has one lock at the river end 280 feet long and 40 feet wide. Since the opening of the New Orleans Inner-Harbor Navigation Canal, connecting Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain, the traffic through Lake Borgne Canal has greatly diminished. 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 to 4.8 m.) deep, lying 4 miles northward of the Mississippi River at New Orleans. Ät 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 in foodstuffs and fuel carried in small schooners and power boats to New Orleans. A shoal fills the eastern part of the lake, through which a channel 11 feet (3.4 m.) deep has been dredged. This channel, called North Shore Channel, connects the lake with the deep water of The Rigolets, and is marked on its western and southern side by beacons. Tide in the lake is governed almost entirely by winds and 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 draft of 9 feet (2.7 m.) can usually be carried from The Rigolets to the Mississippi River through North Shore Channel, Lake Pontchartrain, and Inner-Harbor Navigation Canal. A railroad bridge crosses the neck of the eastern extremity of the lake 42 miles west of The Rigolets. It has two draws with double, clear openings of 106 feet at distances of 1 mile each from either shore. Regulations for opening the draws are prescribed similar to those for the bridge crossing The Rigolets. 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. The Inner-Harbor Navigation Canal is described on page 130. Bayou St. John and its extension, Old Canal, having a combined length of 42 miles, lead from a jettied entrance in Lake Pontchartrain to a small basin in New Orleans, one-half mile from the Mississippi River. The mid-channel depth at the entrance is 112 feet (0.4 m.) at ordinary low water and 8 feet (2.4 m.) inside. The entrance is marked by Bayou St. John Lighthouse (white house on pile foundation, flashing red light), and by a private fixed red light which is maintained between April 16 and September 15 and shown on Sunday nights only. Several drawbridges cross the bayou, but there is no regular tender to operate the draws. Spanish Fort, a pleasure resort at the mouth of Bayou St. John, is connected with New Orleans by electric railway. Port Pontchartrain, or Milneburg, is a railroad terminus 1 mile east of Bayou St. John. The lighthouse at the end of the pier is a white conical tower, from which a fixed white light is shown. New Canal, 15% miles westward of Bayou St. John, extends in three straight sections to near the Union Station at New Orleans, a distance of 512 miles. The approach to the canal in Lake Pontchartrain is protected by jetties, with the west jetty projecting diagonally across the mouth, forming a breakwater. There is a depth of 72 feet (2.3 m.) in the canal between perpendicular banks, which are protected by sheet piling. The canal is crossed by several drawbridges, and at the third, about 234 miles from the lake, pleasure boats are refused passage at certain hours unless provided with a pass. A toll of 30 cents per gross registered ton is charged. The ferries to Mandeville, Madisonville, and other towns on Lake Pontchartrain have their landings a short way inside the entrance to this canal, and the canal is also used extensively by pleasure boats, tugs, and barges. Storm warnings are displayed here. New Canal Lighthouse (white house on pile foundation; occulting white light) and a red light on the west jetty mark the entrance. A fog bell at the lighthouse sounds a single stroke every 30 seconds in thick weather. Two occulting red lights, 96 feet apart, mark the outer end of the Southern Yacht Club Pier. To enter New Canal, pass close to southeastward of the red jetty light and follow the west jetty. The red lights at the entrance to this canal are difficult to identify at a distance since there are several red street lights in the same vicinity. West End, a pleasure resort, and the Southern Yacht Club, both located at the mouth of the canal, have electric railway communication with New Orleans. Bayou Bonfouca empties into the north side of Lake Pontchartrain 3 miles northwestward of the north draw in the railroad bridge which spans the eastern end of the lake. The least channel depth on the bar at the mouth of the bayou is 7 feet (2.1 m.); the bottom is hard sand. Inside the bayou the depths vary from 10 to 16 feet (3 to 4.9 m.) to the town of Slidell, about 6 miles above the mouth. There is considerable traffic on the bayou in brick, tile, lumber, logs, and farm and garden produce, and it is planned to improve the depths over the bar in the near future to facilitate this traffic. A drawbridge crosses the bayou at Slidell. An occulting white light on a black beacon marks the entrance to the bayou. Southwestward of the light is a clubhouse on piles. Slidell is a town of about 3,000 inhabitants located on Bayou Bonfouca, about 6 miles above its mouth, and on a railroad leading to New Orleans. A shipyard, sawmill, and a creosote works are located here and there is a commercial graving dock with the following dimensions: Length, 325 feet; width, 60 feet at bottom; depth over sill, 14 feet. Gasoline, fresh water, provisions, and some boat supplies can be had here. Storm warnings are displayed at Salmen, just below Slidell. To enter Bayou Bonfouca, bring the south draw of the railroad bridge astern