The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-23
FOR DEEPER WATER
SPECIFICATIONS FOR 2s-FOoT PRO-
JECT APPROVED.
THE ADVERTISEMENT MADE.
BIDS WILL BE OPENED IN ENGI-
NEER'S OFFICE ON OCT. 23.

The Specifications Call for AbOnt
100000 Cubic Yards of Dredging.
and Will Probably Involve the
Expenditure of About $1.2oO,O0O.
The Entire sweep of the Channel,
From the Upper Wharves TO the
sea, to Be Improved Channel
Width to Be Increased, So That
Everywhere 1t VIII Be From 300
to 500 Feet-Two Years to COM
pIete the Work.
The plans and specifications of Capt
Cassius E. Gillette, to carry into effect
the 2S-foot project for the improve
ment of Savannah harbor, have been
approved by the War Department, and
bids for the work will be opened in the
engineers Office here on Oct. %. Adj
vertisements for bids are now being
made.
AS before announced in the Morning
News, the project contemplates the i'm
provement of the harbor by dredging
operations almost exclusively, and it is
the big contract" for the utilization
of the s1.OOO.OOO appropriation of the
last river and harbor bill and the
greater part of the balance of the for
mer unexpended appropriation, bids
for which are, now being asked.
The whole sweep of the channel,
from above the old water works to the
channel bar, is to be included in the
scope of improvement. Not only is the
channel to be deepened, but it is to
be widened also. so that in it's mar
rowest reaches it will be 300 feet in
width, and opposite the city and in
places of special difficulty or import
ance from 400 to 500 feet wide.
To Spend About Sf.2OO,OOO.
The specifications call for the dredg-
ing of about 100000 cubic yards of
dredging from the channel bed, and
the contract, it is currently supposed,
though of course not officially stated,
will involve the expenditure of some
thing like S12OO.O0O
1t will require about two years from
the acceptance of the successful bid
for the completion of the work The
bids will be opened Oct. %, and as soon
thereafter DIS DOSSlBle the successful
bidder will be notified. Sixty day-7
from the time of his notification he VIII
be required to begin operations on the
contract
1t is estimated that it will require
possibly thirty days for the examina-
ton of the bids and the selection of
that which to the department seems to
be the best. Other things being equal,
of course, the lowest bid will be ac-
cepted.
To BE Completed in 1905.
While it is possible the successful
bidder will not wait for the expiration
of the so days allowed him to be-
gin work. it is probable that most
of this time will be consumed. 1t
is currently believed operations will be
begun on or about Feb. l. On or about
Feb. /, 1905, the work will be COM
pleted, and Savannah will have a
channel down the harbor. from the
wharves to the sea, % feet in depth
and from 200 to 500 feet in width.
The approval of the specifications
and the advertisement for bids will be
very acceptable news to the CONNER
cial interests and the people gen
orally of Savannah, who have waited
long, if not patiently, for this be e
ginning of operations towards the con +.
summation of their hopes. They wi /,
he better pleased, of course, when
the work is actually begun and most
when it is finished
Capt. Gillette is now a member of
a board of engineer officers convened
at Portland, Ore, and will be absent
probably for the rest of the month
and possibly for some time longer. He
will be back in the city in time to
opPn the bids