Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-16
THE s. E. 8 w. RAILWAY.
Wharf improvements Completed and
Contaminated.


Wharf improvements Completed and
Contemplated.
Those readers of the MORNING News
whose engagements do not permit them
to visit the wharves of the Savannah, Flori-
da and Western Railway Company, on
the eastern side of the city, and who Wis
tied that neighborhoOd as late only as a
year ago, would, if they could take the
time now to 90 there, be sur
prised by the improvements that have
been made in that locality during recent
periods Where formerly there was sue
cessiOn of rice fields, dams and bitches,
and but two or three small shanties and a
few trees. there are now a number Of
warehouses, wharves, rosin sheds and
railway tracks, with a long row of
sehOOners with their tall masts filling in
the perspective at that portion of
the river front for about the distance
of half a mile. The transfOrma-
ton of the scene is complete. These i'm
prOvements extend five hundred feet back
from the river, and are supplemented by
railroad track which leads from the de-
pot yard i'm Savannah to the rear Of the
cOmpanv's wharves. and parallel with the
bank of the river, to a point over a half
mile east of the BilbOa canal. This road
is to be prolonged, and when completed
will be about mile in length,
with its eastern terminus on the
west bank of the Screven canal. From
this main line fifteen branch roads have
been constructed, with the rails laid
of them. The beds of these roads
are each fifty feet in width, whilst the
average length of each track is
about fourteen hundred feet. They
leave the main track at certain
distances between the points of
intersection with the main line and
sweep around to the left or northward, to-
wards the river, where they terminate at
points 100 feet apart, and on the WharVes
already built or in process of completion.
The reader will bear in mind that between
these diverging lines Of railroad embank-
ment there is low ground up to a line
running east and west five hundred
feet from the river All this low
ground will eventually be filled in, so that
there will be at least thirteen hundred
feet in width of solid ground, upon which
there will be room for the erection of
large number Of buildings. The earth
with which these entertainments are being
constructed is taken from Brewton Hill,
where there is yet one million cubic yards
of the material referred to. Here a steam
shovel throws on to cars five hundred cubic
wards of earth daily, whence it is taken
over branch track leading north to the
main line, and thence distributed where
needed over the fourteen lines of road be-
tween the main track and the river. The
companv's land on which these improve
ments are going on embraces an area of
I15 acres. or all that will be utilized by
this corporation in increasing its facilities
for receiving or discharging freight near
the river for a number of years.
For the sake of convenience and to give
the reader a clearer conception OF the mag
nitude of the work undertaken and partial
" completed on that side of the city, we
classify the improvements under three
heads-a western, a middle and an east
ern division.
The western division commences at the
BilbOa canal. and extends 300 feet east.
In this division are the two guano sheds
of the railway company, one of which has
for a foundation $40 piles driven % feet
into the ground, and has a capacity of
3 600 tons. and the other 5000 tons. Be
tween the two is the spacious building of
the Savannah GuanO Factory Company,
which has a capacity of $500 tons, eXclu- !
siye of the space occupied by the compa- |
ny named for its manufacturing works. |
In this division are also located
the naval store sheds and yard, in addi- !
ton to the line of wharyes on the river |
sells loading with naval stores,
The middle division is about LOO feet !
in length, This space is occupied by lum- |
Der brought by rail TO the vessels that are |
in waiting to receive it. The fourteen /
tracks above mentioned lead direct TO the |
river bank, and the lumber is delivered on |
the wharf alongside the schOOners. There !
are now about fifteen of this class of YES /
sells taking on lumber at these wharves.
Work on the eastern division was begun /
a few weeks ago, where ten piers are to be /
each sixty feet wide and one /
hundred and seventy-ive feet deep. They /
face nearly at right angles with the river |
front. Between the piers there will |
6ed slips dr eighty fba same 1ee' Ie %,fS
as the piers. with twelve feet of water at |
low tide for the accommodation of the |
that will lie in them: 1t is |
thought that the width of each Slip will |
permit two vessels to lie side by side, |
when they can take their deck load from
the cars on the piers, and that portion of /
il intended TO 90 in the hold /
from the shore end of the slip, |
where an incline will be constructed |
so that the timber may be passed into the /
portfolios of the vessels at low water, as
well as at times of high tide. This ar
will appreciably facilitate the
loading of timber, especially as 1t Will do
away with the necessity of turning the
lumber around. as is the practice when
ships rest with their broadsides TO the |
wharf, and for the reason that the work of
loading NAV be carried on without regard /
to the stage of the tide. One of these pro-
posed piers is already nearly finished, and
quite a large basin has been dredged out
to the east of it. When the improvements
for this division shall have been
the railway company will have
a continuous line Of wharyes five thousand
and one hundred feet in length. The
work is under the immediate superintend-
ence Of Mr.. Felix Prendergast, Engineer
and Assistant Superinte ndent of the
Florida ana Western
Railway Company, and who for
a number of years has been more or less
identified with and in charge of the i'm
provemeuts made by the railway company
at its Savannah river terminus.