than 34 mile, and then steer 304° true (NW. by W. 12 W. mag.) for 1134 miles until on Chefuncte River Range. Then see directions on page 209. |