(33) INLAND WATERWAY

323

The wharves at Port O'Connor are on the north shore of Barroom Bay immediately inside the jetties but the approach to the wharves is by a small channel, generally staked, about one-fourth mile to the westward; there is shoal ground directly between the waterway and the wharves.

Inside the jetties, the channel follows along to the northward of the line of Beacons 1 to 9, through Barroom Bay and south of Blackberry Island. From Beacon 9, a course 231° true (SW. 14 S. mag.) for 11 miles leads to South Pass, the cut through the First Chain of Islands. This course passes one-fourth to one-half mile south of Blackberry and Dewberry Islands and half a mile northwest of Dewberry Island Shoal Beacon 2, 114 miles south of the southwest end of Dewberry Island. Deeper water can be carried across Espiritu Santo Bay by passing about one-half mile southeast of this beacon but the course north of the beacon carries 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) while this inside route has a general controlling depth of but 3 feet (0.9 m).

South Pass, a dredged cut through the First Chain of Islands, connects Espiritu Santo Bay and San Antonio Bay. There is an old beacon (No. 1) on the south side at the east end of the cut and another (No. 4) on the north side at the west end of the cut and a spoil bank extends along the south side.

From South Pass, a course 241° true (SW. 5% W. mag.) for 5 miles leads to Panther Reef Cut. A beacon (No. 3) marks the south side of the west end of the cut.

Westward of Panther Reef, a course 237° true (SW. 14 mag.) for 5.6 miles leads to the first (No. 1) of three beacons (Nos. 1, 3, and 5) marking the south side of the channel around the south end of the Second Chain of Islands. At Beacon 1, the channel turns 25° to the left (southward) and at Beacon 5 turns right (westward) 23°. Only the stub of Beacon 5 remains in place.

The channel across Ayres Bay, between the Second Chain of Islands and Ayres Reef is one straight reach; it is marked by one beacon (No. 7) on the south side.

Ayres Dugout is the passage through Ayres Reef, on the northeast side of Mesquite Bay. There is deeper water through the cut, but barely 3 feet (0.9 m) through the approach from either direction. At the east end of Ayres Dugout there is a beacon on either side of the channel (No. 1 and 2) and at the west end there is a beacon (No. 3) on the south side of the channel and also a smaller beacon, a short distance to the eastward. The smaller beacon stands on the spoil bank on the south side of the channel and was formerly the front beacon of the range marking the channel through Belden Cut immediately to the westward. Through Ayres Dugout, the deeper water is close to the fill along the south side of the channel; on the north side of the channel, there are the remains (barely showing at low water) of four beacons formerly marking two short ranges through the cut.

Belden Dugout is a dredged cut, of one straight reach extending across the north side of Mesquite Bay from Ayres Reef to the Third Chain of Islands. The course is 248° true (SW. by W. % W. mag.) for 2.2 miles. There is a beacon (No. 1) near the midway point marking the south side of the channel.

About 1/4 mile to the eastward of the Third Chain of Islands, there is a beacon (No. 1) on the south side of the cut. The beacons (Nos. 2 and 3) on either side of the cut through the islands are gone, but the passage is marked by the small range beacons which are still showing to the northwestward of Cedar Point, the prominent point immediately north of Cedar Reef. This range leads to a beacon (No. 1) on the south side of the channel at the east end of Cedar Dugout, about 1/4 mile west of the Third Chain of Islands.

Cedar Dugout leads along the southeast side of Cedar Point. There is a beacon on the south side of the channel at either end of the cut; No. 1 is at the east end and No. 3 at the west end. Cedar Point is thickly wooded.

The channel across Mud Bay, to the southeastward of Cape Carlos, between Cedar Dugout and Cape Carlos Dugout is marked by one beacon (No. 1) on the east side. The court is 210° true (S. by W. 7% W. mag.) for 1.2 miles to Beacon 3 at the east end of Cape Carlos Dugout.

Cape Carlos Dugout extends for 1.1 miles in the direction 232° true (SW. 4 S. mag.) through the reef south of Cape Carlos. Pass close to south bank between Beacons 1 and 2. Only the stub of Beacon 3 remains in place. There was formerly a range to the westward marking the course through Cape Carlos Dugout but in 1935, only the rear beacon was in place.

At Beacon 5, on the south side at the west end of Cape Carlos Dugout, the channel turns south to the cut through Poverty Reef. Beacon 1 marks the east side of this reach and Beacon 3, on the south side at the center portion of the reef, marks a turn to the westward in the channel.

Between Poverty Reef and Long Reef, one beacon (No. 1) marks the south side of the channel. A course 246° true (SW. by W. mag.) for 1.4 miles leads from Beacon 3 to Beacon 1 and a course 234° true (SW mag.) for 1.1 miles leads to Beacon 1 at the east end of the cut through Long Reef.

Through Long Reef, two beacons (Nos. 1 and 3) mark the south side of the channel. This is the last reef before entering the deeper water of Aransas Bay.

