The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-15
The WORK IN THE HARBOR
What Has Been Accomplished During
the Last Year.

me Last lear.
A Gain of Over Six Feet in the Depth
OF the Channel From the City to the
Sea Since the Work Was Begun-rhe
Operations IND Or the Present APP
preparation Being Pushed Rapidly
and the Results Apparent.
Operations for the Improvement of Sa-
vannah harbor were carried on during
the last commercial year under Capt. o.
M. Carter S project of improvement, which
provides for a channel depth of Is feet at
mean high water from the city to the
sea.
The river and harbor act Of July -.
1892, contained an appropriation of S3lS,-
$50 for continuing this Improvement, with
authority for the Secretary of War to en-
ter into permanent contracts. In con-
formity with this provision of the act, a
contract for dredging was awarded to p.
Sanford Ross, of Jersey City, n. j.,
and that for ietty work to The Atlantic
Contracting Company, of New York city,
they being the lowest and also response
bic bidders
The Atlantic Contracting Company be-
gan work on Oct IA, and p. Sanford Ross
on Oct. 10, 1892. The benefits of their
work are already apparent, and the d if
ference in the depth OF water now and
only a few years ago is noticeable.
GAIN OF OVER SIX FEET.
There is now a navigabIe channel from
the city to the sea with a least mean
low water depth of 1875 feet, gain of
about 6.5 feet since the work was begun
The real gain in depth is somewhat
greater than here shown, and vessels of
from q to % feet draft now go from the
city to the sea on a singlatide,
March ,, 1898, congress appropriated
the further sum of $l,0O0,000 for this
work, with the proviso that not more
than $3.50, 900 be spent before the 1st of
July Of next year, thus practically
making $3.50, 900 unavailable for another
year This stipulation cannot but have
the effect of retarding the work, as the
funds now on hand will be exhausted long
before next July, The money so far APP
proprlated will about half complete the
work. Congress will have to be relied
upon for prompt appropriation of the
remainder that the work may be carried
on without delay, which generally results
in a set back
The Marsh Island ietty has been
finished; 1t extends from the lower end
of Marsh Island to Kinzey's Point, dis
tanceof about 5000 feet. This has had
the effect of closing the channel back of
the island, of narrowing the river from
the city water-works to Kinzey's Point to
a uniform width OF 900 feet and of making
permanent any depth that may be OBJ
tanned hereafter in that locality by dredg.
ing
THE WORK OPPOSITE THE CITY.
The work of arrowing the river at
Kinzey's Point, on Hutchinson Island,
will not be begun under the present APP
preparation. as the most urgent and i'm
portant part Of the work is the obtaining
of deep water in the channel. When the
river is put in such condition that money
can be spared from the work of deepen
ing the work of cutting away Kinzey's
Point and the wharf property to the east
ward, will be undertaken.
The work so far completed is now in a
satisfactory condition and at great
many points along the river, where shonl-
ing has heretofore taken place upon a
cessation Of the work, it is now deepening
| or securing out. When dredging is stopped
at some points at depth of sixteen
feet, instead of shoaling up it deepens
sometimes to depth of nineteen feet,
this being caused by the training walls.
Jetty work was also carried on at tn e
North Elba and South Elba island train
ing walls, at the Lower Flats trainingwall,
and many new spur dams were CON
structed. The crest of the Duck Puddle
closing dam was raised TO the level of
mean low water
Dredging was carried on at the shoal
opposite the Central Railroad companys
wharves; at Garden bank; at the shoal
opposite the Savannah, Florida and
Western railway wharyes at the OBJ
structionS near the upper mouth of the
south channel; at the lower fats; at the
oyster bed shoal, and on Tybee knoll.
SET BACK BY THE STORM.
On Aug 81, the date of the great storm,
there were four dredges at work in the
harbor but at dawn next day three of
them were found on the marshes, where
they were blown by the violence of the
storm. Much OF the plant of the Atlantic
Contracting Company was also blown
away, many Of their barges being found
several miles away from their anchorage.
1t will be another month before both
companies will have their plant in perfect
working order, or in a condition to do the
work as rapidly as they were doing it
the few months previous to the storm
The work is being pushed rapidly sea-
ward, and the anticipations Of deeper
water following the construction of the
contracting works are being realized, and
much money which would have been
necessarily expended in dredging will be
saved, owing to the removal of material
by natural scour developed by the train
ing walls. The jetty work is being car
ried vigorously forward, despite the
check received by the recent storm, and
TIE dredging viii soon be resumed. The
provisions of the contracts are being com
piled with in every respect There is no
reason to doubt that the plans of the en-
gineer viii give at an early date the
depth of water aimed at in tho ,,rsuout