The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-04
LUIGI DREW TwENrY-FOUR FEET.
Carried the Deepest Draft Ever
Taken Out of the River.

Taken Out of the River.
The Italian steamship Luigi left tie port
of Savannah heavily loaded and drawing
a feet of water Saturday evening, as was
reported in yesterdays Morning News.
This is the deepest draught that has
ever been carried out of the channel and
no better testimonial as to the harbors
ability to accommodate such vessels could
be asked. The pilots in fact told the
agents to load the Luigi to 25 feet.
A vessel drawing "a feet of water
is rarely admitted to the southern
ports, and the fact that the Luigi made
the passage without incident and with wa
ter to spare beneath her deep keel is a sig
nificant fact in Savannah's commercial
history and places her beyond dispute high
up in the list of the deep~se ports Of the
world.
The timidity of owners and agents to
charter deep draught vessels to southern
ports has been hard for southern shippers
to overcome, and has initiated against
their commerce to no small degree. AL
though the reports of engineers and sur
veyors have been submitted by the score,
they have given no such weight as one
such practical example of the successful
accomplishment of what has long been
claimed by the shipping men of Savannah
to be a possibility.
While the Luigi went 10 sea drawing d
feet, the deepest draught of any vessel
ever leaving Savannah, she passed over
the bar about an hour before the tide was
at its hight. When inquiry was made of
the pilots, as to the deepest that the
steamship could be loaded, the agents
were informed that she could be safely
piloted to sea drawing 25 feet.
Her cargo however, did not weigh her
down to but "a feet. On two
days of last week, while the spring tides
were on, the depth in the river was 261a
feet, and 1t is claimed by the pilots that a
ship drawing &c feet could have then been
taken safely to sea.
During the past year several vessels
drawing over 2Siz feet sailed from this
port. The deepest draught with the ex-
ception of the Luigi, was % feet inches
while a number were loaded to the depth
of % feet.
The first work of dredging the Savannah
river was commenced about twenty years
ago. At one time the city government,
which owned the dredge Tomichiehi, took
a contract from the United States govern
ment to derdge in the channel. The price
paid at that time was % cents per cubic
yard in the river, and rs cents for work
done at Tybee knoll. The expenses of
running the plant at that time we're so
heavy that the city did not find it's job
profitable, and after some losses in the
undertaking, the contract was turned over
to Capt. H. NJ. c. Smith and Mr.. Jacob
Paulsen, who purchased the plant and con-
tinued the work.
Being practical men in the business they
managed to make the job pay very wei.
Larger appropriations were subsequently
made for the improvement of the channel,
and competition became so strong that
the price steadily declined to about little
more than half that amount per cubic
yard for dredging, and extensive plants
were brought here by large companies
who undertook the work at the reduced
rates.
1t was not until about ten years ago that
an improved system of dredging the river
and the placing of training walls and jet
tics was introduced by capt. Carter, the
engineer in charge, that the work began
TO show material improvement in the
channel.
Under Capt. Carter's direction the wa
ter passage TO the sea was steadily deep
ened until now there Is water enough In
the river to safely float vessels from the
city 10 the sea, drawing 25 feet, while
ten years ago II to IS feet was the full
depth of the channel at mean high water.