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The specific gravity varies considerably according to the state of the tide, and is modified 

 somewhat by the freshets in the Savannah River. In October, at Thunderbolt, the mean of 

 forty-two specimens, taken every 4 hours, was 1.0140, the maximum 1.0149, and the minimum 

 1.0074. At low water, near the mouth of Herb River, it was 1.0096; at high water 1.0134; at 

 Turner's Rock the mean of two specimens was 1.0167. At The Sisters the mean of nine specimens 

 was 1.0189. At high water, 1 mile below The Sisters, it was 1.0173, and 2 miles below it 

 was 1.0208. Near the mouth of the river the mean of six specimens was 1.0212. The maximum 

 was 1.027 1, the minimum being 1.0188. The mean rise and fall of the tide in this river was 

 about 8 feet, being a few inches higher above Turner's Rock, and a few inches lower below it. 



At Thunderbolt the strongest current observed was 1.3 knots per hour. The total area 

 from Thunderbolt to the mouth is 2,116 acres; that beyond 1,000 feet from the shore, 460 acres. 

 Area of natural oyster beds, 8 acres. 



Herb River. — This is a tributary of the Wilmington River, which it enters about 1 mile 

 below Thunderbolt. From its mouth it leads through marshes in a general southwesterly 

 direction, and separates Dutch Island on the east from the main land on the west. It is about 

 4 miles long, and averages about two hundred yards in width. The depth of water for the 

 greater part ranges from 8 to 20 feet. The bottom is variable, but the greater part is mud. 

 Near the left shore there is hard mud, and in some places there is sticky mud with occasional 

 sand. There is very little shifting bottom near the right bank. In places of small area con. 

 siderable deposits of mud are going on, and dead shells are found beneath the mud. 



Specific gravity. — The specific gravity at low water at the mouth was 1.0119. Two miles 

 above the mouth, at one-half flood, 1.0123. The area of the first three miles is 160 acres. Area 

 of natural oyster beds 1 1 acres, the greater part being about depleted by fishing. This stream 

 has some very favorable natural advantages for the cultivation of oysters. It is only indirectly 

 affected by the freshets in the Savannah River, receiving sufficient fresh water to make the 

 oysters fat in the winter, and sufficient salt water, with the flood tides, to give them a good 

 flavor. 



Skiddaway River is a tributary of the Wilmington River, into which it flows nearly opposite 

 Turner's Rock. It leads through marshes in a southwesterly direction, separating Skiddaway 

 Island on the east from Dutch Island, and the Isle of Hope on the west. For the first 3 

 miles it averages about one-fourth of a mile in width. It then narrows and divides into two 

 branches, after which it is called Isle of Hope River. For the most part the depth of water 

 ranges from 12 to 25 feet. The character of the bottom is soft mud, with an occasional small 

 area of hard and sticky mud and sand. 



Specific gravity. — The specific gravity at the mouth at one-third tide was 1.0167. Two 

 miles above the mouth at low water, 1.0144. The total area from Isle of Hope to the mouth 

 was 450 acres; area of natural oyster beds 12 acres. The oysters found in this river were 

 small and scattering, and there were many dead shells among them. It is believed that oysters 

 can be profitably grown in the deeper water of this river, especially in the channel, where the 

 current is strong and the deposit least. 



Grimball's Creek. — This is a small tributary of Skiddaway River, which it enters on its 

 western side about 2 miles above its mouth, separating Dutch Island from the Isle of Hope. 

 It is only about 1 mile in length, and averages abotit 100 yards in width. The depth of 

 water ranges from 2 to 6 feet. The bottom is soft mud, but not too soft to prevent planted 

 oysters from growing. The total area of the creek is 54 acres. Area of natural oyster beds, 3 

 acres. This creek is only adapted, by reason of its shoal water, to the cultivation of oysters 

 by the use of tongs. 



Half Moon River flows into the Wassaw Sound through the marshes of Wilmington Island, 

 just south of the mouth of Tybee River. It averages about 400 yards in width for the first 

 mile, when it narrows and extends through the marshes north and west to the wooded portions 

 of Wilmington Island. It is shoal, ranging from 3 to 10 feet, and the bottom is soft mud and 



