The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-14
COMMERCE OF THE SAVANNAH
sTEAMBOATNG HALF A CENTURY
AGO AND NOW.

AGO AND NOW.
twenty Steamers and Hundred
Barges Then Piled the Savannah
river to Auzusta-The Necessity
for Improving and Deepening the
River Channel to Restore Safe
Observation-Disclosures of Tons of
Freight Awaiting transportation
Along the River.
The question of improving the savan-
nah river between Savannah and Augusta
so as to make it navlgable for large boats
at all seasons of the year, recalls the for
ner Importance of the river as a great ar
terry of commerce.
In the early days of steam navigation,
when Charleston was the fifth city in pop
ulatlon in the United States, there were
according to an old almanac, eighteen
steamboats, plying between that city and
Augusta. They came by The inland route
via Beaufort and the story is that they Oft
en- passed up and down the river without
stopping at Savannah!
Fifty years ago the Georgia Steamboat
Company and the Iron Steamboat Compa-
nv employed twenty steamers and a hun
bred barges in the business between Au-
gusta and this city. They were great
institutions in those days, and to a great
extent their owners and managers con-
troled the business of Savannah. There
were several independent or opposition
steamers which competed with these two
great companies for the business. The
power and glory of these companies waned
and ultimately disappeared with the com
peton of the railroad line TO Augusta
Later on there were other stea mer lines
on the river, among them one managed by
Mr.. NJ A. Cohen.
Just after the war an impetus was given
TO the river trade and many steamers plyed
between the two cities. Among the COM
petitorS for the business was what was
known as the Moore Line. comprising the
steamers ]. B. Moore, the Bawdy Moore,
named after Mr.. A. B. Moore, now of this
city, a son of the owner of the line, then
a youth living in Augusta, and the Julia
St Clair.
There has never been q season when
there has not been one or more steamers
on the river that owned by Col John
Lawton being one of the best known. Since
his retirement from the steamboat bust
ness Capt w. T. Gibson has been the
leading spirit in the up-river boat lines.
The three steamers now running on the
the w. 8. Cook, Ethel and Harry G. Day.
These boats each make one trip a week
between the two cities. When the water
is at four feet on the gauge at Augusta
the boats can navigate safely, with
moderate freight from one city to the other
in tifrty-eight hours, including stops at
way landings.
The Cook draws 21s feet the Ethel feet
inches and the Day feet inches, light,
and when loaded draw about 5, Az and
feet respectively. All of these boats have
had great trouble by getting aground on
several occasions during the past three
months. On several occasions they have
remained on the sand bars for two or three
days at a time.
Hundreds of tons of freight have been
left along the route on several occasions,
because the boats could not get over the
sand bars, If fully loaded During part
of the season freights were lightered over
Bugg's bar. near Augusta, and towed to
the latetr city by the Wanda, a small
steamboat of Augusta.
There are, in addition to numerous sand
bars, hundreds of over-hanging trees,
which prevent the boats from keeping in
the regular channel. If these were re.
moved the work on many of the sand
banks would be unnecessary. There are
also many snags in the river which should
be removed. With a system of wing dams
just below Augusta, so as to define the
channel and turn the water into mar
row passage, 1t is thought the river would
be improved for several miles.
With these improvements the boats at
present on the river would be able to
carry heavier freights AS it is they are
running with only half of their capacity.
There is large quantity of upward freight
at the Wharves now, which Is being de-
layed on account of the boats not being
able to take 1t.
A steamboat man who has had several
years experience on the Mississippi river.
and who is interested in the commerce of
Savannah, said yesterday that the main
trouble with sand bars in the Savannah
river Is near Augusta. If that point is
deepened and the snags and overhangine
trees are removed from the other part of
the river, the boats would have no diff
Guilty in making the trip. He suggested
that larger and lighter draft boats should
be quilt to accommodate the heavy
freights. This no doubt would be done If
the distractions are taken from the river
and the channel deepened.
The steamer Joe Peters of Memphis runs
on the White river. and has a capacity
cor carrying 5000 bales Of cotton, though
she draws only II inches, light This
boat has a gross tonnage of 525 and 42s
net. She is 1T feet long, "a beam and A
feet inches depth of hold
The steamer John N. Hardin is another
Memphis boat running on the Arkansas
river, which carries 5000 bales of cotton,
She is 341 gross and 266 net tonnage. Her
length Is 154 feet, BREADTH 80 feet; depth
OF hold feet inches, and draws II inches,
light.