Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-02-17
WASHINGTON AND POTOMAC BRIDGE

WASHINGTON AND POTOMAC BRIDGE.
Report of the Committee Of the House OF Repre-
sentdtiues, lohich accompanied me 6att, P@o-
Iished ~, the G1zette of Friday last, concern
inc the construction of a Bridge orer the Poto-
mac By the United States.
The COMMITTEES on Roads and Canals, to
which was referred the message OF the Presl-
dent of the United States, in answer to the fol-
lowing resolution Of the House, viz:
Resolred That the President of the United
States be requested to lay before this House
a COPY of any contract which may have been
made for the construction of bridge. across
the Potomac river opposite to the city OF w ash
ington together with the authority under which
such contract may have been made; the names
of the contractors and of their securities, II any,
and the pan and estimate of the cost OF such
bridge--(See Message marked A.
Report, that the Committee having early re-
solved to limit the sum, of which they might re-
commend the appropriation to objects OF inter-
nal improvement, with reference to the proDapie
surplus which may remain in the Treasury at
the end of the current year, alter deducung
from the nett revenue all other expenses OF the
Government felt it to be their duty to ascertain
what would be the probable cost OF the 6rldge
proposed to be constructed across the Potomac,
opposite the City of Washington, having under
stood that it was expected very largely to eX-
coed the sum already appropriated to that OBJ
iect by the acts OF Congress of the 18th day OF
: July, 1882, and the I'd of March, 1888.
The Committee having instructed their Chair
man to obtain such information as might LEAD
TO correct conclusion on this subject, have
learnt that no lrritten contract has, as yet, been
made by the Secretary OF the Treasury, Tor the
construction of the proposed bridge: but that,
under certain proposals, not yet reduced TO the
form of contract, nor guaranteed 6y any SPe-
cifc securitr, o. II. Dibble has made prepara-
tons for the construction of a bridge OF the de
scrption, specified in his suolomed proposals,
for the sum of 100000 dollars, exclusive OF
any allowances for extra work.-(See propo-
sails marked B, and consecutively l, 2, and A.
With his proposals, are subjoined, those OF other
contractors some of whom are known to mem
bers of your Committee to be men of eXpe-
rience, who concur in estimating the cost OF the
proposed Bridge, on the plan submitted by y.
H. Dibble at much higher price, some OF them
at three millions of dollars. And the annexed
communication to the Secretary of the Treasu-
rv from an eminent civil engineer, in the ser
vice Of the United States Colonel Baldwin, OF
Massachusetts, renders it more than probable,
that the highest proposals for the construction
of the proposed Bridge, provided it be of stone
arches, resting on stone abutments and piers,
carried down to safe foundation, will fall very
far short of its actual cost-(See correspon-
dence marked c.
Your Committee felt it to be their duty also,
knowing that commOdfous wooden bridge
across the Potomac, had been once erected, and
long stood near the place where 1t Is proposed
to erect stone bridge, to inquire into the org-
nal cost the actual duration, and the annual re-
pairs of that Bridge.
In answer to letter addressed, for that pur-
pose TO DR.. Frederick May, the former Presl-
dent of the late Bridge Company, by whom that
Bridge was constructed, they received the sub
Joined letter. (marked D. 1t appears from TINS
letter, that the late Bridge, the abutments and
piers of which were recently valued at 10000
dollars and are now standing, & uninJured since
thew were purchased by the United States, orr
gnally cost 90 900 dollars; that it was first open
ed for use on the 1st of May, 1909, and remain
ed in constant use until the 22d February,
1881, period Of near 90 years, when part
of it was carried away by freshet; in that pc
Rod, its total repairs, including the sum OF 49,,
S5l O3 laid out on permanent works of mason
ry and earth, prior TO its late purchase by the
United States, cost sos G67 95. So that, deduct
ing the sum of 1881 o. the expenditure of
which was designed and calculated to reduce
the cost of future repairs the annual cost of re-
pairing the Bridge, during period of very near
% years, amounted to less than SuUO dollars per
annum.
Your Committee perceive, on examining the
profile of the bottom of the river, under sec
ton passing alongside of the present bridge,
that the total breadth of the river, between its
present abutments, amounts to 1888 feet, and
that Of thus distance the water is for 1860 feet
of less depth than four feet; varying between
that, its greatest depth in that distance, and two
feet its least depth. 1t is upon those shoals that
the late Bridge Company erected, of earth and
stone, thirty-nine piers % feet square each,
which have since withstooS the heaviest freshets
of the Potomac.-E (see Executive Documents,
Vol l, No. %, of the last Congress.)
Your Committee are further apprized, that
the breadth of the Potomac, at this place, is
more than fivetimes its breadth between George
town and Analostan Island, and that it was
there desgnedy and greatly reduced below its
former breadth, by stopping up, by solid en-
bankment the old and deeper channel, which
passed between that island, and what was once
the Virginia shore. A work of much cost con-
structed for the purpose of improving the shoal-
er channel next to Georgetown.
Having reference to this policy, and to the
fact that the abutments and piers OF the stone
bridge would reduce the open space below, one
fourth atleast, the Committe presume that while
no injury would be sustained by contracting
49,, 49, 80 for 66f feet of