The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-11-28

wick's ocean bar, sanctioned by congress
and now being surveyed by commission
from the coast and geodetic survey is at
tracing widespread attention and interest.
The methods and plans used promise
in their successful fullhllment, to, in a
measure, revolutionize ocean bar deepen.
ing, The commission now making the
survey is headed by Officer Marindin
(civilian) widely known on account of his
work on the Eads commission on the Mis-
sissipi
The outer bar of Brunswick ranked as a
deep-water bar of between twenty two and
twenty-three feet at mean high tide from
earliest knowledge of it to 1876.
Commissioner (then Lieutenant) Stock
ton, of the navy, so rer orted to the navy
in 1925.
Commissioners Claxton, Shubrick and
Woolsey, board to examine all harbors
from Wilmington to Key West and report
on same as to advantages for navy yard
so reported in 1896, recommending that
Brunswick be chosen. Professor Bache
so reported to the secretary of the navy
in 1857, againin 1860 and reported it so
until 1879.
In that year the Sunbeam" a deep
daught vessel seeking to cross the bar
upon falling tide was wrecked in this
channel
The wreck started shoAl and new
channel opened to the northwar1, thence
southwark, paralelling its northwest
course compelling sharp turn of vessels
alta critical part of the channel with but
twenty-one feet of water at mean high
tide, a loss of about two feet at navigable
depth In October 1889 the schooner AL
pharetta Campbell, was wrecked in this
channel and in six months it shoaled to
less than seventeen feet at mean high tide.
shoal of non-erosiye material had al
ways existed to the south of this channel
with depths ranging from fourteen to
eighteen feet at mean high tide. Steadily
the north breakers came down upon the
Aold- aAannel obliterating it and leaving
as the best wafer across the continuous
shoal to the south eighteen feet at mean
high tide. Deep draught vessels charter
ing upon the reputation of the port for
deep water were detained here tor
weeks awaiting extraordinary tides or
sailed with part cargoes. The commercial
existence Of the port was threatened.
The mayor and council sought in the
summer of 1891 in month of diligent
surveying to find a better outlet No such
outlet could be found between the north
and south breakers. A dredge was sought
as a measure of temporary relief
This plan failing, Mr.. G. P. Goodyear,
a prominent lawyer, suggested exploding
dynamite on the bottom OF the bar as a
temporary measure OF relief. Five men
pledged 81 500 for trial. The test
demonstrated that in some way the shocks
from the explosion of dynamite on the
bottom put the material in condition for
removal by the currents, 1t also demon
stated that local conditions and currents
produced by winds removed the material
either north or south and not seward or
inward, thus forming no new shoals but
building natural breakwater north and
south of channel. In forty-five days
gain of over foot and half was made,
Work was suspended to ascertain whether
the improvement would be permanent.
In November 1891, work having been
suspended in August, an examination was
made by committees of the board of trade
and other public bodies of Brunswick.
In June 1892, an examination was made q
by the coast and geodetic survey. Both s
pf these proved that no stoaling had oc- Z
eured. t.
eNr. Goodyear then sought to induce d
4e railroads to carry this work to con- Il
fusion. They declined. He then sought H
"A