The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-09
ADDED TO ITS TERMINALS.
CENTRAL's WORK OF EXTENSION Is
NOW ALMOST COMPLETED.

Great ships Can Load Where But n
short Time Ago Was a Marsh.
Large Sheds and Warehouses
Erected, Miles of Railroad Track
Laid and "A Vast Area Reclaimed
From the Canal swamp-PrOgres
of Important improvements.
The new wharf of the Central Railroad
is about completed, and the other great
works OF improvement on the wharf prop
erty are rapidly approaching an end. Acres
Of swamp ground have been reclaimed and
where the rushes waved in every passing
breeze and MOSQUITOES were bred by the
millions, vast store houses now stand or
are In process of construction.
Ships drawing twenty-four feet Of water
can now load where but a few months ago
were only puddles for frogs -Four miles of
railroad tracks run in all directions over
an extensive area that required the ex-
penditure of many thousands of dollars to
put 1t in condition for use for the pur-
poses of trade
Some years ago when Jay Gould visited
Savannah he pronounced the Centrars
wharf terminals the finest he had ever
seen. If he were able to return to Savan-
nah and inspect the property with the re-
cent additions, he would doubtless con-
clude that the cOmpany's wharfage and
other terminal freight facilities were now
beyond comparison with those of any 9TH
er transportation line on this coast. Prob
ably nowhere in the country can there be
found their equal as to area or in their ia
cilities for handling and storing enormous
quantities of freight.
The improvements extend from the west
side of the New York freight shed to the
western limits of the companys property,
adjoining the Vale Royal mills. Nine hun
dred thousand cubic yards of earth have
been used in filing in. OF this 10000 cubic
yards came from the Central's sand hill
at the four-mile hill, the other 10000 cubic
yards representing the dirt excaYated in
digging the new slip. Jenkins & Co. of
Ludlow, KY, have done the filing In,
work on which is still in progress The
sand is loaded on the dirt train by
steam shovel, unloaded by a steam pillow
and distributed by a spreader. The slip,
which is about at right angles with the
river, is 800 feet long and 200 feet wide.
1t is as perfect as mans efforts could
make it. Mr.. r. Moore had the contract
for the dredging and his work was facili-
tdted by the pumping of all the mud on to
the adjoining low grounds to assist in the
filing in. Mr.. George c. Sutcliffe did the
planking and pile work. Eighteen feet of
water lis in the Sip at mean low water,
and as there is a rise of about six feet
vessel could go ont on high tide drawing
almost twenty four feet. This dock is
one of the finest on the entire wharf
property. 1t IS finished and in readiness
for use. Within ten days the filling in of
the low lands will be completed, and soon
after that the last of the buildings pro-
jected viii be under cover This is the
cotton warehouse, work on which has got
we'll under way. It runs along the east
ern side of the slip, and will be $40 feet
long by 252 feet wide, covering an area
of 100000 square feet. Heavy plHngs
were driven. on which were built founda-
ti1ns for cross brick fire walls, which will
divide the warehouse into four compart-
ments, each POO feet long. The floor Is
now being laid. To make the building as
near fireDroof as a wooden structure can
be the roof will be covered with Trinidad
asphalt gravel roofing
On the other side of the slip in the new
rOsin yard, is the rOSin she'd substantial
| ly built 500 feet long and 65 feet wide,
giving 52,0JO square feet of additional stor-
age surface. The spirits shed is just west
of the slip. 1t is S24 feet long and 225 feet
wide increasing The Accommodations for
that class of freight by 1876 400 square feet
of storage room. There are four COM
p1rtments, with heavy fire division walls
of brick. This shed is also covered with
| asphalt gravel roofing. Four large glue
houses also have been built for the con-
venience Of the naval stores trade A fer
tiltzer warehouse beyond the lumber yard
Is 246 feet long and 70 feet wide, with
outside platforms. This warehouse con-
tains ten bins for the storing of fertiliz-
ers, etc, each "a by y feet in size. Its
roof is also of the asphalt gravel Bart.
lett & Lebey were the builders of all the
sheds and warehouses, the Central fur
nishing the material. Everything is fin
ished except the cotton warehouse and a
large force of men viii be put to work
on it, The total area covered by all the
buildings is about 10000 square feet
All the work has been done under the
constant and thorough supervision of the
Centrals chief engineer Mr.. William Hun
ter He prepared the plans and has seen
to it that they have been executed in the
best manner possible