William N. Jeffers Letter 9 November 1874
Nov 9, 1874
Commodore T. H. Stevens
Commandant
Sir:
The Bureau has received your letter of the 6th inst, No 136, enclosing the estimate of Civil Engineer Asserson, No 58, for wharf, tramway and embankment at Craney Island, revised in accordance with its letter of the 28th ult.
As this as this estimate corresponds with the actual cost of a similar wharf constructed at the new Naval Magazine here, the Bureau approves it; and having full confidence in Mr. Asserson's ability and judgment, directs that the work shall be proceeded with without delay under his supervision, the expense to be charged to app “Magazine Norfolk” 1874 - 75. The estimates are not to be exceeded without the Bureaus sanction.
In this connection the Bureau calls attention to the following extract from a recent number of “The Engineer” October 23, 1874, concerning marine worms (limnoria terebramo). “The conclusion that the author arrived at are: (1) that when repairing timber structures, all timber attacked by the marine worms, especially, the limnoria terebramo, should be removed and not allowed to remain alongside the new work, as the worms migrate from the old to the new, that part of a pile nearest the old being always the first to be attacked; the author has found that the piles standing by themselves have always been attacked to a lesser extent then where several piles were together.”
Finally, the Bureau will advise you regarding the tramway iron as soon as it receives the chart of the ground now being made by the Coast Survey.
Respectfully,
Wm N. Jeffers
Chief of the Bureau
Fort Norfolk Documents
1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799,
1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809,
1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817,
1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859
Source of Information
National Archives, Record Group 74 Records of Bureau of Ordnance
Letters Sent to Navy Yards & Stations, 1842 - 1882.
Norfolk
May 1867 - Oct 1881
Box No. 16, Entry 3
Page 13 - 14