The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-01
4 BIG WRECK IN THE CHANNEL.
van sUNKEN VESSEL NEAR THE
FOOT OF BULL STREET.

r-r,-rs Made to Remove 1t Entirely
were UnsuccessfuI Because the
uasting Had TO BE StopPed-A
Committee Called on Capt. Carter
nd said IL shook the Buildings TO
Derree That Was Dangerous.
,,,,v such wrecks Sunk in the
pixer which Were Forgotten
Years Ago.
,r--ers is an old wooden hulk Of vessel
a., the river channel, near its center, just
- If the foot of Bull street, cOnstitut-
IN an obstruction that some recent at
limits have been made to remove.
The old vessel was discovered a short
-,-re ago. 1t was firmly imbedded in the
crev and sand Of the river bottom, and
ms noticed once or twice by the dredges
r.5su they were deepening the river chan
nj al that point. 1t was believed at
chat time. however, that it was an old
srnlzeu fat which could be removed with
out difficulty.
A recent investigation. however, dis
closed some heavy white oak elbows or
% vessel. and a closer inspection showed
that an old hulk some 200 feet or more
f1 length was buried there in the river
bottom.
When the channel attained its present
minimum depth throughout of nineteen
feet at mean low water this old hulk
nr0truded above the channel bed to some
thing like a hight of six feet. The
channel has more than the minimum
depth at the point in question, but the
hulk was nevertheless an obstruction,
and il became necessary, if possible, to
remove it.
such a wreck as this can only be re-
moved through the use of explosives, as 1t
Is necessary to secure some opening
through which a chain can be fastened
TO the sunken timbers, and they can be
hoisted by means Of the snag boat appli-
ances. The work was accordingly begun
by the force on the snag boat Toccoa,
and as II was so near the city and the
buildings along the water front small
charges of dynamite were used. These
charges were eight pounds each, though
ordinarily much larger charges are used
TO break up Instructions of this nature.
The work is done by the aid of a diver,
who finds the obstruction, places the
charge upon it and after an explosion
goes back to put the chain around it. Two
or three of these charges were exploded
for the purpose of breaking up this wreck,
and as small as they were the conclusion
shook the buildings in that section until
the occupants began to fear that some
thing would fall.
the Bay did not like this at all, consider
ing that the explosions so near at hand
were dangerous and they sent a committee
the river work to ask that they be stopped.
They told him the buildings were, some of
them very old and easily shaken by a
jar or concussion of any kind. Even the
trains passing on the railroad on River
street sometimes impart to some Of these
buildings a vibration which is not pleas
ant. 1t was considered, therefore, best
from a standpoint of safety to those who
made the request, that the work be dis
continued, and that is the reason there
has been no more blasting on the river
front near the city.
For the present the wreck will remain
In the channel or at least all of il that
cannot be removed without the use of
dynamite. The snagboat has been at work
on 1t for several days, and will leave as
little as possible Of the obstruction to the
channel.
This is evidently an old wreck, which
has been in the channel for years. and
which was forgotten. Some are of the
opinion that it was sunk there at the time
The coloniStS came over and settled
Georgia. There are a good many of these
old wrecks in the channel which, after a
time, become imbedded in the river bottom
and as no record is kept of them. nobody
knows anything about them. Every now
and then one Of them shows up in some
way as an obstruction and has to be re-
moved.