Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-11-26


here Is NO, . vesuge of any eastera current at
nis most favorable stage Of the It'd aud the
oriy water escaping from the basin Moves
pu.nes psss .G IN .Ss ssr ss
eske below the eight remaining tide gates, (for
,wo OF the original ten gates ha ve tuuao,ed
down IN the early part OF this fan without any
Board OF Aidermen) Looking ont in the
river, We ind the channel leading 20 the canal
hlled mp or closing up rapidly within the last
with difnculty. Looking benesih oar feet, we
fRd that the expenditure OF the appropriation
asked for has not built q ship-lock as prem
.sed. bat a simple lock which defies the touch
Of the finger of The lock- tender IL tue said
lock tender should try 10 start waiting boat
nsn a. any other time than at high tide, when
the " ater is on a level at both sides of the
iocks.) Nor are the boatman's troubles over
wnep, after patiently b,dipg hrs time, he gets
in sitter day delay Though the water ap.
pears 70 be hien inside the basin, the bottom
has rapidly filled mp. which knowledge he OBJ
rains from the fact that, whiite before the era
OF improvement ne could reach rhe 1&th stree;
WnaIves with full cargo OF wood, he now
ms. nsnfsn !. order 70 get up even so far.
pended for one day, and this Board djou IN to
the spot at ebb tide. Then the bottom OF the
basin, laid bare. will tell the tale of the boat
mans troubles. and give the result Of the .sim-
Provemsnts" accom- plished, even to the unin
itiated. The met is, the basin has filed mp
and is filling up rapidly, and much more so
this TO such an extent that the water standing
~ high tide mark lodges in the basin like a
dead pool, since II will not move up the hills
Of mud intervening between the eastern termi-
nus CT the canal. The result IL not difficult 10
explain. Mr.. Severson has before this time
fourd out that the city canal proper is three
miles in length, and not one and ahalf miles, as
was persistsntly asserted in his former COM
munieatiops 70 the Boards Vow. with an
average rise and fail OF the tide of three feet,
las stated by the Coast Survey observations OF
many years. we have one foot fall per mile.
which, under the circumstances. certainly will
lodge sediment, bat never move il, on the cir
cuitous route OF SIX miles from the Treasury
Department to the river in front of the Arsenal.
i beseech you. Aldermen. to hesitate before
yo1 enact into law any proposition looking
70 the further expenditure Of your constituents'
I'm very many cases) hard earned money,
which Is not sanctioned by previously fully
tried and proved recon mmendation of engineers
OF undoubted national reputation in their pro-
fSssiop.
Isxaln admit that the object of the armv
On iineers to avert cholera has been assisted by
tue work on the canal, but l contend that more
money has been spent therein than was neces-
sary under the corresponding items of their
high estimate, and i assert that against their
ih'ention the temporary relief has been af.
1orded At the expense OF the permanent inter-
esis OF navigation and efficient sewerage. II
enps ,us pohnis aus on a wolSa 1neL lengineersl plan
q Sd streets. and dredging nine inches below
low tide from Sd street 70 the Eastern Branch,
Also placing lcck gates (operating In nversely to
those IN the lIth street dike) at east end OF
canal, bad received their due share Of atten-
ton, then. indeed. we should. in our perma-
nent interest. now be az least better of than
we were taught 10 trust in God and the action
OF the physical forces, as expounded by Prof.
Severson, without . touching q finger to ad :
Just these first ele nents for a constant eastern
current, and the consequence is that the bed
OF the channel, BASIN end upper part OF the
canal is now from Iine 10 Twelve inches higher
tnan II was year ago.
Mr.. Evans proceeded AZ some length on this
point, and then com baIied the idea that the
canal had been rem lucrative, and spoke of the
sale OF the Corporation mud machine for 81 ,IUO
ss5 day. He then submitted for the con.
sideration OF the board the following resolu-
tions asking Aidermen by their votes to lay
on the table all pending bills for the improve
Inent OF the washington canal until the in
formation referred 10 in said resolutions Is fur
Ee ,fiesoirsd 5y ~, Board Of Alderman. Tb,,,b.
