Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-06-13

| TINeu OppOSlGe the WOfkS, the party
Were received by Captain Phillips, U
s. Engineer, the officer in charge, il
his yacht, and were landed near tht
Zeke's Island end of the Works.
1t has been more than year since
our last visit to New Inlet, and W.
were as much astonished as gratifie6
at the progress made. From Smiths
Island to Zeke's Island, four-fifths of {
mile, where with every ebb and flow
! of the tide, a vast volume of water
rushed with seemingly irresistible
force, is now completely and, we be
lieve, safely closed, and Zeke's Island
is growing with astonishing rapidity.
One Of the most gratifying results
connected with this work is the rapid
accumulation of sand on the ocean
side, which has followed up the cribs
fully one-half of the entire way, and
has made a bank as formidable as the
natural beach. This, taken IL connec-
ton with the increase of the size Of
Zeke's Island, indicates that a no dis
tant day the works will be entirely
covered with sand.
Captain Phillips has already begun
to prepare quarters on Federal Point,
and expects to begin work there with
the ensuing month. We are satisfied
that his plans for future operations
have been well digested, and will ac-
complish all that is expected. Captain
Phillips is evidently master of the
situation.
The visiting party are under many
obligations tC Captain Phillips and
Superintendent Cunningham for their
many co;lrtcsies, causing them to
spend a pleasant day
We publish herewith the report of
Mr.. Mutt, which gives a correct and
Gle II idea of the progress and present
condition of this important work
W1LMINGToN, N. c., May 9th, 1873.
COL U'm. l.. DcROssCt, President Of
CHan,hcr IF Commerce : SIR.-Yes-
terday, the 5sh, your committee made
a visit, i'll the company Of a party of
gentlemen, to the Public Works near
New Inlet, on board the tug James L.
Easton, Captain Leary We found
Capt. Phillips at his post, who gave us
II hearty welcome, and was pleased to
show us around, and explain matters
connected with the work, which APP
pcared in every way satisfactory.
Since onr last visit on the 9sh of
May (reported on the 12th) the break
water has been brought up almost to
standard height the entire distance,
lacking Only a few timbers OH the last
end, thus shutting out the currents of
water from this entire open space of
1, 400 feet, and confning them to what
is known as New Inlet proper. About
600 feet additional of the breakwater
has been, what we call completely fin
ished by. planking, (aggregating about
5000 feet in all, leaving about 1.200
feet, viii ii is being finished as rapidly
as stone can be delivered to level NJ,
the cribs.
No doubt exists of the perfect COM
pletion of the brcakwater by the end
of this month, when operations are ex-
pected to be commenced on the Fed
eral Point side of New Inlet; in fact,
a considerable quantity of timber has
already been landed on that point for
the purpose, and the erection of quar-
ters for the hands has been com
menced. In the meantime, the salts
factory manner in which the beach and
shoals were forming around the works,
as expressed in our last report, con-
tinues. Nature seems very kind, not
only protecting the work from disas-
ters, but giving assistance to the rapid
and successful completion of this
noble work.
We would here remark that 10 dis
astrous effects arc perceptib,e upon
Federal Point, or the surrounding
beaches and shoals, or has there been
any perceptible deepening of New
Inlet by contracting the general open
ing, from the construction of the
break water
From an examination of q chart of
survey, or re-survey, recently made
under direction of the Superintendent
of the Coast Survey, and comparing it
with the survey of n year ago, We find
someimportantc changes have takenplace
in that brief period. For instance, the
Seward Channel, as there laid down, is
evidently moving more to sne Eastward
with reduced distance across the
shoal and n bette J. defined channel, with
more uniform and increased draft of
water. And from the appearance of
sOundings, it would seem that the
great volume of water from the river is
disposed to adopt that passage to the
ocean, anyhow, whether it has assis-
tance or not. We may therefore rea.
sonabiy expect important Improvement
i'll the draft of water upon u,at chan,
mel during the next fiscal year.
The brush fences and grass which
has been set out, is doing well so fal
as it has gone, and, So far as we cal
see, Las t.een very efficient in produ
! cling the happy results they were in
tended to perform, in building up til,
beaches, binding firmly the light drift
sand, and saving it from being forced
over into the harbor by the prevailing
winds upon the coast, to the detrimen
| of the harbOr and bar
Respectfully submitted. For the.com
mittee, III. NUTr, Chairman.
| ---~~x.~---a-
I. Again iioston has been visited by
obstructive eonfiagration. 1t com
menced in furniture store in Wash
ington street, at eight o'clock Frida,
morning, and was not checked unit
forty houses had been consumed
among them Presbyterian church
the Globe Theatre, Chickering's plan,
warehouses, and large number O
wholesale and retail clothins, dr.
goods, boot anl shoe stores, with thei
large stocEs uf costly and cxpensiv
Egoods. The whole fire department
battlel tie flames with great industr
|
mastery of the fiery element. In tn
meantime the firemen of other cite
had offered their SERVICES to the Mayor
and were ready to take rail for Boston
Fortunately their labors were DC
needed. The scene of the fire was i
that portion of Boston appropriate.! j
a great measure to retli. srade, an
hence neither the buildings nor stock
destroyed were as expensive as thos
devoured by the flames in Novemte
of last year. Still the loss will il
with hea, ! hand upon a city ju:
emerging fran under the former clou
of fire ana smoke, and have most d.
. pressing effect upon the spring trad
in that locality. The loss is estimate
, at over one million of dollars,
One o. tie vastest enterprises fl
which this enterprising century is di
tinguished is yet to be accomplished
project about to be undertaken
the Khedive of Egypt. This is nothil
4 less than the construction of railw;
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