The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1915-12-16
WAR DEPART TMENT
RECOMMENDS BIG
WORK ON CHANNEL
Depth of Twenty=seven Feet at
Mean Low Water Through
out Inner Harbor.
MAY INCREASE TO 80 FEET
Local improvement Has Been
Given Official Endorsement
by Navy Department and Ap-
preparation Will Be Made.
MAY INCREASE TO 80 FEET

Brunswick's fight for a deeper chan
mel, docks to sea- has practically been
won, though this w2s accomplished
when the board of army engineers re-
ported favorably some time ago on the
project, recommending an appropria-
tion sufficient to secure u feet of wa
ter at mean low water and "a feet at
mean low water at the outer bar
While the project had previously re-
ceived the recommendati1n of the
board of engineers, no de. mite steps
looking TO the appropriations for the
work were taken until Tues 'ay, when
the war department submitte to con-
gress a favorble recommend ton for
the work. The bill making the ap-
preparation will probably be intro
duced during the week
When announcement was ma J last
week that congress had passeu ! $ an
nual rivers and harbors bill ca wing
an appropriation of $33,000,000, in
which was included $4,000 for the
Brunswick harbor many people
thought that the new project had fail
ed, and that the $4,000 was all that
this port would receive during the
present session. The matter was at
once taken up with Washington, and
it was announced that the bill carry
ing appropriations of $33,000,000 was
only for maintenance, therefore the
$35, 900 given to Brunswick was for
maintenance purposes only.
The bill carrying the extra amount
for the deeper channel project will be
included in another bill. The recon-
mendation made by the war depart
ment Tuesday was for a first appro-
priation of $240,000. This, however,
is only the sum needed to start the
work, as the entire project calls for
approximately $625,000.
When the Board of Trade started its
fight for a deeper channel in the har-
Dor and on the outer bar, depth of 80
feet was asked for. However, after
the survey was made it was recon-
mended that a channel of 27 feet in
allowed this port, and such a recon-
mendation was made by Colonel Lang
fit, engineer in charge of this district,
then by the board of army egineers,
after a personal visit of some of the
members of the board, and now the
war department has joined in the rec
ommendation, which means that the
project will absolutely be carried out.
In this connection it can be stated
that, while a depth of 27 feet is pro-
vded for, still it is generally under
stood that while this work is in prog
ress, a close watch will be kept on
the port, and if the increase in Bruins
wick's commerce is sufficient to war
rant it, then the appropriation will be
increased to a sufficient sum to con-
tinue the work and complete the 80
foot channel, which will call for ap-
proximately one million dollars.
The Board of Trade took up the
question of deeper water two or three
years ago and the fight has been on
steadily since that time. A volumi-
nous batch of figures have been pre-
pared by Secretary Weatherly in the
fight and various delegations have
been sent to Washington.
Brunswick people very naturally are
delighted with the success of the un-
dertaking.