Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-12
WORK IN THE HARB0B.
PROGRESS or IMPROVEMENTS
ALONG THE COAST.


OF Lieut.. o. NJ. Carter, United States En-
gineer, has nearly exhausted the appro-
priation. About S44, 900 is still available.
Nearly $4,000 OF this amount will proba-
bly, be used in dredging the channel The
remainder viii be expended in the con
suuction Of jetties, and will be used up
by about Sept. /, when the work will
have to be suspended until another appro-
priauon is secured.
During the present month some work
will be done to reclaim the land near the
MartellO tower and lighthouse on Iybee
island and 20 protect them from storms.
Twenty gun platforms are to De put in
order for service at Fort Pulaski and minor
work OF other kinds about the fort Will
be done.
During June 20 mattresses containing
13,72s.7S square yards Of material, were
set on what is known as dam No. 81,
which Is Being built from the quarantine
station towards Turtle island; 3,926O6
cubic yards Of fascInes were placed on the
dam at GROSS tides and on the Tybee is
land ietty; 2,703.1l cubic yards OF stone
being used in doing this work. The cost
OF the work during the month was nearly
$4,000.
During the year ending June over
$4,000 has been expended In jetty work
in the river, and considerably over SIT, 600
in dredging. Nearly 100, 900 cubic yards
OF material have been removed by the
dredges.
OPPOSITE TIE CITY.
The channel opposite the city has been
greatly improved. Nearly 1000 cubic
yards were dredged from the small shoal
near the foot OF West Broad street. This
shoal no longer exists, and the width Of
channel, % feet deep at mean hIgn water,
- now nowhere less than 100 feet.
Three wing dams have been built for
the improvement of the Garden Bank
shoal. The width Of u feet, mean low
water channel, did not diminish during
the year. Some little shoaling occurred OPP
pOsite the entrance to the discharge pipe
Ot the gas works and something over 1000
yards were dredged from the channel in
that vicinity. The least mean low
water sounding over this shOal is now %
feet. Last year the Fig Island jetty,
where il crosses the old ship channel
was about three feet below mean low
water. At other points in this vicinity
there was also considerable settlement.
A portion OF the lefty has been brought
up. The filling IN along the ietty is now
rapidly going on and the growth of marsh
grass has extended over 1000 feet. Near
ly 10000 yards were dredged from the
channel here. The least mean high water
sounding is now 20 feet and the greatest
is.25h feet. The upper and lower portions
of the channel have deepened during the
year from one to two feet, while the mid
die has deepened more than five feet.
At the Distractions no work was done
during the past year. The least mean
high water sounding across the shOal is
between 1879 and 20 feet, showing little
ereno change since a year ago. Occa-
si0nal dredging will, however, be required
at this point until the south channel is
closed.
Tll AT THE UPPER FLATS.
PAL the Upper Flats the channel also
continues to improve. Its width. for
depth OF y feet, is nowhere less than $50
feet. Two wing dams have been built at
the lower end Of the shOal to complete
the work Of improvement, and between
u, 200 and 1000 yards were dredged from
between the dams to aid and direct the
securing TO be produced by them. All Of
the shoals at the upper flats crossing are
now removed. Before the construction of
the two dams 49, feet cOul d not be taken
through at mean high water. At present
the least sounding ON the range is about
y feet. The width Of the channel az mean
high water IS nowhere less than 100 feet.
IL ls reasonable 10 expect that the chan
mel Will both widen aud deepen.
At the Cabbage Tree, or Lower Flats
crossing, there is now channel over 200
feet wide, and nowhere less than 2015 feet
deep at mean high water. Before any
work was done. it was less than II feet.
At the Long Island crossing two dams
have been constructed. reducing the
width of the river from 3, 100 feet to 1901
feet. Before they were built 90 feet
could not be carried over the crossing AZ
mean high water. The channel at present
is y feet deep, and not less than 300 feet
wide.
= AT the Oyster Bed shoals work was be-
gun in May on new dam and is still in
progress. The crest Of the northern half
Of the dam Is now about at mean low
water, aud that Of the southern half ia
from 3 10 feet lower. A cut 2G5 feet
wide and ID feet deep has been made con-
nectingthe deep water pockets above and
below the shOal and easing OF the sharp
turn which formerly existed at that point.
There Is now channel y feet deep AT
mean nigh water. and nowhere less than
400 feet Wide. Before the work was be-
gun there was less than 20 feet depth.
THE RIVER GREATLY IMPROVED.
The river generally is now in much better
condition than Il has ever been before.
During the ten DAYS OF July, thus far. the
work done includes the placing Of ten
mats In what is known as Dam No. 81,
and go cubic yards Of fascines In the
Fig island jetty. The cost Of the work
during the ten days was about $1,000.
The work in BOmney marsh Is still In
progress. II was begun on March 30.
For want Of funds work was suspended
for fourteen months. The cut during
that period shOaled an average of over
two feet throughout its entire length. and
its low water width diminished
about 30 feet. The act Of CONGRESS speci-
fled that work should be resumed on the
present plan. Before advancing the old
cut II was found necessar ytO deepen II 10
feet at mean low water 10 allow the
operation Of the tug aud screws. over
10000 yards were dredged In doing this
work. The cut has been extended 20
feet into the mouth, making IL between
1850 and l,S00 feet in length. About
$4,000 OF the appropriation has been ex-
pended, leaving about $4,000 with which
20 proceed with the work.
THE sNAG BOATS WORK.
The appropriation for the work in the
Altamaha river is nearly exhausted.
Only about 81 900 remains unexpcnded,
and work will probably be stopped this
week.
A training wall. l., 100 feet long, has been
completed at Boards Bluff bar, and 300
lineal feet Of shore protection have been
placed ~ the cOncave bank just below the
bar, 10 prevent further erosion. A de.
tailed survey shows that the work, al
though IN M incomplete state, rs begin