Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-10-28

this noble stream made available sfoe puERoso Of
tsode % far mp - 0eosgetown. c. ~
indknincant sum required fos this Pu1 e Coz
pared with resulfing benefits, u u ne OF ss1s
pr,,s that it should have been % long oGglecte1.
Ous purpose, however, IL not TO compl((4 Of pe1t
neglect 20 much ~ TO express the hs(e Inst ~
yin be atoned Tor Ear - II can be by energetic
action in the future. The present condition Of
the river IL thus described In the admirable report
made In February, 1857, 10 Vie Secretary q the
Interior by Alfred l.. Rives, Esq, Civil Engineer.
Sc House 81, Dec. No. 6, Cd ssss. 3ath Cong.
"a complies hydroeraphic. survey, .
extending distance Of six mles-fro the island
rocks, celled ne Three 0isoss @ half mile shsvs
Sscsgesown.l TO Geesbcsosgh Point Zone mile
some Improvements IN the actual state Of the liver
ts impeTatively demanded. =
"The depth of The Potomac 1t The Three Sisters
y % Ghty-Sour fest and thence TO . quarter Of :
one . thirty-shrse fest Blow that point the cur
rent spreads itself over pm mme.se sarf.ce, grad
ually losing ie enefg until that ch:nnel present:
extrsordinsry low tides gAs the tide rises only,
three feet, this depth 10 wholly inadequate for the
purposes Of navigation. Further 90, the causevay
Of the Long Bridge 20 contracts the current that
we again ind depth Of thirty-two feet. Below
the Long Bridge there exists two channels--the
Georyctown % Virginia, and the Washington o.
city channel. The former 10 by far the more con-
exert theft beneficial influence on the latter AfSer
the junction Of tho two channels the water attaus
a depth Of ffty-four feet -
Thus IL appears that even above Georgetown, a
well a. below the ats In front OF rs there ID depth
Of water enough TO Aoat the largest ship that sails
the ocean,. And yet between thoss points the
channels have been allowed partially to an up
With alluvial deposites, the force Of the currents
being rendered tooweak to keep them open by
dinnsion Of the waten over too wide surface.
To remedy this svil II il clearly necessary. afses
removing the distractions now existing, only to
conhne the winters within the channel limits; and
This happily may he done at moderate cost.
For the Improvement Of the Georgetown Or Viz
gihia chanaei the Board Of Aldermen passed an
act last Monday evening, sppropriating I've thou
sand dollars, with the understanding that George
town would provide a like amount We presume
the Board Of Common Council will likewise pan
this act, and that Che Mayor viii both approve Il
and caase u to be promptly executed. Aes Sal 80
We ere well aware that our citizens are not
united In support Of this measure, a large number
regarding il as conducting TO the building up Of
other Interests at their expense, which 10 no doubt
to some extent tfue. And yet, II II be fmpracti-
cable at present 10 undertake the Improvement Of
the Washington channel, we are quite willing for
present purposes to advocate the improvement Of
the other, pfesuming that the people Of George
town will meet ms In the same liberal spirit, and
do what they cam 10 render our expenditures
remunerative to NJ as well - to themselves This
they have the power 70 do IL 10 Inclined At
present II wen known that boat load Of coal,
-four or other produce, from shove Georgetown,
can only reach our western wharves ~ bslk by
passing down the canal 70 Alezandsia, and thence
up the river. This 10 all wrong. Let the basin
NJ d 49, Co. r. -
boats may pa6 through o those wharyes a well
as to the lower portion Of Georgetown itself, and
a trade win spring up, the extent Of which has
never been dreamed Of by the most nnguine Of
our people. yoIgmi - .ss-gas 80 D. Z e4s
AWARDING or CONTACTS By INDIAN BunKAu-
The following contracts have been awarded by
the Indian Bureau: Class No. I--M.ckinac blan.
kets, cloths, and dry-goods. to Cronin, Hurxthal
& Sean, New York. Class No.2-Read made
clothing, to Whiting, Galloupe, Blia 4 Co., Bos-
ton. Ciass No. .3-Hardware, agricultural imple-
ments, &C., to Dugan & Jenkins, Baltimore. class
No. 4-Northwest guns and powdef-horns, to H.
+. Leman, Lancaster, Pa. 3 Tdg
ARMY IkTRLLIsKScx. Assistant Surgeon r
Potts, U O. A. has been directed 10 repair to Fort
Ripley, MINI, without delay, and resume his du-
ties at that post. -eF,aV sse,. --,s
Leave Of absence for sixty days has been granted
to Fifst Lieut.. Theodore Talbot, first artillery.
u 8. SLsoP-oF-WAR SARATOGA. -Intellipence
received at the Navy Department from Pensacola
announces the arrival Of the y. 8. sloop-of-war
Saratoga. Com Turner, ut on the nth inst
DxAfH OF ASRAMAN.-Informatio Of the death
OF William Kelly, seaman board the e s.
ship Savannah, has been received At the Navy
Department.
AnRivEp.-rhe Hon. VIM. NJ. Gwin, u 3. Sen.
ator from California, reached this city on wednes-
day afternoon, looking in nne health we are happy
TO say. laitH z aaazt al1E kHE,
SECRETARY FLoYD.--The Secretary of War lrft
this city yesterday evening, on short visit to the
Arsenal at Harper's Ferry. 7ezaof slT
g NAVAL PRoNoTIoN.-Edwin Fithian has been
commisoned a . chief engineer In the NAVY.
TIE WsAfnxRs-The following report Of The
weather for this morning ID made nom the More
Telegraph line 10 the Smithsonian nstItution
The une o. observation 10 shout O'Clock:
:, = .rx4 OcrosEl % 1852
New York. N. Y..........clear, cool
=