Mayor be; and he is hereby. autborized and di :.
rected to obtain and furnish to this Board. at as
lion Of the Board OF Engneers eon'en ed Under in.
strnctien. TO carry into effect the of the
Of the Washington City Canal and to report
s1ch plan FOR the permanent improy ement and re
naflon thereof as well as most enectually reno We
tie eNlstIns nuisance aud prevent further Simlar
RsslIred frr her. That on the - day of Soyem
her. Is57, the tide gates the causeway sonth Of
nth street west be kept open during tue sbb tide,
of pegs be drive tun Ter the srp1rvision and the
responsibility of tn. City SsrveyOrl in the canal
the top of which shall represent hi eh water mark, ,
and the position Of which give general rep resen
Reselred t",tay1- That on ths - day of Novem.
Der, 1857. the lock which shuts out the water dis
of nth street into the cfty canal be kent o.en'
so as to ascertain what supply of water is at ais
oSas Of obstruction by the CoIporstop recen' re-
Mr.. Noyes said the argument OF Mr.. Elvans
but that scheme had been effectually disposed
OF at the last meeting OF the Board. II had
been hoped tnat by our action in pa ug bill
TO 90 on and thoroughly dredse the canal and
but If we pass these resolutions, we shall 70
back 70 the same state Of do.nothingness tn Al
we have been In, 10 our dscredit, for years.
Mr.. Moore had no direction to wait for the
repoI mentioned in the resolutions althou gh
some OF Mr. Elvans' statements were erro.
neous- Mr. Thomas experiment had cost only
about INSTEAD OF as stated By MI Z.
In reference 10 the failure OF the Corporation
TO complete the Improvement according TO the
plan Of the engineers, the facts were that the
corporation had not the means TO do it. He
defended Mr. Seversop. and thought Mr..
kiyans had plunged neck deep In the mud in
ms statements.
Dir. Noyes urged that they should abide by
their action in passing the bill for dredging
The people On all sides were esnsuring us for
our delay in dealing with the canal nuisance.
The prospect OF getting another report from
tne eustueeISs 70 ems DE us 20 base
action upon, was too vague TO be counted
upon. He believed they had no further report
70 maize.
hlr Elvsps SAID that sf,sr the Board had
disposed OF the bill ne hoped they would adopt
his resolutions.
Mr.. Given said he was prepared TO give the
ssme vote on the bill be did week ago He
thought the Corporation had had enough of
experimenting with that old eyesore, the Wash.
ington canal We must lay the axe al the root
OF 'he tree; thst Is the only means TO abate the
NJ .ance. We 90 on here basing our action on
Teports which we are 70 get, and To us nothin
Is ever done. Notwithstanding our financial
condition. we have got to dredge the canal II
AZ takes every cent OF the receipts. The work
Is necessary for purposes Of drainage, Why
wait for any reports We may get the pro.
posed report in elk months, q year. or ii We
years. but we mn & do somethiDe now The
resolutions could oe OF no benefit, and he soped
the bill won Id pass.
Mr.. Elvans said nothing could be gained by
haste, as the work could not be done this sea
SON. t.I- ~ .-.--., .
Mr.. Noyes said winter was the only season
~ work could be done
Mr. Given said 1t was prejudiciai to the
h. alth Of the citizens TO disturb the mud in the
canal in the summer.
Mr.. Moore moved an indihuite postpone.
msnt OF the passage OF the bill until we can
get the information asked for in the resolutions. .
MT Moore's motion 70 postpone the bill " as
lost by the following vore:-Yeas-Messrs. FL.
vans. Larm an, Moore, Rich ards and urton-5.
Nays-Messrs. Given, Grinder, Lloyd. Nc.
Cathran. Noyes, Taibert, TAFT and the Presi.
dent, Bars.
0r