Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-02-11
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.

ts't.r Er'niag Star:-As You are in accord
WIN TIE people OF The District in their endeav-
ors 10 avert a pestiencc, with which We ar,
threatened 10y reason OF our river front remain-
Ing IN lis PIE seht condition and a NV hlStneSS
lor Ire llst GlEe years has been on l.th-Street
NhsT. ! fecl somewhat qualified Il speak on
this all-impOItant subject. The p!An OF river
improvement proposed 10y the Districf engineers
l regard as fmpracticable. ~ l., II I under
stand II Alright, 10 I'LL In the flats 10 tne George
Town channef which would OF cOUT-e neceSSi-
taie The construction Of The sewers so as To
empty Into tie channel We would then have
a sewer Cf az least four miles Ions aarfectlV
level 30 drain one-hdlf of this CRY. which at
This present time Is not OF sufficient capacity 10
do tie work allotted 10 It,. "Oh." SAYS Engi-
nCer, ''We Will build sewers of Sunice.l capacity
10 meet all requirements" Well what Will be
the RESULT We VIII give you n caanael four
hundred feet wide, and. by way Of giving En-
gtneer a coed margin. we VIII say that IL il
ll1ty feci deep. DO you suppose FOR one moment
that VIII help the matter any, III You do Won
are nilStsEen; fcr water viii find lis level and
It's natural course. If this Is 80. We Will find
that tie channel OF fifty feet deep VIII be iilled
without you dig il or that depth to tie ocean:)
ard II we have sewers OF this length. they OF
necessity must be all the time fu!l uf water re-
galdess Of IeShetS for the simple reason that
you have ndrIOwed the outlet OF a grcat river
80 that YOU DO not give sufficient rnGm for the
COW n-hoWing waters 10 escape, and the inevi-
iaDe Consequence must be thai they Will
bank up and break their way through
at tie nrst tide In case OF a ffpShpt one
can stand On the west front OF tie taptol and
see TIE course tie water viii take by "a sting his
eye over tie mail and taking Penasy lYania ave
nue into View. lf any one doubts intS he can
satisfy himself that | am correct by simply
gong TO Georgetown, getting into a boat in
mld-chanEel, tnen let IL float. and lie viii per-
ctlte Inych 10 his aSionishment. tEat instead
or keeping down the Georgetown channel tha
hoat viii gradually drift 10 This side cross the
natS, ard IN the case of a freShet pass down the
channel on this side. Why this is - I cannot
tel. Only assert IL as a fact which any OBJ
servant man who has been on the river front for
years will verify, thereby showing the natural
water course TO be on this side OF the river
where II was originally. and as nature Intended
IL should be, until the people or GEORGETOWN
with an intelligent foresight. and much TO their
credlt, diverted the water into a channel or
lhelr own. Now 10y the engineer plan proposed
the capital CT the nation will be made A ti,lac
mile 10y reason OF the oyer1owing OF the waters
for Which there can be no outlet
But let us come back 10 the practical oues-
ton, Which, as you have shown 20 flr,.Ihly
in your editorials, is the stern necessity OF
aNeruhg a threatened pestilence from the peo-
PIE OF The city in the coming summer The
plan TO my mind Is very simple which can he
enlarged on hereafter as Congress may deter-
mine TO prevent the malaria and steach from
invading our homes, cut a channel one hum
dred feet wide, which will do for the present.
IRON point at the end OF 18th street wharf in
straight Ike 10 Easby'S Point, throwing up an
embankment right and left. After you have
cut your channel go around and enclose the
kidwell Meadow. and all others with a similar
emDankment; erect flood gates al the lower
ends, and al the first ebb tide. you would have
all OF those places drained, and I'm ten days OF
hot sun you would have them perfectly dry.
With crust Of sun-dTfed earth sufficiently hard
TO bear loaded cart, as frequently witnessed
While they were deepening Babcock Lake This,
or course is only temporary eXpelienL. and
would not cost over 100000, exclusive of the
appropriation the river merchants ask for 10
improve the han Dor, and the whole work could
be done in ninety days, or before the decay OF
vegetation wherein lies the danger You will
readily perceive by this plan. that il will not
lnJUTe the river, and hat the ordinary ebb and
low or the tide would have the effect OF deem
enlng the channel. and in case OF a freShet the
water would overflow the embellishments (say
once year., thereby giving room for the water
from the upper Potomac TO spread and as con-
sequence doing no damage 10 the city
HENRY LYLES