Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-02-09
THELONG BRIDGE ANDTHE IMPROVEMENT
OF THE CHANNEL

THELONG BRIDGE AND THE IMPROVEMENT
q. OF THE CHANNEL.
In the year 1856, IN accord lance with an act of
Congress calling for plans and estimates for
permanent bridges across the Potomac, Alfred
L. RIves, Esq, the able engineer to whom the
execution of the law was entr listed, made very
careful surveys and estimates, followed by
report that ELECTED general admiration by its
ability, ARD by the Gagacity OF the views pre-
senfed for dealing, not only with the bridge
question, but also with that OF even more i'm.
poriance, the question of the Improvement of
navigation on our river front. His plans were
so practical and SO easy or execution, at a
moderate expense, that 10 was at that time
deemed certain that the work would be speed
lily entered upon and completed; but more
than ten years have elapsed, and it has no,
even been commenced, while the necessities
Tor Its accomplishment have yearly SHOW.
themselves more apparent. The recent break.
age Of the Long Bridge and the railroad bridge
cansing necessity for dealing with the que,.
ton at this time, and the fact that the Potion &C
during the present flood has sought the very
channel indicated by Mr.. Rive as the proper
one, makes 1t matter of interest to reprodu ce
the main points of his report
Its evident, he says, that plans for a per.
manent bridge at Washington cannot be pro-
perry matured without a due regard to the in
terests of navigation, nor should the eouaIIv
vital and important question OF railway com
munication be overlooked. A thorough ex-
ANIMATION OF the river and adjacent country
was, therefore, deemed indispensable. A COM
plets photographic survey, extending a dis.
lance OF SIX miles-from the island rocks, called
the Three Sisters, "a half mile above George
town. to GSsborough Point, Zone mile below
the neutrality-suspicious. conclusively that
some improvement In the actual state of the
river is imperatively demanded The depth
OF the Potomac at the Three Sisters is eighty
four ct, and thence TO a quarter OF a mile
below Easby's wharf varies from twenty-one
TO thiriy-three feet. Below that point the eur
rent spreads itself over an immense surface.
gradually losing its energy, until the channel
presents depth OF only ten feet at mean. and
eight feet at extraordinary low tides As the
zoe rises only three feet, this depth is wholly
inadequate for the purposes OF navigation.
PARTNER on, the canseway of the Long Bridge
so contracts the current that we again ind a
depth OF thirty-two feet Below the Long
Bridge there exists two channels-:he q eor,e
town, or Virginia, and the Washington, or
City channel. The former is by far the moro
considerable, until the tides OF the Eastern
Branch exert their beneficial infiuenc e on the
latter After the junction OF the two channels
the water aftains depth Of fifty -four feet.
Thus II will be seen, that there are flats sepa
rating the Washington and Georgetown chan
nels, and extending as far as the Eastern
Branch. He says:
lit has been very common to assume thu
tnese mats owe their origin TO the causeway
constructed 70 facilitate the erection of the
Long Bridge This, however. seems to me a
singular confusion of cause and effect The
eanseway resulted from the flats, not the flats
n
chan mel through their midst, which, with or
without the Long Bridge causeway, must
eventually have disappeafed as q conseo uen &c
Oh .6e permanent conne1ion Of Masons or
examination Of old charts, well as reflsc.
usu upon the necessary operations of nature
convince me that these fiats date from period
long antecedent TO the erection of tHe ca use.
way. That they have increased more r tpidIy
during the past fifty years Is but natural.
when we consider what vast deposits must re.
now rendered doubly turbid from WISHING tns
SHORES OF highly cultivated region II must
De evident that ploughed hill s.des furnish
moro aIluvial deposit than unbroken forests
or grassy slopes. By the operation Of these
and similar causes, many ports formerly dean
and accessible, now scarcely exist of which
Biadensourg, in our immediate, vicinity, and
osnels on our rivers OF the Auahdc seabord, are
In many cases this state of things admits Of
ne remedy without great and continued ex-
Rend,t1res; Inc case OF The Potomac al Wash
OF water Is amply sutncient, when properly
ohected oy one initial expenditure, TO insure
good aud lasting navigation. So long, how.
over a large surface. we m ust expect a Change
able and insu Aicient channel 1 have thsra.
fore prepared the following plan, requiring
eeomparanveiy small expenditures, and which
oeem certain IN It's operation nd leading 70
most enduring and beneficial results IL rs INT
me completion Of work commenced by ma
tare: IL consists in opening a clear waterway
OF l,1'0 feet along the Washington shore bv
removing portion OF the existing causevay.
ana replacing AZ temporarily by a woodea
sIueture on piles, lowering the dam con.
snore, so a. to bring It on a level with
extraordinary high tides, and Terminating
us upper surface BY an inclined plane OF
= ,y, otsasins short, new channel across
from the southern point OF Mason's Island 10
oehect the current Of the river into the nav
channel, and, finally. reciaiming i66 acres OF
the MATS At the mouth OF the Tiber, eh us e,yIne
. continuous and deep Channel aione the
w hshtn gton shore. The Tiber, or more prop.
erly the city canal, should be confirms 10 the
It's entrance into the river. The advantages
resulting from these arrangements NAV De
summed up as follows list. The permanent
,npro vement OF navIgation. say Permsnent,
because the river will be eouhued in aeuf.
ncsenuy narrow channel for three -ouarters
OF mile below Easby's wharf by the proposed
pfedk water, winch II leaves in direction
normal 20 the Long Bridge, finally passing di.
rectly through the opening reserved for IL and
becoming tangent 70 q bold, curved shore OF
regular outline. 1t 10 we'll kao an
that currents Ia curves form stable ana deem
channels, The current we have 10 deal with
below the Long Bridge can never be OF sucn
violence as TO form an exception. A remark.
able ccrroooration OF this fact may be found
oy referring TO . map OF the Potomaa pub
iished as far back as 1872. The old wash chan.
mel formerly Of considerable maguitude.
showed no disposition to defect, slthougb
striking somewhat obliq uely against the wan.
inEton shore. Tn the con trary 10 foIlovsd A..
curved outline with willing athsm aticai nrs.
cisIon. An examination Of the accom- uanvin
map must coavines any uaprsjudicsd mind
thar the proposed new channel cannot by anv
Possibility tnjure, and viii In all PROBABILITY
improve, the mouth OF the Eastern Branch. on
which the United States have very important
Interests connected with the Navy Lover
inan this, IL 10 obvious the regime Of the ri yer
cannot be affected BY the proposed changes
IL may be objected that there perhaps exists
some natural obstacle TO forming Q Channel
across the fiats. Fearing an objection OF this
afure, thought 10 we'll TO ascertain possti yeIv
the character OF the aifuviai deposits For this
purpose caused 20 be constructed o Elm Die
wooden rod pointed with iron Two men
forced u down depth OF twenty Sset beIoW
mean low ude in no less than fiftseu spots
Iaken over The surface proposed 20 be appro
priafeo 70 the new channel. Thn TAT sattlsa