Across Aransas Bay, a course 219° true (SSW. 5% W. mag.) for 4.4 miles leads to a position one-fourth mile southeast of Nine Mile Point Light and from this position a course 202° true (S. by W. 1% W. mag.) for 5.9 leads to Mud Island Shoal Beacon at the north end of Lydia Ann Islands Channel. Rockport is 11⁄2 miles west of Nine Mile Point Light.

Lydia Ann Islands Channel connects Aransas Bay with Aransas It leads between Harbor Island on the west and Murray Shoal, Lydia Ann Islands, and the south end of St. Joseph Island on the east. Several beacons mark the east side of the channel past Murray Shoal and Lydia Ann Islands. It is 5.3 miles from Mud Island Shoal Beacon to Aransas Pass opposite Port Aransas.

From Aransas Pass to Corpus Christi, the Corpus Christi Channel is followed, see page 327.

The distance from Matagorda Bay to Aransas Pass by this route is 53 miles. From Aransas Pass to Corpus Christi the distance is 18 miles.

(33) ARANSAS PASS

ARANSAS PASS AND CORPUS CHRISTI BAY INCLUDING

CORPUS CHRISTI

(Chart 1286)

325

Aransas Pass lies 154 miles southwestward of Galveston entrance, 113 miles northward of the mouth of the Rio Grande, and is the principal approach from the Gulf of Mexico to Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays and their numerous tributaries. It lies between St. Joseph Island on the north and Mustang Island on the south. Directly opposite the inner end of the pass is Harbor Island, which separates Aransas Bay from Corpus Christi Bay.

The entrance to Aransas Pass is obstructed by a bar, and has been improved by dredging and by the construction of two jetties extending about a mile into the Gulf. The improvement project provides for a channel 37 feet (11.3 m) deep by 700 feet wide to a point opposite the outer end of the south jetty, thence decreasing to 35 feet (10.7 m) by 600 feet wide to Cline Point (the inner basin), thence 35 feet (10.7 m) deep and 400 feet wide (decreasing to 300 feet) to a point opposite the western end of the basin dredged by the Humble Oil and Refining Co. at its docks on Harbor Island and with widening opposite the northwest corner of Mustang Island. In February 1936, the controlling depths in the entrance channel were; 31 feet (9.4 m) deep on the center line, 29 feet (8.8 m) along the north side and 31 feet (9.4 m) along the south side.

There is one straight channel through the entrance from the Gulf to the inner basin at Harbor Island. This channel is marked by Harbor Island Range Lights and there are several buoys (some lighted) and lights along either side of the channel. The entrance from the Gulf is marked by Aransas Pass Lighted Whistle Buoy nearly five miles off the jetties and by Aransas Pass Lighted Bell Buoy on the north side of the outer end of the dredged channel. The submerged outer end of the north jetty is marked by Aransas Pass Lighted Buoy 2. The Harbor entrance range is 301° true (WNW. % W. mag.). A wreck which bares 5 feet at low water lies on the south side of the channel inside of the jetties.

Prominent features. In approaching Aransas Pass in daytime, the first object sighted is a water tank 145 feet (44 m) high located on Harbor Island opposite the inner end of the pass. The lighthouse and the buildings at Port Aransas will be sighted as the pass is approached. The 78-foot tower of the Turtle Cove Channel Rear Range Light, toward the south end of St. Joseph Island, also shows prominently in the daytime. Twenty-two miles northeastward of the entrance, an elevated tank, a mile inshore and about 35 feet high, shows prominently from the Gulf.

Aransas Pass Lighthouse (Lat. 27°51'.9; Long. 97°03′.4) is an octagonal red-brick tower on the east side of Harbor Island about a mile north of the inner end of the pass. The light is occulting white, it is 65 feet (19.8 m) above the water and visible 13 miles. There is a radiobeacon station at the light; see Light List and H. O. publication No. 205.

Harbor Island Basin lies to the eastward of the oil piers on Harbor Island, in the triangular area between Harbor, St. Joseph and Mustang Islands. The project dimensions are 650 feet by 3,000 feet but these dimensions are not maintained. In 1935, there was a con

trolling depth of 30 feet (9.1 m) over an area 650 feet wide by 1,000 feet long over the route taken by ships.

Port Aransas (population 416 by the 1930 census) is a small commercial fishing and resort town on the north end of Mustang Island at the inner end of Aransas Pass. An automobile ferry runs to Harbor Island connecting with the highway to the town of Aransas Pass and to interior points. Across Harbor Island to Aransas Pass, the railroad causeway is used as a highway. Port Aransas has telephone and telegraph connections and a railroad extends from the town of Aransas Pass to the wharves at Harbor Island.

A channel 12 feet (3.7 m) deep by 100 feet wide connects the ship channel with a turning basin 200 feet square off the ferry slip. About 6 feet (1.8 m) can be taken alongside the public boat landing. Gasoline, oil, water, and provisions can be secured in limited quanities. There is a small marine ways capable of hauling small boats not over 30 feet long and some minor repairs can be made.

