The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-07


a friend to-day, ] expected to be roasted
alive by you, because I had said in fun
dining room at the Sea Island Hotel, dur
ing my recent visit, that Savannah and
Port Royal entrance had each the same
depth of water over bars, namely twenty
SIX feet at mean high water. made this
declaration in no ungenerous spirit, but to
indicate the truth of history. l did il
openly. in a room full Of people, who
seemed to be differently imbued regarding
this fact, and in a manner to chal-
iense refutation il I had made a
misstatement. 1 followed up the
statement by establishing from
coast survey map of ports of Savannah
and Port Royal corrected to Aug. 3, 1898,
that any vessel that could cross the bar
at Port Royal could enter the harbor of
savannah and up the river to the wharfs
OF the city This should be no Informal
lion TO you, my dear Mr.. Editor, but 1t
was information 10 Sir Thomas S. Tancred
ana his Black Diamond Railroad friends,
because the latter had published to the
world in prospectus that Port Royal
entrance had SO feet Of water meaning,
that or nothing, that vessels drawing APP
proXimately 80 feet of water could enter
the harbor. Mr. J. B. Harrison of
Knoxville, Tenn, also connected with the
Black Diamond enterprise, recently sub
mitted TO an interview, which appeared in
the Baltimore Sun, in which he said: TT
IS an inland harbor (speaking of Port Roy
all with shipping amply pro-
tected and has thirty-eight feet
Of water" The absurdity of letting such
assertions go uncorrected is the ease with
which they can be exposed by the official
utterances of the government in the mat
ter of harbor depths. accessible to all at
very moderate cost, at any port dignifed
by custom house The danger to a port
in permitting such falsehoods to be sown
broadcast is that like chickens, they come
to roost discrediting the subsequent state
ment of the truth. I must express sur
prise that the intelligent people of Beau
fort have for a moment sanctioned such a
msstatement, and from my knowledge of
them must conclude they are ignorant of
the matter, though the whole world is in
formed that the bars of Savannah and
Port Royal are capable of admitting the
same draught of vessels, and both
ports have ample harbor accom-
modations and deeper water inside
bars for vessels to anchor in, though the
huh cleaning properties Of fresh water
at Savannah accelerates the speed of re-
turning vessels laden with our products
for foreign or domestic ports My seeing
the dilapidated condition of your dry dock,
my dear Mr.. Editor was pure accident,
an Incident, no part of my planned visit
to and return from your city. But in
the line of my business did come upon
something I would like you and those
who had charge of the BLACK Diamond"
party to explain. In resuming his invesh-
cations of the ports of Charleston, Port
Royal and Savannah, why was Sir Thorn
as s. F'rancred furnished with a coast
survey map issued in 1882 years before
the improvements in the harbors of Char
lesion and Savannah were ever contemplate
IL
them of equal commercial advantage with
Port Royal? The map Sir Trancred had
was in tatters and grim and dust stained
by age. Sir Tancred produced this map
on all occasions and no one brought in
contact with him could fail of seeing he
was drawing all his Information of South
ern harbors from this ancient document
An up to date map or chart could have
been procured for him from your custom
house, or one been borrowed from the mas
ter of any vessel plying at the port for the
occasion. Could it have been possibly a
| preconceived scheme for elevating the adj
vantages of Port Royal by falsely decry-
ing those possessed in equal degree to-day
by both Charleston and Savannah? Ger
tainly by employing a coast survey chart
of 1882 for the purpose, the most cunning
and crafty means was adopted for accom-
plishing the destruction of rivals. But such
grading and revolving to the better in
stincts of man 1 repel the idea from me
and dismiss it to oblivion.
AS often as have represented Savannah
in competitive work like my visit to Beau
fort, 1 have never had ought, but the kind
est words for rivals in the bitterest and
sharpest drawn contests. Whatever sue
cesses have attended these efforts they
have resulted from the fairest and fullest
comparisons of advantages in which my
only advantage possible, has been in my
ability TO more forcibly present my
! case than that professed, at mo-
ment, by representatives of rivals.
The knowledge that my dealings with riv-
/ ais has been measured by this standard is
/ an unending comfort as 1 approach life's
! last ferry and believe 1 can carry this
consolation with me into the unknown
realm.
One word more and close: I think you
said in your editorial that 1 failed in the
object of my visit in that the Black Dia-
mond people did not return with me to
Savannah. In this you err. OF course,
one object of my visit was to have them
return with me to Savannah, and I had
a right to expect this, as the invitation
! conveyed to them in person and that
teegrapned to them by the Mayor of Sa-
vannah had both been solicited in a most
proper manner and were both most cheer
fully and earnestly extended in the hope
of their acceptance. 1 knew before leav-
ing Savannah what 1 might possibly have
to expect in this particulars, because the
trip of these gentlemen had already con-
sumed more time than they could
spare from their several vocations
and this assurance from gentle
men as their only reason for not
now visiting both Charleston and Savan-
nah absolutely negative. Your insnuation
that any other reason actuated them in
declining than that stated above, repeat
ed to the gentlemen from Charleston, as
well as to Savannah's representative. But
my visit was not failure, for the further
reason that / had ample opportunity for
acquainting myself with the plans and
hopes of the Black Diamond projectors,
| of making the personal acquaintance of
the distinguished gentlemen, who are
startling the country by the vastness and
boldness of their projected scheme, and in
having the pleasure of Sir Thomas S.