Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-19
TERMINAL FACILITIES.

More " hari hoofn-Ihe ,af
Florida and Western Railway ttiliA-
ing Rice Fields for Piers and Basins
Old Wharves and New Ones
Those who 20 UP and down the >A'ah-
nah river. cannot fail 20 observe TWO
old but still well preserved WhaIFes
about a hundred Yards west oi r or
Jackson. Tais point = what i known
a. --Fr- Fathom Hole" and was
-r.- The ste of considerable commerce
In the days u its prosperity
vessels drawing over twelve feet
Of water were unable 70 land
AZ the CITY wharves. and took their car
goes or a part Of them on board al this
point. In fact II Is said that so much
business was carried on at ''FIye FathOm
Wharves." that a town was laid out. and
a road made through % the county high
way - a. % give ii equal facilities Of
access % the back country, a savannah.
three miles above possessed The accI-
dental discovery OF a deep water channel.
subsequently, known a the Fig Island
Channel lately closed by the government =
and the Gradual increase IN the deptn OF
water g. the city. by reason Of the IN
movements made BY the government and
the CITY by dredging. caused the rive
FathOm~ settlement 10 decline as vessels
III larze draft for those days could
come no 70 the CITY and load. The ryer
has since kept pace with the capacity OF
the ship builders. and to-day, as j. well
known. vessels drawing nearly twenty
feet load and unload at our wharTes.
II appears however that the commerce
u savannah Will again bring into use
rhe old wharves on the DepttOrd Planta-
ton.
The increasing demand Of our shipping
interests has. in ten years caused the
Central Railroad 70 build about three
quarters Il a mile Of wharf front. and
the savannah. Florida and Western
has now built or IN process Of constTuc-
ri6n one mile Of wharves. Like progress in
the next decade will see the wharves Of
savannah extended 10 near Fort Jackson
and the old -Five Fathom Hole" once
more the scene Of commercial activity.
The necessity for still greater terminal
facilities for our railroads viii soon exist.
We see both the Central and the Savannah.
Florida and Western Railroads reaching
Out and absorbing other lines 50 as 10
protect their main lines from the syndi-
Gates Of the North and West, and this
must result in building the up sea coast
cities Of Georgia and South Carolina, and
savannah having deep water, ample BUSH
ness facilities. and the prestige Of being
the terminal point Of the large corpora
e
Al least the far-seeing managers OF our
railroads evidently think 80 from what
has been done. and what Is still going on
in the way II Improvements 70 their prop
critics.
The first OF the ten new piers, which are
% extend from tue present Wharyes 10
the Screven canal. the eastern boundary
u the property Of the Savannah, Florida
and Western Railway. has just been COM
pleted.
The pier Is 81 feet wide by 175 in length
and the slip on either side - feet by 10,
Jerthing two vessels in each and having
a depth Of L feet Of water. \ track ex-
tends down the centre Of the pier, con-
Meeting with the main track running
parallel with the river. As stated, it is
the first Of ten piers 10 be constructed on
the same plan.
The land where these improvements
ara being made j. part Of the rice fields Of
the BrutOn Hill Plantation. II is
gradually being filled in with ballast,
which the shipping brings To the wharyes,
and with sand from BrutOn Hill proper.
To facilitate the work OF eXcayating the
earth a steam Shovel Land EXcayatOr,'
built by the Bucyrus (OhiO) Foundry
and Manufacturing Company, has been
purchased, and also an Amer
can Ballast Discharger." The latter
invention. like the 'EXcayator,' Is "A
, great saver Of labor. 1t is pillow shaped
/ bulkhead. placed at the rear end OF an
ordinary platform car; through the CEN
tire Of the latter is a piece Of square
/ timber. guide rail for the "Dis
charger" When the car arrives
at the place where its load
is 10 be discharged, il is uncoupled
from the engine and checked, #" a rope at
tached TO the front Of the "DischaTgeT' is
hitched on 10 the engine. which, moving
of. pulls the pillow over the length Of the
car. thus shOYeling the dirt or ballast over
it, sides. With these machines the filling
Of the low lands along the river is only a
question Of months. not years.
Quite a blum extends along the inner
edge Of the rice plantation on this side OF
+ the Savannah river as far down as Fort
Jackson. from which an amply supply OF
dirt can be procured to nil all the
rice fields. and the men Of to-day viii live
p to see the work done.