Storm warnings (day only) are displayed on a steel tower near the waterfront.

There is a Coast Guard Station at Port Aransas.

Harbor Island. The Humble Oil and Refining Company has a large oil-handling plant on the east end of Harbor Island, at the head of Aransas Pass. A turning basin has been dredged for nearly 2,000 feet along the north side of the ship channel and there are three open piers with berthing space for three large vessels. There is also a railroad wharf about 1,000 feet long with a transit shed but this was little used in 1935. Both terminals have rail connections. The terminal railroad runs to the town of Aransas Pass, on the mainland about 51⁄2 miles distant, connecting there with the Southern Pacific system.

There are marine ways on Harbor Island capable of hauling boats up to about 75 feet long and about 6 feet (1.8 m) draft.

Corpus Christi Bayou, to the westward of Harbor Island, connects Aransas Bay with Corpus Christi Bay. The southern portion of the bayou has been improved by dredging and is known as Morris and Cummings Cut. The entrance from Aransas Bay is marked by a beacon on the south side of the channel, and has a controlling depth of 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m). Inside the entrance, the bay is deep but crooked and somewhat difficult to follow.

Toward the south end of Morris and Cummings Cut, there is also a controlling depth of 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m).

The causeway (combined highway and railroad), between Harbor Island and the town of Aransas Pass, crosses Corpus Christi Bayou near its midway point. The draw has a horizontal clearance of 24 feet and there is an overhead transmission line crossing having a vertical clearance of 60 feet.

Aransas Pass Canal is a privately dredged canal extending across Harbor Island. The canal parallels the causeway (combined highway and railroad) and connects the town of Aransas Pass with Aransas Pass. The controlling depth was 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) in 1935. About 112 miles west of the town, the canal crosses Corpus Christi Bayou thus affording connection with Aransas Bay to the north and Corpus Christi Bay to the south.

The town of Aransas Pass (population 2,482 by the 1930 census) is situated on the mainland about 12 miles to the westward of

(33) CORPUS CHRISTI CHANNEL

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Corpus Christi Bayou and 6 miles northwestward of Aransas Pass. A canal, crossing the west end of the Aransas Pass Canal, extends along the east side of the town just inside the shore of Redfish Bay. The depths are greater than in the Aransas Pass Canal. The canals offer good protection and there is a small boat basin near the west end of the Aransas Pass Canal. A large fishing (mostly shrimp) fleet operate out of the town and there are several shrimp canneries along the canals.

The town has both highway and railroad connections to all parts of the State. Gasoline, oil, and provisions and some boat supplies are available. Other boat supplies can be secured at Corpus Christi. There are marine ways capable of hauling boats up to about 50 feet long and about 5 feet (1.5 m) draft and there is a machine shop in town.

Redfish Bay is a shallow bay of no importance extending along the mainland north of Corpus Christi Bay.

Corpus Christi Bay is a large body of water, roughly elliptical in shape, lying to the westward of Mustang Island and connected with Aransas Pass by the passage known as Turtle Cove. The bay is about 15 miles long in an east and west direction and 11 miles wide at its widest part. About the eastern end of the bay the depths are 8 to 11 feet (2.4 to 3.3 m) and most of the rest of the bay has depths of 12 to 13 feet (3.7 to 4.0 m).

Corpus Christi Channel extends from Aransas Pass to Corpus Christi on the west side of Corpus Christi Bay. For about 4 miles, at the eastern end, it extends through Turtle Cove between Harbor Island on the north and Mustang Island on the south; thence across Corpus Christi Bay to Corpus Christi. It is straight except for one 15° bend at about its midway point just south of Ingleside Cove. The project provides for a channel, 32 feet (9.7 m) deep by 200 feet wide and these dimensions are generally maintained. In February 1936, the controlling depth in the approach channel and maneuvering basin was 27 feet (8.2 m). The project also provides for 3 widened places for passing but these are little used and are no longer marked. The reach through Turtle Cove is marked by Turtle Cove Channel Range (lighted). For the entire length of the channel, there are fixed white lights along the south side at approximate intervals of 114 miles (the most westerly at the breakwater), and on the opposite side of the channel there are several fixed red lights opposite certain white lights. There are also beacons 500 yards apart between Aransas Pass and Corpus Christi. At the west end of the channel, Corpus Christi Channel Range (lighted) marks the entrance through the breakwater and Corpus Christi Harbor Range (lighted) marks the entrance through the highway and railroad draw into the turning basin (1,000 by 3,000 feet). The bascule draw has a horizontal clearance of 92 feet; there is a vertical clearance of 10 feet (3.0 m) when the bridge is closed.

To allow entrance into the channel from the bay, the spoils banks are located on alternate sides of the channel. For 412 miles westward of Lights 8 and 15, the spoil bank extends along the north side of the channel. Farther to the westward and also to the eastward, the spoil bank is placed along the south side of the channel. Just west of Light 7 there is a cut through the spoil bank along the south side of the channel; it has a depth of 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m).