The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-12
THE PARIS ISLAND DRY DOCK.


The Editor of the Beaufort Gazette
Replies 10 Capt. Purse.
Editor Morning News: The letter Of Mr..
D. G.. Purse In Mondays issue OF your
paper was not seen by mo for some time,
as Mr.. Purse did not extend to me the
courtesy of sending me a copy of the let
ter, or even marked copy Of the paper
ter is addressed to me. Why Mr.. Purse
should have found 1t necessary TO have
fired nearly two columns at the Gazette
through the Savannah News" to quote
the News and Courier Is hard to perceive
What ] said would not have occupied a
third Of a column ia the Morning News
MIR. Purse pays a great deal Of atten-
ton to many matters not spoken Of, and
not even referred to by me. He said the
dry dock had been damaged by the storm
which was not denied. He further said
that 1t should never have been accepted
by the government. As MIR. Purse Is not
an engineer, and Az numerous engineers
had watched carefully the construction Of
the dry dock and advised the government
10 accept 1t, l said that Mr. Purse had
taken too much upon himself to say that
IL was faulty in construction" and at IL
9ui PllalHS ~ shoulu ever nave been ac-
cepted."
AS he had condemned. I'm an insuecfion
of few minutes dock of immense size
about which he was entirely ignorant. /
SAID, No doubt Mr.. Purse could instruct
Miles how 20 fight, Sampson how TO navi-
gate, Mckinley how TO govern, Gen. Casey
how to build monuments, and Edison how
to invent We venture a dollar or two
that he endeavored to instruct Sir Thomas
Tancred how to build railroads No won
der he was given the cold shoulder. He
knows too much"
III makes SO many miscellaneous, and
knows so much more about everything he
mentions than the facts warrant that I
shall have 70 correct some of them. al
though l do so with reluctance.
First, In regard TO the old and out of
date chart which MIR. Purse suggests. by
Enquiry, was furnished Sir Thomas Tan
cred for the purpose OF prejudlcing
Charleston and Savannah II Is emphat-
ically untrue that any such chart was
furnished for so dishonorable a purpose
and Mr.. PURGE should have dismissed the
suggestion TO oblivion" before, and not
after, he had inserted Il in a newspaper
The following are the facts: FIRST the
old chart SIR Thomas Tancred had was
not furnished him by any one in Beaufort
county, but was brought with aim. Where
he got IL do not know. Second, the chart
was of Port Royal entrance alone, and
therefore its age could In no way affect
the other ports. Third. a new and correct
chart the latest issued by The government,
was furnished Sir Thomas Tancred.
Fourth. a modern chart. the latest, was
borrowed from the master Of the tug Her
cules, and shown to Mr. Crenshaw. the
engineer with Sir Thomas Taucred, and al
50 10 Mr.. Tribble a member OF The party.
and Sir Thomas was invited TO inspect It.
I repeat Nj. Purse knows too much. One
thing he evidently does not know Is, that
81 IS proper TO be quite sure Of rascality
before 1t Is charged.
Mr.. Purse IS indignant because some one.
somewhere said Port Royal has % feet
Of water IN the "harbor.Y She has that
much and more. Mr. Purse tried to brand
him as liar by making II appear that
bar" was meant when Il was distinctly
stated that there was 50 feet 'in the har-
bor' which Is true.
No one ever said that this bar had 80
feet OF water. The plots Of the port tel
me that vessels drawing twenty-six feet
have gone Qua Of this port with ease there
fore Il is quite certain that there is over
twenty-six feet on this bar. How much
water there Is on the Savannah bar 1