The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-26

Il. consequently vessels coming from the
southwest should stand well out and come
in straight providing they draw more
than ten feet. Vessels from other direc-
lions will not be affected"
Such Information not only saves lake
captains from danger. but also works to
rectfy the caprlces of the lake, for on
being forwarded to the proper authorities
in Chicago and in Washington steps are
Immediately taken to have dredging and
other work done to remove these impede
ments to navigation.
Many causes combine to form shoals In
Lake Michigan. Some Of these are con-
slant. Any strong wind or storm is likely
to form two or three bars not far out
from shore, but a change in wind is just
as likely to wipe them out. Then there
are constant currents in some part of the
lake which can always be counted upon
TO cause trouble If left to their own de-
vices. At this southern END of the lake
there is a current steadily drifting in
a southwesterly direction 1t is this cur
rent which makes an annual dredging of
the mouth of the Chicago river necessa-
ry and which enables owners of riparian
rights to make land on the lake front by
simply running out an oblique or an L.
shaped pier of piles.
This current brings the sand down in a
constant stream, which, lodging against
any obstruction in its way, soon forms a
bar or makes land. 1t Is this current,
also, which Is largely responsible for the
most extensive and permanent bar at
the southern end of the lake. This bar
runs from about the foot of Fhirty-eighth
street, in a southeasterly direction, almost
as far as the Sixty-ninth street crib. The
lighthouse authorities in charge OF the
placing of buoys have been obliged this
spring to place two extra buoys on this
bar because of the accumulations which
nave gathered during the winter.
Capt. Andres. in charge of the Jackson
Park life-saviug station, has a theory to
advance for the increased length and shall
lowness of this reef.
81 watched the ice banks all winter"
said Capt. Andres, and l knew from tho
way they were lodged on that reK that
It would grow during the winter. Ice
banks were stranded on that bar nearly
all winter and the wind and waves drove
sand against them. This is usually the
way reef Is formed. The reason that
this particular reef is so constant Is due
to the fact that winds from the southwest
coming over the land do not have sum-
Client opportunity to stir up a sea. The
real nature of the formation of shoals Is
this: Somewhere underneath six or eight
inches of sand in the lake bottom there
Is a substratum of clay. Wherever this
is the case the sand sticks to the clay
and will form reef.
AT this end Of the lake we do not have
the trouble from shoals and bars that
mariners experience up north among the
Islands. / was statlonerd at Manftou
Island station several seasons. We had
to be constantly on the lookout for freaks
on the part OF the lake. l remember one
day when a stiff southwesterly wind was
blowing II made a bar near the navi-
gable channel, finally forming a reef,
with several feet OF land visible above
the waves. The next morning we took
FIVE crews Off this reef and their boats
were destroyed. Yet on the following
day the wind shifted and the reef disap-
peared as quickly as IL had come"