Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-09-12

d.iloi, a. a. Ia. CONF any shall ~ r-lss 81 from
he othgaitun Of keeping this psrt OF ~
oHbat oi'"n and nayigSble, on the str"ngth or
winch Arrangement the city of Washington
hss recently rNpendsd somswhtt over s2-ssO
upon ihis section, mainly tr the purporr OF
lu proving as sanitary condiuon br securing
r tu,ar roW OF water through it But % make
n iuliy nav igAble Will require a furth.r eKca-
Natoh OF lis oed Of from ihrre 10 four feet in
o'pih- Ard 70 keep ~ clear OF he great
an cunt of washing OF 60 str,st ~ h-com.- I'M
por ant 10 have the bridge Of that str--t wi
censo. and 80 formed a. 10 carry the matter
vssh' a across ibe ernsl. and not into o.. as
now; slso. 10 renew The gats of the lock AZ
l7th street; ard for the purpose OF guarding
alainsi the entrance Of floods into the ciiy by
the way of the foot cf lsth street, IL would also
tr we'll 10 raIse the walls of this lock some
Ihree feet his her, % as to make its height cor
respond with the beiG Ght 10 which IL lseNpected
to raise The per and Causeway, all OF which
viii require a further expenditure OF some
S:VCOh. Rut In view of ats very great lmpor-
isnte 10 he general commerce OF the country,
and Uf the numerous and obvious advantages
itai VIII result 10 this city IN having an un-
lnhlruphd way opened TOR The introduce
non OF millions OF tons Of coal, and OF the
numerous o'her commodities OF great value
aboBndlng along the course of that great
ihoroughfare. ~ rs hoped prompt ana efiectual
measures may he taken 10 have the section
opened and ready Tor navigation, as II may be,
by the early spring OF the coming year, and
that the Improvements suggested for the city
canal may be completed by the same time.
The enure expenditures required to secure
through navigation in the manner propo<ed.
assuming that the pier At the foot Of nth -.
Will be extended suggested, and that the
wall along lts east side, costing $3.50. and
S2U,otO for opening the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal up 10 Rock Creek viii be added 70 the
cost OF opening payieable channel on ether
OF The two courses nsmed. and allowing 5000
for pay OF an engineer. a clerk, and for contin-
eencies, then on the present line OF the canal
from Rock Greek 10 the East Branch. the cost
Will amount 10 about ss2.Ooo; on the James
All OF the foregoing work may be performed
during the cold weather Of the coming fall
and winter. so as TO have The canal completely
naNlgable by early spring, without endanger-
ing the public health, and there will
be nothing offensive attending the con-
struction Of the wall for the eaten-
sion OF the pier at the foot OF 18th street,
this part might be commenced at once. There
fore, ~ would be well 10 have immediate meas
ures taken to put this part under contract.
And by the time the work on this wall shall be
so far advanced as 10 form a place for receiy-
ing The deposits from the canal and BASIN saw
by the middle OF October, then the dredging
OF the channel might also be commenced, and
n well prosecuted, a nayigabIe channel NAV
be formed through the basin and in the canal
as far east as l4th street bridge, early enough
10 AFFORD at least one months use before nayi-
CATION shall be closed by ice. The s75,OOO al
ready appropriated for the improvement OF
the canal Will, without doubt, be sufficient to
carry the work to this point, 10 l4th street
pricge, including the extension of the 18TH
street pier IL so, and this extension shalI
really be worth S6u,COO then. resulting az this
does, directly from the $500 expended, there
viii be left el5OOO as the actual cost OF all the
improvements made and TO be made by thie ex-
penditure of s75,UO0. over and above the value
of this one item worth s6O,uUO.
Another matter deserving attention is the
importance OF straig htes ing the course of the
canal and thereby remove some Of its sharpest
angles such as the three nearly right angles
located between 7th street and Maryland
avenue. These can be entirely disposed OF by
adopting straight course for the canal be-
tween these two points, and by SO doing the
distance between these points or the length OF
canal connecting them, will be shortened about
seven hundred .eet, the ad vantages OF which
are numerous and too obvious 10 require nam
ing al this time. But a. most OF this part comes
within Government reservations. IL will re-
quire action on the part OF Congress TO maize
this change. Still, IL n so PLAN that the beau
" and value OF these grounds would be i'm
proved by such a change that there can be no
gress.
Such a change in the course of the canal will
also enable the Government TO make a more
satisfactory disposition OF the water OF the IT,
Der, as the arched way for this stream can then
be turned into and along the south course of
the present canal at Third street and empty
into the improved canal, In its new course, at
Mary Wand avenue, there 10 discharge its water
IN a direction down stream, instead OF against
the current OF the canal as II now does
Should this system for improving the canal
be adopted, and should il be- determined on to
PlOecSult "OIk egstctndtlCdlly ana with
Nigor, for the purpose OF securing early nayi-
CATION, then no time should be lost in making
the necessary surveys, and as near as possible
exact estimates OF the different parts of the
work. he first part, then, requiring attention
is the Wall Tor the extension of the pier al I7th
street, which ought TO be formed of good sized
stone, resting on a firm pile foundation; and
this part might be commenced al once. After
which should follow q survey OF the bed Of the
basin and canal, for the purpose of forming a
proper channel; the dredging OF which 10 COM
mPncP entrance he
the work on the wall shall be so far advanced
as TO form place for depositing the matter to
be oredged from the channel. And by the time
this wall shall be finished and the channel
dredged as far east as l4th street bridge the
weather will probably be cold enough to
oredge or excayate on any part of the canal
within the denser parts of the city. Work on
the eastern section OF the Chesapeake and Ohio
CsnSl, and on its lock and gates, may also be
comm need as soon as IL shall be fully au-
thorized. Very respectfully.
Il. SRvRRsoN,
Engineer in charge Of the Canal improvement.