The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-11
PLENTY OF BIDDERS
CONTRACTORS ANXIOUS TO GET
WORK IN SAVANNAH HARBOR.
WANT THE BIG CONTRACT.
REQUESTS FOR SPECIFICATIONS
FROM ALL OVER COUNTRY.

Capt. C. E. Gillette, Back From the
Far West. Says Work of Mafnten-
ance I'm the HarbOr Is Progressing
WeII-COal Strike, However, Is
Having Eject on Contractors
ArdOr and Preventing Increase 10
Number of Dredges-CRpt. Gillette
Served on Two boards of Engi-
neer Officers Named TO Solve Prob
lens in Columbia River-PIans for
Big Steel Dredge.
Capt. Cassius E. Gillette returned
yesterday morning from a thirty days
trip TO the West, most of which time
he spent in and near Portland, Ore,
as a member of engineer boards APP
pointed to investigate and report upon
two difficult engineering problems Of
fered by the Columbia river.
Capt. Gillette said yesterday that
much interest is being manifested by
contractors all over the country in the
big contract for the Improvement of the
harbor of Savannah, bids for which are
to be opened on Oct. %. He has re-
ceived a number of requests for spe-
cifications and blank forms. which in
dictate there will be a number of bid
ders for the work.
The coal strike is having its effect
on the work of maintenance in the Sa-
vannah river, the pending contract for
which is let to p. Sanford Ross. The
work has progressed well, but the
contractor would be willing to double
his force and use additional dredges
but for the scarcity of coal. As it is
however, there are only a few shoal
places left in the channel. and these
are being rapidly removed.
One of the boards of which Capt
Gillette was a member made a survey
and will make a report upon the Co
lumbia river bar. which has shoaled
ten feet in the last few years. When
the last project for its improvement
was carried out there was thirty-foot
channel across the bar, but from nat
ural causes this depth has been reduc-
ed to twenty feet.
Between Walls of Basat.
The second board had a very much
more difficult problem to solve. 1t is
TO connect the two navigable portions
of the Columbia river, now separa ted
by series of rapids. One of these
rapids, known as The Dalles, is a mile
and three-quarters in length. For that
distance the river rushes between solid
walls of basaltic rock, with a surging
velocity that makes the very thought
of navigation impossible. There are
other rapids scarcely less dangerous
and Offering problems in engineering
scarcely less difficult of correct solu-
ton.
A project which contemplates rails
ing the hight of the river by twenty
feet and thus reducing the velocity has
already received the approval of Con-
gress and $4000,000 have been
appropriated to carry it into eff
feet. The boards function is to sug-
gest such notifications of the original
project as will increase it's efficiency
and decrease it's cost.
On the board which made the sur
vey of The Dalles were Col. William II.
Heuer of San Francisco, Maj w. l..
Marshall of New York, Capt Edward
Burr of Washington, Capt. Gillette Of
Savannah and Capt. c. H. McKinstrey
of Washington, all officers of the Corps
of Engineers On the Columbia river
bar board Col. Heuer was replaced by
Capt J. c. Sanford of Charleston.
Capt. Gillette said specifications for
the big sea-going dredge, with which
the government will itself do the work
of dredging across the Savannah bar,
have not yet been prepared. They will
be in time to permit the building of
the dredge and the completion of its
share of the operations before the con-
tract work is ended