The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-01-30
OUR BREAkWATER,

! 20 me EattOf ~ Inc Itt0t.
! In a recent issue Of The Pilot it was
stated that some lake men had pronounc'
ed our break water a failure, claiming
+ that even the waves from the northeast
were not prevented from rolling in, while
with a southeast storm current was
| created making entrance moe difficult
than before.
OF course the sailors who make actual
use OF our harbor are the only competent
judges to decide as to the merits or de-
merits of the breakwater. but their judg-
ment Will be worth far more II a year or
two than it is now after only a few
months trial. We we'll remember that
when the approaches of Sth street bridge
were being b1iIt of solid masonry and
filed, some sailors and others. claimed
that the effect of the lnrolling waves
would be such as TO cause a greater com
motion of the river below the bridge than
before, endangering both tie dock prop
erty and shipping, and some adhered to
that opinion some time after the bridge
was completed. Now everybody comedies
the fact that there is not nearly as great
a cOmmOtion, neither are the waves as
high as formerly. The claim that the
breakwater does not break the force OF
the waves from the north east sufficiently
will hardly be made seriously. The only
fear on that score that prevailed among
lake men, when the question of building
the breakwater was first discussed, was
that it would prevent the breaking up of
the ice IN the river for winter navigation
because 1t wouldn't admit enough sea to
do so. It was built SO as 10 keep out the
greater port of the huge rollers, and it
does. The current created by south
easter will probably be fond of but little
hindrance. the bl eakwater heading south
east, as it does, with only the narrow end
for waves to strike against. Many har-
bors have one pier extended several
hundred feet further than the other, and
then, with certain winds it is really diff
cult to enter. When our south pier is eX-
tended farther out. as it soon will be- the
brea6water will probably be found to
prevent, TO a great extent, the northeast
waves from creating SO much disturbance
when dashing against that pier as would
be the case without 1t. And when our
channel Is deepened to twenty feet, which
will also be done sooner or later the
waves rolling into the harbor will natur-
ally grow IN proportion to the depth of
the mouth OF the river, as they have al
ways done heretofore; then the break
water will tend to protect, in no small
degree, all the docks, with few exceptions
from being washed into the twenty-foot
channel. There are generally some minor
drawbacks to really good improvements
and that may be the case IN this instance.
No boats have missed the harbor last sea-
son, which cannot even be said of every
former season. If it had been known by
the engineers that a tWenty-foot channel
would become necessary and that the
ends of our harbor piers would have to
Oe extended, eventually, INTO twenty two
to twenty four feet of water, then they
would never have built it; but nobody
thought that possible until quite recent
~. On the whole, the breakwater Will
probably be found to do what it was de-
signed for until the tine arrives when
ManltOwoc Will be 10 a position to de-
mand something much grander to make
1t the Creates harbOr Of refuge on Lake
Michigan. T..