The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-01
HARBOR WORK SUSPENDED.
OVER 100 PEOPLE THROWN OUT OF
EMPLOYMENT.

the Wnr Department Holding Up
the Appropriation for HarbOr
WOrk-EnOrts Being Made 10 Sc
cure a Release of the Money.
Something over one hundred and fifty
men lost their positions with the United
States engineer department and dredging
and towbOat companies yesterday. and
perhaps as many more employees at
Rourkes machine works. where the re-
pairs TO the dredging machines were made
and at other places. will be affected to
a more or less extent
The worst feature Of the affair Is there
seems to be no excuse for It. Work in
the harbor should be at its hight now,
under the provisions Of the river and har-
Dor act Of June g. which was pass
ed over the Presidents veto at the last
session OF congress.
The bill contains an item authorizing
the construction Of a detached portion
Of the oyster bed training wall and a
steamboat channel seven feet deep at
mean low water between Savannah and
Beaufort. Had the work been undertaken
with the pTomptitude that has
characterized the operations OF
the engineer department in the
past, the bottom course Of the
breakwater at Tybee would be in process
Of construction now, which would afford
at least some protection during this
years storms to the shipping at anchor
age in the roads. Two months have pass
ed since the bill became a law, and as
yet not an advertisement inviting propos-
ais has appeared in the newspapers.
The o. foot rlrofaof Is rom Melted
trip down the harbor yesterday and
soundings taken showed the river in
magnificent condition. with plenty of
water everywhere. Now that all the
dredges have been taken off, p. Sanford
Ross contract completed, and the war de-
partment doing nothing, the question how
long this depth Of water is to last is be-
ing asked. on account of the great
amount of silt brought down by the river
flow the harbor cannot long maintain
It's present depth. Provisions must be
made for maintenance, and If the funds
for maintenance and further necessary
work are tied up In Washington, the fact
should be ascertained.
AT Brunswick, Col. Goodyear started
work with his dynamite scheme a few
days after the passage Of the bill He is
at work now, and comparisons are being
made between the hustling Of private
enterprise and the delay tactics of the
war department.
AT Fernandina the citizens are in
ferment, and Il would not be surprising
10 see the people OF Florida march on to
Washington with Senator Pasco at their
head. Their bar Is shOaing and the chan
mel shifting, greatly endangering the
phosphate shipments there. p revision
was made for continuous contract work
there, and the sum of $2,350,0O0 was al
lOted to construct two jetties. None of IL
has up to date been let loose.
Some days ago II became known to some
of the leading citizens of Savannah how
aaffauu a.. aaFHH L.
and Mayor Myers took the initiative by
telegraphing the Secretary of War TO the
effect that all business interests in this
city would be paralyzed by shoaling in the
harbor and stated that 1t was extremely
important that provision for maintenance
should be made at once. To that end
he urged, In the interest of commerce and
economical work. that contracts author
lied in the river and harbor act of June
for continuing work in this harbor be i'm
mediately entered into.
Capt. Williamson, president of the cot
ton exchange telegraphed the Secretary
of War, indorsing all that Mayor Myers
said, and stated that discontinuance of
work at this time would be disastrous 70
Savannah's commerce. Capt. D. G. Purse
and Hon. T.. G. duBignon wired Secre-
tary Lamont to the same effect. No reply
has yet been received from the secretary,
and il is impossible 10 learn just what he
intends to do and when he proposes do.
ing 1t. Inquiry made yesterday at the To-
cal engineer office, in charge of Capt. o.
NJ. Carter, ELECTED the fact that nothing
was known there, only that all contract
work would cease during the
afternoon. Plans and specifications
of the new work were pre-
pared and had been sent to Washing
ton. To the question, When will work
in the harbor be resumed?" the answer
was 1T is impossible to tell"
II the contracts for Savannah harbor
work are much longer delayed, it may not
be possible to do any work in Tybee roads
n : 10 do
only there in the summer months, and
| hardly any at all in the bad weather of
winters, on account of the violent storms
there. Now that the entire dredging and
jetty plant is here, 1t would be possible to
secure reasonable prices for doing the
work should bids be asked for in a short
time. Take this plant away, the contrac-
tors hgureS Tor doing the work would nee
| essarily be unusually high, so much so as
to call for an additional appropriation.
1t is learned from Washington
that strong efforts are being
made by influential persons Of
different cities to have the Sec
rotary Of War start work in some of the
| northern cities, ports that do not need
Improvement as much as do the harbors
of the south. Buffalo, for instance is
very much to the front. There is also
some violent talk by some members of
congress as to what they will do when con-
| gress meets in December to those obstruc-
tionists in Washington who refuse to exc
cute the laws as they find them. 1t is said
that determined effort has been made
to sidetrack the river and harbor bill and
up to date 1t has succeeded. Some try to
excuse their course by stating that to start
work al all the places for which continu-
Gus contracts have been provided would
entail a large annual expense on the gov
eminent. As the bill provides that not
more than 100000 per annum can be ex-
pended on any one work, resumption of
work here and at Fernandina would en-
tail an expenditure of but SS00,000 per year
For the magnitude of the interests in
volved the sum mentioned IS small, and
should be made available without further
delay, else the fruits Of the last few years
| will be lost to the harbor
MAY SINK A WELL OF ITs OWN.