Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-11-03
OF THE HIRBOR
OF U1SHENGTON IND GEORGE
TDUN


stree that the District Commissioners b ad
addressed a communication to the Secretar J
OF War in relation to the improvement of tn
narbors OF Washington and Georgetown.
1HE DIsTRICT COMMISSIONERS SAY:
+ In the Tt port OF the board of survey crea e
/ Captain Patterson submitted a plan for the
I Improvement of the harbOrs of w Ishingt IN
and Georgetown" which was approved by
the board To carry IL out would req uire an
{ estimated appropriation OF six million, fifty
. thousand dollars. The large amOu 1t asKsi
for doubtless contributed to prevent the re
port receiving the favorable Consider alton of
. Congress. Several plans have been submit
ted 10 Congress TO- the Improvement OF the
I Potomac TIvsr,-ODe for small channel
I running along the Washington frolt, through
! the flats south OF the Presidents house, and
I terminating In deeper channel at point
/ below the Long bridge. Such a channel
while lot suggestive OF general improve
ment, might be productive of beneficial re-
suits IL has also been proposed TO have but
one main channel, OF sufficient width and
deptn Tor present aud future purposes, run
/ ming from the Aqueduct at the head OF tide
water, Georgetown, to Geisborougn poiut,
Just below the Long bridge) Such a cnau-
nel, Tor commercial purposes, with capacity
for steam frigates and Other war vessels TO
the Z. =. navy yard, would. in The necessary
4 excavations, reclaim, TO a considerable ex :
tent, some of the flats imme dIately south OF
the Presidents grounds. These flats have
recently increased by the abandonment of
the use of the Chesapeake aud OHIO canal,
still untitled, through the western portion of
the city, augmenting, il Is thought, the de-
! velOpmenJ OF malaria.
\ subsequent report OF T. T. Alb -rt, q. s..
I. FL giueer, in charge Of the improvement
+ OF rivers aud harbOEs ia the District of Co
lumbia, embraced in the Chief Engineers
report 10 the Secretary OF War for 1876,
says Important aud permanent results
may I've accomplished by al appropriation of
SIX hundred and eighty six thousand dollars
for the improvement of the Potomac river at
Easily : point, aad dredging between that
point and deep water below"
We venture to commend this subject to
your careful cOnsiC Grafton, AM truss you
may find IL consistent with your sense of
duty to recommend TO Congress the appro-
pTiatlOu Of such sums as may be necessary
FOR the improvement of the river, and also
tor recla NATION OF the hats in front Of the
Presidents grounds, the Navy aud Treasury
departments, TO be expended by the W ir de-
paTLment.
A letter addressed TO us Oh April 3Oah last,
signed by the president OF the Chesapea ke
and Ohio Canal company aud Others inter-
eSted, Is respectfully submitted.
il has been estimated that alb put 455 acres
of laUd, advantag eOGSly located for govern
ment and harbOr purposes, may be reclaimed
from the ilats.
We are sure you viii promote the public
interests by inviting the prompt and favor
of this communication AMI urging suitable
appropriations therefor.
The Letter OF the Canal Company
and others, 10 the District Commissioners,
referred to above, is as follows:
% The general and perm anelt improve ment
Of the hartors of Washington and George
town, has engaged tae attention OF Congress
Tor several years. Ulder an act approved
March 5ih, 1872, board OF survey was ap-
POINTED, consisting of Brig Gen. A. A. Hum
phreys, Chief of engineers, L. ). army, presi-
dent; Benjamin Pierce, superintendent coast
survey; Major o. T.. Babcock, U. 8. engineer
Henry ID. Cooke, governor District of CDlum-
bia; Alexander X Shepherd, vice president
d ii
tersOn, photographic Inspector L. s. coast
survey After an examination of the su
Ject, an elaborate report was made and APP
proved by the board, December LIST, 1872. The
plan recommended the expenditure of six
million and fifty thousand dollars. Suisse
quent reports have been made by the chief OF
engineers TO the Secretary of War, wherein
IL is stated that important results of perm 4
nent character might be acc Dm pli shed by an
appropriation OF sir hundred AID eiQhtU sir
thousand dollars.
DISTRACTIONS TO NAvIG ALTON.
The channel of the Potomac river termin-
ates practically at the Aqueduct bridge at
house, and the point OF entrance of the CheS-
apeake and Ohio canal into the river. TIE
Washington and Georgetown channel is OBJ
structet by bar, which has been lar yely IN
creased by the Long bridge. Toe effect OF
this artificial structure upon the food and
ebb tides and the currents In times of fresh
cts, accelerates the deposits on the bar, and
wnere there were before the existence of this
work twelve feet at low water, there are now
but ten and one half feet, which gives about
fourteen (14) feet q. high water.
The effect OF competition In trade has ne
cessttated the employ ment Of vessels o. much
greater draft OF water than were used before
The development of the coal trade by canal.
In lS 4, the obstruction TO trade and nav ga.
ton, by reason OF the condition of the chan-
mel, was SO great that ira ling AMI co ssiI e
vessels were rneasurably driven from W ssn-
1ngton and Georgetown. Con ,reS, lie
made an appropriation of fifty tn IusI III iol
lars 10 remove the bar to depth Of It feet At
low water; and the effect was made appar-
ent by the number and Larger class Of yes
sells which loaded at the city and q eorset1 sn
wharves. The duration OF the improvem ant,
as predicted by the engineer, was tie .nporary
and In three years the hannel has reverted
TO Its prior condition.
! The engineer reported that the same work
must be repeated every three years, until the
plan OF the board for the permanent improve
ment OF the harbor was practically complet-
ed. In order, therefore, to foster the i'm port
ant interests of navigation, Two alter natives
$50 900 should be made for every three years,
or Congress should begin to carry OJt the
plan of permanent improvem ant as recon-
mended by the boari In 1872.
1t Is proper to state here that, while the tri-
ennial appropriation would benefit particu-
larly the trade which is connected Wi tn the
board had a much wider scope and co lte n
plated The formation Of a harOOr adeqI ate To
the present and future wants of the capt. Al of
q great nation.
TRADE BE
As the Cumb srland coal trade, by the
Ches apeake and OHIO canal, is lar yely de-
pendent on the Improvement OF navigation,
we beg here to call your attention TO some
hastily-gathered statistics reatiog TO tais
important business. rnis coal Is remarkably
well adapted TO manufacturing purposes
and is largely used by ocean steamships;
and is shipped from Washington acd George
town To Boston, New York, Philadelphia
and other eastern ports; also to California
and the British provinces, requiring about
fifteen hun fTe,I sail OF vessels annually. Hence
lsappaTent the great necessity of II channelOf
sufficient depth for a class of large vessels.
1t is just TO mention the fact that, during
the ice gorge of last winter, caused by the
Long bridge obstruction, the bar was 50
largely Increased tlst, but for the conirlbu
tions of coal mpanies and citiZ Ems of the
District whereby the shoalet portions have
been 6red ged out, navigation wo lid have
been restricted 10 vessels of light draft aud
the business of the u )rts re luced to a con-
paratively small Volume. But, whilst the
partial relief thus Obtdlned may enable the
trade To struggle through the present year, II
is evident, To retain the business SO advanta-
geOus 10 the District, dredging similar to
/ that of 1874 and 1875 is req ired.
While millions of dollars have been an
nually appropriated by Congress for the
rivers and haTbors of other paris " the cOun-
try. Washington and GEORGETOWN harbOrs