Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-08-19
..,,ro.d bridge over the Potomac.


MIR. Clephane, the Receiver Of the Washing
ing, Alexandria aud Georgetown Railroad, has
published long letter from which We make
the following extract
Does the Potomac river belong to George.
town, or have the people Of Washington aud
the country at large no rights IN II :
Fit becomes necessary to drive lew tenn
porary piles in the river Tor the repair .!
bridge which is the only means OF railroad
communication between the North aud the
South, and over which people from all sections
of the country must pass II they desire 10 Pur-
SHE an unbrokCn railroad communication Ill
going between tlr Two sections Of our country,
can the authorizes %! Georgetown or other IN
terested parties succeed III their attempt TO
break this important link in railroad communi-
cation, and that too in the lace OF al order
made by the Supreme Court OF tIe District oil
Columbia? | think not, especially when the
true motive OF this opposition Is understood.
One would think from representations made
BY these interested parties that navigation was
obstrueted, when the fact is that the navigable
portion OF the channel is entirely free from any
and all obstructions, and the draw Of the rail-
road bridge is four feet wider than that on the
| Long bridge and there is less obstruction to
| the other portions Of the channel by cur tenn
porary piles (which are to be removed as soon
as the repairs to the bridge are completely than
| by the permanent piles Of the Long bridge
which is nearer to Georgetown by seventy iect
than that Of the railroad bridge. For instance,
| the spans of the Long bridge ifom the end oil
the causeway TO the draw nave nav, pIes on an
| between the bottom chord OF the bridge and
high water mark, whist the corresponding
snans of the railroad bridge have piles at ouly
| every forty.fve feet, with space OF Dine and
| half feet between the lower chords and high
water mark. The span OF the Long bridge Just
| hevond the draw and directly in the channel
has permanent piles at every twenty feet, with
a space of only four and half feet between
| the bottom chord and hich-water mark, whilst
the corresponding span in the railroad bridge
| has temporary piles ut an average OF twenty
| feet, with nine and hall ieet between the DOT
| tom chord and highWater mark. In the next
| Ten spans the railroad bridge has piles on an
| average OF every twenty ieet, whilst the cores
| bonding spans of the Long bridge have none'
| Thus it will be seen that TINS attack upon
the railroad bridge for having temporary piles
comes with bad grace when the Long bridge
| has been standing for 50 many years with per
| maucnt piles, which must have obstructcd the
channel to much greater extent.
But it Is very evident that this alleged chan
mel obstruction is simply used by the George
town authorities and other interested parties
for The purpose Of injuring the Washington
aud Georgetown railroad, and to bolster ur
the project for bridge over the aqueductt at
| Georgetown. 1t is the old fight renewed OF
the Georgetown people against the interest, OF
Washington, with fixed determination that
| all railroad connection with tie South shall be
| through Georgetown.
| will only say 10 these interested parties, and
| the public generally, that yielding to the de
| mands of the travelling pubic, the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia has ordered
this great national lhoroughtarc 20 he put IN
| thorough state Of repair, with tar prosrcc
Of the worl. being SO far advanced a TO allow
of passenger travel by the II OF September.