The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-14
CUT CITY'S CABLE
DUG UP BY DREDGE BOAT IN SA-
VANNAH RIVER.
THEN SOLD AS JUNK.
POLICE CHIEF CALLED UPON TO
RECOVER PROPERTY.

junk Dealer Had Purchased 1t for
$2-CabIe Ran to the Wharf of the
Government steamer Tybee on
HutchinsOn's Island and Was Used
by Fire OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Mag
uire Was Securing Estimates for
the Removal of the Cable When
the Mud Digger Destroyed it-COst
the City Originally 1910 and Was
First "Chewed" by a Spanish Ves-
sci.
Because the city was a trifie slow in
taking UP it's fire alarm and telephone
cable, in the Savannah river, it was
dug up by government dredge, and
the superintendent of police was call
ed upon yesterday morning to recover
the pieces.
So effective was the work of the
dredge that the cable is now valuable
only as junk and if another one is put
down it will be at a cost of something
over 5000. The matter may be taken
up by Council and it is possible that
the United States may be asked to
make good the city's loss.
Along with the mud from the bot
tom of the river, at the foot of Bar
nard street, the cable came up in
pieces and was thrown into scow
Later it was dumped into Back river
where it was secured by a scrap man.
and later sold to junk dealer for 81.
The cable was pulled up several days
ago. but not until yesterday morning
did the heads of the fire and police de-
partInents know what had happened.
The police chief called upon the junk
man and had no difficulty in securing
the city's property which was turned
over to Fire Chief Mcguire.
The head of the fire department has
been advised that the destruction of the
cable was with disregard for the rights
of the city. Supt. Mcguire says that
about two weeks ago he received word
from a representative of the dredging
company that the mud digger" would
be at the foot of Barnard street with
in the next ten days and that he had
better make arrangements to protect
the fire departments cable. The fire
chief was at work securing estimates
for the removal of the cable when the
dredge "chewed it up"
The cable was put down by the
city about six years ago at a cost of
$210 1t was laid at the foot of Bar
nard street and ran to the wharf of
the government steamer Tybee, on
Hutchinson's Island. The cable was
put down so that the Tybee could be
reached by telephone and the fire
alarm wires were put in place after
wards, so that in case of fire on the
river front the government boat could
respond promptly. About a year ago
a Spanish vessel entering port struck
the center of the cable and fractured
it. The grounded cable was lifted and
the damage was repaired.
The cable was never in perfect con-
dition after it's encounter with the
Spanish boat but Fire Chief Mcguire
was securing estimates on raising the
cable and repairing the damage when
the dredge got busy and destroyed it.
The chief fireman stated that
he has been informed that the
officer in charge of the dredge asked
what he should do, before
the work of destruction was
started. He says that it was
reported to him that the dredge officer
was instructed to "go ahead and dig the
cable up, the government owns the
river"
A representative of the Georgia Tel
ephone and Telegraph Company was
the first who called the attention of
Supt. Mcguire to what had happened
The telephone man wanted to know
what the fire chief intended doing with
the cable, and for the first time it was
discovered by the city what had been
done. Whether the city will go to the
expense of putting down a new ca
BILE is a question that will be first de-
termined by the Fire Committee of
Council, and afterwards by the Mayor
and aldermen. In the meantime the
junk man who surrendered the proper
ty to the chief of police is out of pocket
81, and Chief Mcguire has cable that
cost the city $210 that is now worth
less, except as Junk.