The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-08
BIG GUNS TO COMMAND TYBEE
THE FoRTIFICATIoNs MAY BEGIN
BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
Bids to he Opened Tomorrow Week
for the Construction of Gun En-.
placements for Four s-1nch DiSap-
nearing Guns-Whnt the Battery
Is Going 10 Be-Green & GnyneI
to Begin Their work on the Ty-
bee Roads Breakwnter TO-mOr-
row-They VIII soon Employ
About 500 Memo More Dredging
to BE Done on the savannah River
Channel at Present.
Within a year there viii in all proba-
bility be a battery on the north end of Iy-
bee Island that will afford the Savannah
harbor full protection, commanding, as 1t
viii, the only deep water approach to the
city.
Capt. o. NJ Carter, corps Of engineers,
has called for sealed bids for the mas
onry and other work to be done there be-
fore the guns are put in, or, in other
words, the gun emplacement, and they
wiz be opened in his office at Il o'clock,
noon, Monday, Nov. IS. The lowest and
best bidder will be awarded the contract
on approval by the war department. Capt
Carter is DESTROYS of having a large NUM-
Der of bids on this work sent in, and
would like to see more of the local con-
tractors take an interest in the matter.
All information as to the details of The
work will be furnished at his Office to
those who propose to bid.
L. i I,a4 f1v.sr 10,
tween Tybee light and the Martello tower,
it's general direction being toward thu
northwest. Walls of massive concrete.
with big blocks of natural stone imbed
ded in them are to be put up, forming a
protective wall which no gun used IN
modern warfare can pierce. The con-
tractor to whom the work is given Will
have to begin it in two months from the
time his bid is accepted and must have it
completed within year.
Behind these massive walls are to be
placed four of the best type of modern g.
inch disappearing rifles. The guns and
the mechanism by which they are opera
ted will be so constructed as to be exposed
only when the guns are being fired. When
not in use they are down below the level
of the ground. besides being protected by
the thick concrete and stone walls above.
The battery will be so constructed as to
afford almost complete protection to any
who might be stationed there in a con-
fiict.
But there win eventually be more than
this. AS soon as the battery of the four
S-inch guns is completed, arrangements
will likely be made to complete the entire
battery according to Specifications. In
addition to the guns mentioned there will
be two Pinch disappearing guns, a NOR
tar battery, torpedo battery and a min
ing case mate for the handling of sub
merged stationary torpedoes. The plans
for the construction of the fortifications
within the military reservation on the
north end Of Tybee contemplate all of
these features, built according to the tat
est methods, though nothing but the bat
terry for the S-inch guns will be put up at
present. There is already one mining
casemate on Coekspur Island, just to the
west of Fort Pulaski, and between the
fort and the demilune 50 that it is pro-
tected on all Sides and from it torpedoes
placed in the river anywhere around the
fort can be easily handled 1t appears
from all indications that within a few
years Savannah harbor will be as well
protected as can be desired.
Green e. Gaynor, who have the con-
tract for building an extension of the
oyster bed training wall, so as to form a
breakwater, making a safe anchorage for
vessels in Tybee roads, viii begin their
work tomorrow. The first thing to be
done is to locate the ranges, and then the
work on the jetties will be taken up short
ly afterward. 1t Is probable they will
within a week or two employ something
like 500-hands, in the brush and mattress
camps, on the tugs and in building the
Jetties. The work would have begun
some times ago had it not been for the
agitation attendant upon the national cleo
ton, which made 1t impossible for the
contractors to borrow money on which to
start. They are doing the work under
the continuous contract system, and the
money for 1t has not as yet been appro~
priated by congress.
The same firm begins it's work on a Sc
100000 contract at Fernandina on Nov. 10.
The work on the new channel to Beau
fort will also begin shortly. The contrac-
tor for this work, Mr.. Rittenhouse Il.
Moore, will have to start dredging IN
Wrights river on or before Dec. "a, and
1t is expected to push this work as rap.
Idly as possible to completion This -
one of the most important works which
the department has in hand at present.
and there are many who desire to see IL
pushed quickly along
1t has been decided to do no more work
on the Savannah river channel at present,
A survey Of the channel was recently
made, and 1t is stated instead of shoal-
ing, it was found that it had secured out
The amount OF dredging for the mainte-
nance of the channel is nothing like what
1t was expected TO be. 1t is stated that
only one or two places above the city
have shoaled any to speak Of, and that
elsewhere In the river where 1t was ex.
pected to find twenty-five feet, there were
depths of twenty-eight and thirty feet
and in some instances more. The channel
therefore, is said to be in a good condi-
ton.