The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-09
wonk OF POWERFUL DREDGE.
Accompanies wonders in the Way of
Harbor Construction.


Washington, Feb. S-Consul General W.
r. Holloway. stationed at St. Petersburg,
in an official report 10 the state depart
uent. under date of Det s, 1899, just out,
submits some interesting observations
concerning the work accomplished by the
American drodge in Russia. In view OF
The pending proposition for the govern
ment to provide a deep sea dredge to be
used in connection with the Improvement
Of Savannah harbor Consul General Hol-
loways statements may prove interesting
10 the readers Of the Morning News:
The report says in part:
The successful trials of a powerful
dredge- Beta-built for the Russian gov
eminent by the Societe COckerH of Sc
raiug, Belgium from plans drawn by Lin
don W Bates Of Chicago, have attracted
the attention of the leading countries of
tn. world The contract for this boat,
made in 1897, demanded a capacity of 1900
cubic yards an hour, with a premium of
half the dredge's cost if it should deliver
2,40O cubic yards an hour which was be-
yond anything heretofore attempted. The
Beta's official trials have recorded a ca
pacity of 1850 cubic yards per hour.
The first of these hydraulic dredge boats
was built for the United States govern
ment in 1895 for use on the bars in the
Mississippi river. 1t attracted the atten-
ton of the Belgian government, which
sent "A committee of engineers to America
to investigate the Bates system with ref
crence to the availability of the machines
for the proposed "Grande Compure' In
the Scheldt below Antwerp. The com
mission reported minutely on the American
dredges and advised their adoption for
the scheldt improvement. This report at
traCted the attention Of the Russian au-
thorities, who had been trying to find
means to remove Instructions In the
Nolga for long series of years, when
Prince HilkOff, minister of ways and
communications, invited Mr.. Bates, who
was in St Petersburg, to make for the
government private report upon its
ports, as well 10 examine the Nolga
and report upon the adaptablity of his
dredging system to its conditions.
Mr. Bates report 10 Prince Hilkoff re-
suited in a contract to construct for the
Russian government for the sum of $5l5-
coo, the largest and most powerful dredg
ing machine in the world, TO be self-pro-
peling by electric power something I'M
heard of in hydraulic dredging.
The government of Queensland, Aus
tralia, having difficulty with its harbors
and a capital city which floods keep in
undaung, invited Mr. Bates to visiL that
city last winter. He has reported on all
The ports of the colony. His system was
adopted. and machinery to the value of
$l,250,o00 was decided upon, provided the
Russian trials should prove the machines
capable of fulfilling the contracts.
on the way from Australia to Europe
Mr.. Bates stopped at Calcutta While in
London ne had been asked TO examine the
Hooghly and submit a plan for its relief.
Mr. Bates was told that he must make
a proposition on The 'nO-cure-no-pa pay ba-
sis, The remedy proposed by Mr.. Bates
appears to have been quite different from
those previously suggested, and his pro-
jvct aroused enough interest to induce the
Calcutta board 10 send their chief engi-
neer TO Antwerp to be present at the Rus
sian trials, and then TO proceed to Amer
lea on further tour of inspection.
As the results of the trials of the Beta
Calcutta has closed an order for one
dredge of the same type. Queensland has
contracted for three, of 10000 horse-Dow-
er. OF these. one destined to combat the
effects of floods is to be more powerful
than the Volga machine. Russia has in
contemplation several more, and other ne
gotiations are pending which will carry
this valuable invention to many countries
of the globe.