The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-03-01

nah have 'petitioned Congress to make
their harbor naval station instead of
Port Royal. The petition was read at
meeting of the council last Wednesday.
evening and is signed by the mayor and
a'lthe leading men of the city. 1t ad
nits that the harbor ofPort Royal affords
anchorage for larger number of vessels
than any other on the South Atlantic
coast, but they claim that this advantage
Is overcome by other considerations in
favor of their city. They also claim that
the entrance to Savannah's harbor gives
as great depth of water as we have
here but they do not say that this
depth does not extend to the city but on
]y to Tybee where their ships of heavy
draft have to anchor and have their
gargoes completed by aid OF lighters. If
there is as much water on the Savannah
bar as at Port Royal we have underrated
her Accommodations. They claim nine
teen and half feet while the Dictator
came into Port Royal drawing twenty
two, showing that at least one monitor
would have had to anchor outside or
come here for a harbor had Savannah
been chosen as the station. The Port
Royal entrance Is acknowledged to be
one OF the easiest and safest to enter of
any on the coast, and as she has twenty
fcet at low water with a seven foot tide
1t Is useless for her neighbors to claim
superior or even equal advantages in that
line. They represent further that the
harbor of Port Royal is not defended by
any fortifications while they have Fort
Pulaski. This Fort has already shown
its weakness by having been knocked to
pieces during the war by the batteries
ON Tybee island, and it is now pretty we'll
demonstrated that fort that can resist
an attack of heavy ordnance must be
bullt or earth as stone and brlck no
longer offer any resistance to modern
proJectiles. Fort Sumter was impreg
Fable on account of ltssand embank-
ments which swallowed up the balls of
the monitors after the brick walls Ind
ceased to afford any protection. We
have sand enough and fort can be con-
structed from it with little cost
CT delay.
The petition further represents that
the Government owns all the lands need
ed for its uses in that vicinity and that
there are appliance there for such repairs
as the vessels might need AS the Gov
ernment would erect its own yards and
construction shops we fail to why i.
cannot be done as easily here rs in the
Forest City. But the real object is
plainly shown when the petitioners saw
We beg leave to add that in our appre-
hension such OUTLAWS will necessarily
result in the establishment of a growing
commerce at that point to the serious
and lasting detriment OF the commerce of
the city of Savannah and other parts of
tue State of Georgia"
We are sure the people of Beaufort
would regretto have Savannah lose by
the establishment of The Navy Yard here,
and we are confident that on the contrary
she would reap great benefit from being
located so near the feet even as Port
Royal. 1t is quite common occurrenc.
Tor the officers to go to Savannah and her
citizens are daily returning the visits and
with the fleet at its present anchorage it
is but twenty five miles further from that
city than 1T would be if located in the
turbulent Catalogue. We expect to see
the station located in this port and
t" derive great benefit from it, and we
shall not envy Savannah and Charleston
the advantages they will enjoy from
being located SO Fear the largest fleet Of
United States vessels aaoat.
- A hill tn amend the act i,,,<< ,,;5;rr- g.