Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-26
RIVER AND HARBoR IMPROVE.
MENT.
The Work Now Being Done I'm the
Savannah River.

We extract from the report Of General @.
A. Gilmore. the following IN regard to the
work on the Savannah river:
1.-THE plan of improvement now being
executed comprises 10 its essential features,
81. A submerged dam at the Cross
Tides, about four miles above Savannah, in
tended to increase the ebb flow along the
city front.
80. Widening the water way abreast the
city and a little lower down by cutting away
a portion of Hutchinson's and Fig
islands.
SO. A new channel at the wrecks below
the city.
"a. A submerged dam In the upper end
Of South Channel, designed to increase the
ebb flow In North Channel.
"5. Dams between the islands from Elba
to Cockspur, in order 30 retain in North
Channel all the flood tide passing the latter
island; and 6, a large amount of dredging
at various localities.
edward the execution of the foregoing
plan the dam at Cross Tides has been very
nearly completed. The new channel at the
wrecks has been opened, so that vessels
drawing 1871 to 10 feet can pass each other
In 1t. The submerged dam at South Channel
is about one-third finished, and the channel
has been enlarged by dredging northeast of
Fort Pulaski, at the several flats between
there and the city, at Garden Bank near the
city, and In the Front River above the city.
vessels can now reach the city drawing
1917 to 10 feet of water, which is three feet
more than was at all practicable before the
improvements were begun.
During the last fiscal year the work done
may be briefly summarized as follows:
f'The dam at Cross Tides was completed
with the exception Of 245 cubic yards Of
stone yet required on the superstructure) by
laying 165 linear feet of apron foundation Of
average width of 56K feet and a height of
about 5 feet, composed of a mattress over
laid with broke stone. The shore ends OF
the dam were built Of rice field clay, their
aggregate length being 240 feet. They are s
feet wild on top and carried 6 feet above
the high water level. 1,l08 cubic yards of
stone were placed in the superstructure.
1.-THE dredging done in Front river above
the city, to aid the increased flow produced
by the Cross Tides dam, amounted to 9,675
cubic yards; a shoal in front of the city was
removed by dredging 12,297 cubic yards;
the new channel at the wrecks was deep
ened to 1871 feet mean low water by the
removal of 113, 1897 cubic yards, and $4,000
cubic yards were removed from the shoal at
the head OF Elba island, producing there a
low water channel IA feeC deep.
cat the South Channel dam 425 linear
feet of apron, "a feet wide, composed of a
mattress OF logs and brush, overlaid with
one foot of rip-rap stone, was laid.
WORK CONTEMPLATED DURING H PRESENT
FISCAL YEAR.
"During the present fiscal year it is pro
posed to complete the Cross Tides dam; to
deepen the water way between that dam
and the city to aid the flow; to deepen the
water way along the city front, and to widen
1t at the narrow places, If the right of way
can be procured at reasonable cost; to
deepen and widen the new channel at the
wrecks; to build a low detecting training
wall from the lower end of Fig Island, If
needed, for the maintenance of the wrecks
channel; to complete the South channel
dam, and build the dams between the islands
from Elba to Cockspur and dredge in places
needing it.
"Since the Improvements were begun the
following appropriations have been made by