The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-30
FROM WATER FRONT
BIG sCow BUILDING CONTRACT
FINISHED, AT JACKSONVILLE.
TEN BUILT AT $4,000 EACH.
A LARGE DREDGE ALSO JUST COM
PLETED.

The Time and Money Saved Demon
.trntes the sOuth's Advantages as
a shipbuIIding Center-Tug Abrnm
Minis to Tow the Last ScOw to the
Delaware Breakwater-Tbe New
Crnft to BE Used I'm Dredging OPP
erntions I'm New York HnrbOr.
What seems to be perfect evidence Of
the superior advantages the South Of
fers for shipbuilding is the completion
of a dredge and ten huge scows at
Jacksonville for Hughes Bros. & Bangs,
dredging contractors of New York. The
dredge represents a large outlay OF
money, while it is stated the ten scows
cost $780, 900 each, with $4,000 worth of
machinery to be installed in them after
they are delivered at their destination.
1t is doubtful If a contract of this
magnitude has ever before been exc
cuted in the South, and particularly on
the South Atlantic coast. The contrac-
tors selected this location because they
were assured of both economy and dis
patch. They built their craft and towed
it to the Delaware Breakwater for a
lower rate of towage than the freight
on the raw material would have been.
And the work was finished many times
quicker than it could have been done at
the North. because the agreeable
Southern climate enabled the workmen
to continue their operations without
weather Interruptions
The tug Abram Minis, Capt. Frank
t. ,,wvtl a
to take the last of the ten scows to
the Breakwater. This will make eight
of the ten she has lowed. together with
the dredge. The company towed two of
the first turned out, but decided not to
undertake handling the balance. The
company does its own towing from the
Breakwater on to New York, however.
The scows are being used in the pres
ent dredging operations in New York
harbor. What is known as the South
west channel, which is for the big
trans Atlantic liners and other large
craft, Is being dug to a depth of thirty
feet at high water and twenty-four feet
at low water out of Sandy Hook. 1t will
require two years to complete the work.
The South channel in which there is in
the neighborhood of twenty-four feet
of water, is used mostly by coastwise
and smaller craft in passing in and
out.
Scow No. 10. which the Minis is to
tow up, will first go to Wilmington.
Del, where she will be fitted out with
machinery, and from there she will be
taken on to New York
One of these scows was seen in Sa-
vannah some months ago, when the
Minis stopped to coal on her way up.
1t will be remembered as the huge red
craft that attracted so much attention
opposite the foot of East Broad street.
Each scow has a capaciy of 1000 tons,
and will haul 10000 cubic yards of
mud.
There is every reason why all such
| building should be done in the South,
said one man. Not only is the weather,
and also the facilities for towing unex-
celled, but all the materials may be
had on short notice. The yellow pine
may be delivered by extending tracks
right into the yards. All that is requir-
ed upon which to predicate shipbuild-
ing boom in the South is a recognition
of what has been accomplished along
this line
The programme is for the steamboat
| Two States to be launched at the Plant
System wharves to-day.
The steamship Karoon was yesterday
posted at the Cotton Exchange by ]. F.
Minis & Co. to arrive Aug. Is, to load
for Barcelona and Genoa.
Not for a long time has the harbor
| been as quiet at this season as 1t is
now. Few vessels are in port to load
1t is reported the demand for tonnage
is being felt some in the markets. and
| particularly the cotton market. Lumber
vessels are leaving rapidly, and none
are arriving to take their places owing
to the fact that the weather at pres
ent is unfavorable for bringing them
down.