on a northerly course and pass 50 feet eastward of the light. Bayou Lacombe empties into Lake Pontchartrain 41/2 miles westward of Bayou Bonfouca and nearly 7 miles west-northwestward of the north draw in the railroad bridge. The least channel depth on the bar at the mouth is 4 feet (1.2 m.); hard sand bottom. Vessels of about 51⁄2 feet (1.7 m.) draft enter on a favorable tide and go about 7 miles upstream to sawmills. A drawbridge crosses the bayou about 5 miles above its mouth at the village of Bayou Lacombe. The entrance is marked by a white light on a black structure. To enter Bayou Lacombe, steer about north by west for a large tree on the west bank, passing about 100 yards eastward of the light, and then close to the east side of the entrance. Mandeville is a town on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, 15 miles westward of the point where the railroad bridge crosses the lake and 20 miles north of New Orleans. There is railroad communication with points northward and regular ferry communication with New Orleans. There are several wharves and boat landings on the lake shore, but in stormy weather boats go to the yacht basin formed by the dredged channel leading into the entrance of Bayou Castine. This channel and basin have a depth of about 8 feet (2.4 m.) and the entrance is marked by a small white light on the western side. The channel is protected by sheet piling on each side for about 100 yards offshore. Gasoline, fresh water, and provisions can be obtained at Mandeville. Chefuncte River empties into the most northerly part of Lake Pontchartrain, about 5 miles west of Mandeville. The least depth in the dredged channel across the bar is 10 feet (3 m.), and this depth can be carried up Chefuncte River to Madisonville. A depth of 8 feet (2.4 m.) can be carried up Chefuncte River and its tributary, Bogue Falia River, for a distance of 12 miles, to within 1 mile of Covington. A depth of 321⁄2 feet (1.1 m.) can be carried to Covington, which is the head of navigation. Bogue Falia River empties into Chefuncte River about 9 miles above the mouth of the latter. The entrance to Chefuncte River is marked by a range of white lights, the front on a black structure and the rear on a white conical tower; two small red beacons indicate the east side of the dredged channel. A fog bell is sounded every 30 seconds during thick weather from the rear light. Madisonville, on the west bank of Chefuncte River, 2 miles above its mouth, has steamer communication with New Orleans. There are shipyards and marine railways at Madisonville which can haul out the largest vessel that can enter the lake. To enter Chefuncte River, steer 18° true (N. by E. 1 E. mag.) for the lights in range. Pass westward of the red beacons, and when up with the latter, haul slowly eastward for the mouth of the river. Keep about in midstream, favoring, if anything, the upriver sides of the points at bends. Tangipahoa River is a very narrow but comparatively deep stream flowing into Lake Pontchartrain 6 miles southwestward of Chefuncte River Lighthouse. It can be entered with a draft of about 4 feet (1.2 m.). Its approach is marked by a white light on a black and white striped structure 15% miles northeastward of East Channel Light, Pass Manchac. Pass Manchac and Lake Maurepas are described under a separate heading on page 123. Courses, Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne, and Lake Pontchartrain Or, for the 14-foot passage north of Horn Island, from Pass aux Herons light 8, to a PS buoy northwestward of Horn Island Pass, 266° true (W. 34 S. mag.), 17 miles. Then, to position 200 yards south of a second PS buoy, 214° true (SSW. 12 W. mag.), 11⁄2 miles. Follow the north shore of Horn Island to buoy 10, westward 7 miles. Then, 355° true (N. by W. mag.) for 1⁄2 mile, and 327° true (NW. 5% N. mag.) for 134 miles to position 4 mile west of PS buoy. Then, to Gulfport Channel Light 270° true (W. 1⁄2 S. mag.), 18 miles. Then, to go to Gulfport, 324° true (NW. % N. mag.), 61⁄2 miles, passing southwestward of all lights. Courses, Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne, and Lake Pontchartrain-Continued⚫ 16. To position 1⁄2 mile northward of Grassy Island. To go to Lake Borgne Canal, with Lake Borgne Lighthouse astern, steer 230° true (SW. mag.), 16 miles, to position 1⁄2 mile northward of Alligator Point Light. Then, to Bayou du Pre Light 247° true (SW. by W. W. mag.), 64 miles. Pass 50 yards southward of the light and enter the bayou on the range. Then, keeping in mid-channel, follow the telegraph line to the locks into the Mississippi River. 17. To_position 11⁄2 mile southwest of Long Point Light, passing 100 yards south of Pearl River Light, and 100 yards north of can buoy No. 1. 18. To the draw in the railroad bridge over The Rigolets. See Currents, Rigolets, on page 117. From the entrance to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal, New Orleans, the following courses and distances lead to the approaches to points on Lake Pontchartrain; from the approaches the directions given after the descriptions of the rivers, bayous, etc., can be followed: Bayou Bonfouca, 36° true (NNE. % E. mag.), 15 miles. Bayou Lacombe, 20° true (N. by E. 14 E. mag.), 134 miles. Mandeville, 356° true (N. % W. mag.), 184 miles to Bayou Castine Light. Chefuncte River, 340° true (NNW. 3% W. mag.), 2011⁄2 miles. |