The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-12

prestige as one OF the finest ports In the
world. The council agreed with me and
only desired to know what could be done.
/ told them to get O tug and sound for
deeper water. This was done for a month
and no deeper water found. The situate n
was growing serious and was becoming
desperate. l made up my mind 20 leave the
city If no remedy was found. l
again met coHncil In executive ses-
sion and oxhorted them to do some
thing. / suggested in my psrplexity
many things which we all knew to be tm,
practicable. We finally decided to get
dFedge boat and dig out a channel. We
learned upon investigation that there was
only one ocean dredge on the Atlantic coast.
1t was in New York harbor and charged us
Sl2 500 simply to come here. and so cents
per cubic yard Of earth moved when here.
This was out OF the question. 1t was at
this time and along toward summer that
one day dynamite occurred to me. had
read much about this wonderful force
was familiar with the popular idea that it
exploded downward. That night
could not sleep. Next morn
ing 1 hunted up T. W. Dexter,
who had used quantities of dynamite min-
ing in California. l said to him. Dexter.
why not blow up some dynamite on that
barP He replied with enthusiasm, 1t will
do the work. IL will unQuestionably do the
work. am amazed at myself for not hav-
ing thought OF it, Six men,, c. Downiug &,
A. F. Churcher, Thomas OConnor, ]. E.
duBignon and myself put up 81 500 for an
experiment only. Only four men had any
faith in the scheme. We bought 1000
pounds of dynamite and commenced blast
ing. We had diver, an electrician and a
tug. We began by burying 10-pound car
tridges in the sand and exploding them by
means of electricity. The effect was mar
velous. The sand and mud were
blown up and great holes were dug
by the explosion. The results
were encouraging aud new converts
were made. We then got the city to appro-
pirate Sc, 500 to experiment further, We
exhausted about z, 500 pounds of the dyna-
mite. We finally struck coquina rock,
which we could not move. We only had
| $500 pounds left, and we went to another
place and began afresh We succeeded
with the remaining appropriation in run
ming two parallel rows of holes across the
bar. When we stopped work, imagine our
surprise and delight when pilot came in
| and told US that the whole ridge between
the rows Of holes had broken down and
| been washed out, and that there were two
| feet more water.
Soundings were made and this report was
verified then knew the plan would sue
coed and the channel could be deepened as
much, and even more, than needed. Now,
one year after shat work was done, this
channel has not filled one inch, and ships
come aud go through it that would have
been otherwise shut out of Brunswick. The
next step was to get money to carry on the
work. did not despair. but by dint of per-
severance and earnest efforts of Capt. Tur-
ner, Rufus E. Lester, Senators Gordon and
Colquitt, finally got my bill through
congress, appropriating 100000, con-
| tingens on my success, the same
to be paid in installments, the
first money when had got % feet, and
| $4,000 more for each successive foot up to
26 feet. l could easily get % feet, but 26
feet is sufficient for all commercial needs.
On the strength of this bill 1 got
abundance of capital and am nc
longer bampered financially" l suggested
| to Col. Goodyear that l would like to see
the blasting process. He very cheerfully
! offered to take me out. So this morning
we boarded Capt B. A. Fahm's pilotboat
and were towed out to the bar, drawing be-
hind us another sailboat, loaded with $500
reached the tug cut loose and left US, and
we cast anchor, while the dynamite boat
| cut loose from US and anchored some 200
| yards a way from our boat, and, also, from
| the blasting point. This was for safety, as
the great shock of the explosion was liable
to set of all the dynamite and blow the
whole outfit into eternity, if the dynamite
1
boat carried the dynamite, packed
twenty-five pounds in q wooden box, from
| the dynamite boat to the point where 1t was
| to be sunk. Another rowboat with two men
carried one end of a small rope TO which was
attached sand bag and also the two cleo.
! trio wires from our boat to the same point
where the two boats met. This was about
| 100 yards away. There the fuse and cap
were inserted and wires attached, the origi-
nal package being kept intact and box un-
| broken. When tho box, sand bag, wires
| and ropes we're dropped overheard and set
tied to the bottom, athe boats pulled away
to a safe distance. The other ends OF the
wires were connected with q small battery
10 the hands OF II. E. Gramp and the cur
rent flashed along the slender wires TO the
box of dynamite lying SO hGrmlessly on the
surface OF the bar and beneath thirteen feet
| of water. Instantly, as IL some vol
| cano had Hurst through the sea bot
| tom. there was boom as OF
| mighty smothered cannon when the water
was thrown upward 100 feet or more into
| the air. This sight was most strik1ngly
beautiful one, as the sunlight glintere1 aud
shown upon and through the myriad drops
of sparkling water, reminding one of the
! famous Reysers of the Yellowstone valley.
| The mighty shock deadened and stilled the
wave motions and the water above be-
| came as placid as lake for a minute or two.
| his process was repeated over ana over
| again with minute care until fifteen ex-
plosions were made; 375 pounds of dynamite
were used and distance of same 400 feet
was bsated over. These shocks were 80
severe that many hundreds of fish we're
| killed and hoated about on the water. Large
numbers Of them are gathered up and used
| for food. On Saturday large shark was
blown twenty-five feet in the air.
The sand and mud is torn up and scattered
widely. The holes made are from 2 to II
feet deep and wide in proportion. The
| waves aud currents wash the finely separ-
ated sand and mud out to sea or back to-
ward port, in either CASE into deeper water
as the tide rises or falls. This fine sand and
mud ia held in the water for long time and
certainly is scattered over many acres. The
great shocks also seem to unsettle
and loosen the bar for some
distance around the hole itself, so
that the current gathers up the sand and
mud and washes many CUBIC yards Of 1t
| away into deep water. When the action is
understood the success of this system seems
indubitable. Col. Goodyear, his coadjuta-
| tors and all other Brunswick citizens are
now absolutely confident of success.
| Col. Goodyear thinks that dynamite will
revolutionize river and harhor work. He is
satisfied Savannah river Improvement can
| be aided by this method. All that is necas-
sary is current. If he is correct in this
position, and time will soon show, the name
of c. P. Goodyear will become househsld