The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-29

100000 and for that comparatively small
expenditure the Savannah river
has been converted from riv-
er Carrying vessels of only about
fourteen feet draft to a magnificent ocean
highway, with a minimum depth of Is
feet, the commerce of the port having
trebled during that period and many new
railroads leading TO Savannah having been
constructed. The lowering in freight and
marine insurance rates has resulted in
yearly saving Of more than the total
amount of money expended on the harbor.
An examination of the harbor, just made,
shows a very gratifying condition of af-
fairs, no shoaling having taken place
since the completion of the improvement.
In the United States the Savannah river
is the only example of a tidal river OF
any magnitude which has been so sue
cessfully and thoroughly, or, one may say,
so sweepingly improved, changing it from
a shallow stream TO body of water cap
able of affording safe and easy navigation
to ocean steamers of the largest carrying
capacity. Other rivers in this country
have been improved, but none in such
magnificent manner as this, and al such
a small expenditure of time and money.
There are in the whole world only about
a dozen tidal streams of the size of the
Savannah that have been permanently
deepened. Among them may be mentioned
the Clyde and the Tyne, in England; the
Weser, in Germany; the Seine, in France;
the Scheldt, in the Netherlands, and few
others; but the expenditures in each and
every case have been enormous in com
parison with those on the Savannah. 1t
may be said, from what has been OBJ
served, that the Improvement of the Sa
Vannah river is a permanent one, and it
IS proved that the lines of the permanent
work of improvement have been carefully
and properly laid out. The determination
of the lines of permanent improvement
has been the difficulty of the work. and
the river and harbor to-day is a splendid
justification of Capt. Carriers work in that
respect
1t is not generally known that probably
the best and most succinct article on the
early commercial history of Savannah
harbor was written by Lieut.. Carter after
. he had been in Savannah sufficiently long
to assimilate the local color and gather
the facts. This article was printed in the
report of the chief of engineers for 1888.
Capt. Carter's annual reports since that
time have contained a chapter on the COM
MERGE and navigation of Savannah har-
Dor, and the series form a valuable ad-
dition to the commercial history of this
city.
At the present time the large works
upon which Capt Carter is engaged are
the Improvement of Cumberland Sound
Georgia, and Florida, to cost
F~1pvorNFgf
Tybee and steamboat chan
mel from Savannah to Beaufort, to
cost more than $1,O00000, and a gun bat
terry at Tybee Island.
Capt Carter is a clubman, being a mem
Der of the Yacht Club and the Oglethorpe
Club of this city. the University Club. and
the Union Club of New York, the New
York Athletic Club, the United States Mill
tary Service Institution and the Georgia
Historical Society
He is also a member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers and on ac-
count of recognized ability in all that
pertains of the manufacture and use of
cements, he has just been appointed a
member of select committee to revise
methods of tests of cements. In 1895 he
represented the war department of the
United States at a convention held in
Zuruch, Switzerland, for the purpose of
adopting uniform methods for testing con-
mechanical properties.
Capt Carter is an accomplished lin
gust, speaking German French and
Spanish f1uently. His TRANSACTIONS of scion
tihc treatises from the French and the
German have. on account of their value
been printed by the war department for
distribution to the corps of engineers, and
are much sought after by engineers out
side of the corps. He is also well-known
as a student of art and literature, and
numbers many artists and literary men
among his acquaintance He will IN
doubleday make a favorable impression
at his new post.