The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-24


pended Since the Government I'm,
provements Began.
Tie river and harbor bill Of 1883 appro-
priated the following amounts for tbs
works in the Savannah district, which is il
charge of Lieut.. o. NJ. Carter:
Savannah haTbor. $50 600 Ok
Cumberland Sound. .................. Ii2 $50 o.
Brunswick harbor OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 5000 u
,Tel1Yi creek OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 300 0,
Altamana river ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. lo,VJy y.
Oconee river. --....--.--.-....- J<.JU "
OcInulgee river. .-.-..---... .-...+... losVJJ W
Savannah river between Savannah
and Augusta Observation-Disclosures. q coo o.
Romley MarSn...... -..-....--... 4,b53 -
1t was for the purpose of finding out how
much work has been done, of what kind
and where, what yet remains to be done,
and how much of the above appropriations
is still available for the prosecution of the
work, that a MORNING News reporter
called upon Lieut.. Carter at the United
States engineer office. Lieut.. Carter was
busily engaged but promptly furnished the
information desired. Some Of the questions
asked were not easy ones, and TO give the
correct answers required a lot of overhaul
ing of papers.
By perusing the following those directly in
terested win be able to obtain az idea of the
immense amount of work that has been lately
done on the rivers. The work on Savannah
harbor is finished, as far as the present
appropriation is concerned. Operations at
Brunswick harbor ceased last September,
and the jetty work at Cumberland sound
came TO close a few months later. The
only active work now going on is on the
Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers, but that viii
stop in the course OF a month on account Of
the exhaution of funds, and the plant,
which is a very valuable and efficient one,
will be transferred to this city, where some
badly needed repairs will be made and the
boats put in thorough condition for the i'm
mediate resumption of work as soon as
another appropriation is available.
HOW THE WORK IS DONE.
Very few persons outside of those directly
interested in the works of river aud harbor
Improvement have an adequate conception
of how this work is carried on. Some know
in a general way, and, strange to say, some
persons have been encountered who enter
tanned the idea that by some mysterious
process the WORK proceeded to do itself as
soon as the river and harbor bill became a
law. Others have labored under the i'm
preston that Lieut.. Carter is the custodian
of an inexhaustible treasury, and can do
work when, where and how he pleases.
This IS not SO. When congress apDropriates
money for the improvement OF any har-
Dor, river or other nayigable water
way Ia Lieut.. Carriers district be
submits TO the chief or board of engineers
a project for the wise aud judicious expend-
iture of this money. This is invariably ap-
proved. II the project calls for work TO be
done by contract, Lieut.. Carter prepares
Specifications for the use of those intending
to BID, and advertises the same in the
MORNING NEWS, those papers located in
the vicinity of the proposed work, and in
technical papers devoted TO that class Of
work that it is proposed to do.
LETTING THE CONTRACTS.
As an example, the Savannah iettv
work was advertised in this CITY
Charleston, New Orleans aud in
New York engineering journals.
The specifications inviting bids for
constructing a snag boat were published in
Cincinnati, New Orleans, Charleston. New
York, and in this city. After the bids are
bidder, subject, Of course, to the approval
of the chief OF engineers. As soon as all
preliminaries, such as filing of bond, ETC..
have been satisfactorily attended TO, work
under contract proceeds, it being subject to
continuous inspection by United States in.
spectors. IL it is not intended that the
work be done by contract, then Lieut.
Carter gets together plant and workmeD
and proceeds to do it in the most
economical and advantageous manner.
He cannot always do what he
would like to on account of the smallness Of
the appropriation, but he endeavors to do
with the money placed at his disposal as
much work, consistent with thoroughness.
as can be done.
He modestly points to the work under his
charge as an evidence of what he has done
and how he has done it. his works speak
for themselves, and he prefers that they
rather than he should.
THE SAVANNAH HARBoR
This work is the most important one in
Lieut.. Carriers district, aud it affects the in
terests Of Savannah to greater degree
than any other agency. Immediately after
the appropriation of 1888 became available.
and after approval of the project. prelimj-
narles were entered into with the object of
at once beginning active operations. Pro
posals Tor dredging were opened Oct. IS.
1888, but the bids were considered too bigh
and were for that cause rejected. and the
work was readvertised Nov. 20. p. Sanford
Ross, being the lowest bidder, secured the
work of dredging. Shortly before the opening
OF bids for dredging, work of that kind
being much needed at Garden bank. n
dredge was hired and $4,000 cubic Yards
were removed, beginning Nov. and end
ing Nov. "A. The next day the contractors
began work and continued at it. with SLIGHT
lntermlsslons for repair of machinery. etc
and UP to June 3, 1889, removed IS. O94I;
cubic yards between the city water works
and Tybee Knoll at a cost of. including
that done IN open market, S3S, 312 d.. The
price paid for dredging was 49, cents Der
cubic yard.
Dec. "a, 1888, proposals for CONSTRUCTING a
training wall on Tybee Knoll, beginning AT
Oyster Bed, and executing repairs to the
Fig Island training wall, were opened. and
the contract was secured by William I.
Gaynor, he being the lowest bidder. The
work done under this contract has consisted
in building new training wall extending
from the Oyster Bed eastward across Tybee
Knoll, a distance of 10,O31 feet, and in exc.
cutting repairs to Fig Island jetty. These
repairs have been made with brush fascines
loaded with rip-rap stone, utilizing for The
purpose the stone already on the work.
THE GAYNoR CONTRACT.
Operations began Jan. %, 1889, and ended
Aug. 20, 1889. Under this contract the
following amount of work was done:
106,92S,70 square yards mattresses at
SO cents. ........................S So, 1855 0,
1862 81 cubic yards stone at So 10. -. S7,ssS q
$685. cubic yards shells at 81 %. 763 5.
1921 10 cubic yards fascines at 81 Is. 4,1ls Q.
w CUBIC yards stone removed at
- CENTS. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2i3 OF
Total.............................S1O 9,758 4
At Garden bank channel 1850 feet wide.
lon ~ e. 4