Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-07-25
Interests Of south Washington.

Interests Of South Washington.
| MEETING OF THE CITIZENS PROTECTIVE AssoCrA.
IioN-IhE klvEh CHANNEL QUESTION, WATER
QUESTION ETC.
The South Washington Citizens Protective
Association met last night at ST. Dominic's hall.
Mr.. &. T. Culver In the chair, and Mr. E. D.
WI MfIg h secretary DR.. Culver said the meeting
| matters, among which were the condition of tie
river mats ana the water question. commit.
Zee en- resolutions was appointed. consisting Of
| son, Andrew Archer, and Rev. M B. Fortune.
| MR. CHURCH ON THE CHANNEL QUESTION
MT Churcn TOOK the floor and remarked that
| posals opened by the District Commissioners
1or cutting ditch across the Washington chan
mel OF tne river for the purpose OF carrying OF
He desired to enter his protest against it as il
would ruin the commerce and shipping interests
OF ms CITY. 1t would be unjust to do 1t, and In
Washington had for many years been striving
TO maintain the river trade and keep open
this washington channel in Its natural course.
he reviewed the history of the river channels
since 1892. In 1s05-6 the corporation of George
town built causeway from Mason's Island to
the virginia shore, for the purpose Of improving
tne1r harD0r, which action was the origin OF
our troubles IN Washington, as it had the efiect
OF gradually closing up our channel Next came
Ehe ffauseway OF the Long Bridge which had
Congress was notified that this channel was
fast being closed to navigation, and a bill was
passeo authorizing an engineer named R,ves to
1nWg and report as to Its condition. and
suggest measures for its prevention. In his
report ne stated that the best plan would be to
keep tnls channel open by occasional dredging
congress, In 1872, appointed board OF survey
10 consider several plans which had been sub
mltted Tor the improvement OF the channel and
river 'front.'. One plan was the opening OF the
oid washington channel by dredging; the sec
ono was to maintain two channels, one for
washington and one for Georgetown, and an.
other was for filling up Of our channel and
carving out the entire Washington front to
the Georgetown channel. The board, In Its
report, recommended the latter
PLAN OF FILLING UP THE RIVER FLATS
anu anu washington channel. No action, however,
had been taken by Congress on this report, yet
the present District authorities, following In
the steps OF the board OF public works, are car.
sylng out this plan without any authority at
one hundred prominent taxpayers to get Con-
gress to remedy some of the many wrongs ur.
ger Wh1ch they are nearly crushed, among
them the river front nuisance This resulted.
In Congress appropriating $50 900 for improving
the river channels, $50, 900 of which was eek.
pended In clearing out the Georgetown channel
Washington channel in order to fill it up-a
system which had been In vogue for many
years past. The remainder OF the approprta-
aea Gt 6e mud
sand bars which impeded the admission OF yes
sells to our piers. That part intended for the
o Geofge aa enamel was made available at
ton was withheld a whole year before it could
De used. After many delays this amount has
finally been expended and the depth Of water
now about our wharves is entirely satisfac-
tory-a channel having been made from
$50 to 200 feet wide and 10 feet deep. This
channel was gradually filling up from
t1on mad been made to the last Congress to
authorize the filling up OF this channel but the
only reply from that quarter-which was very
a aztec for keeping open navigation, but not for
obstI ucttng 1t. In this scheme the Commits
sioneIs had most sgnally failed to obtain
this plan of filling up the channel and opstruct-
ing navigation, but it now appears that they
have found some means for persfsting In carry
ing ing out this Illegal scheme. Where they obtain
answer for it. He desired to enter his protest
and ne spoke for many merchants interested In
our shipping 1nterests-aga1nst this cutting a
dltch across our channel. The plan recommend
ed by the Citizens Committee of One Hundred
was the right one, and to carry it out would
REQUIRE an outlay Of about 100000. This plan
the flats, thus limiting the extent OF the chan
nels and creating and concentrating the cur
rents in them.
MIR. ". q. CLAGETT's VIEWS.
Mr.. VIM. II. Clagett was called upon and said
ne TOOK great interest In this river front cues
ton. He was surprised at the stupidity which
had marked the course OF our old fossil authori-
ties In this river question. He remembered very
well when large vessels used to run TO George
town through the Washington channel There
used to be u or Ia feet Of water In this channel,
and there is no reason In the world why there
should not be the same now. II this channel
was again dredged out it would require but a
small outlay every year In keeping it as free as
OF fillng out the fats to the Georgetown chan
mel, as adopted by the board of pubic works and
persisted In by our Commissioners and eng
neers, is all wrong, and should be abandoned
The idea OF building out our city into the river
marshes On ground artihcially made, when
there is so much room in other directions
out this ditch to the Georgetown channel would
be simply transferring the nuisance few hun
dred feet further off-to the Virginia shore
marshes. Every dollar to be expend ID should
be spent in opening up and maintaining our
washington channel, and If they want 10 0rna-
ment the flats let them make an island over on
inc mats ana improve and beauty it, but keep
open the channels to navigation. BY the MI.
merous theories and partly carried out plans
our river navigation had been nearly ruined
While appropriations are annually made for all
the IlverS and Streams In the country, but very
little had been done for our Potomac river.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
The committee on resolutions here entered
and submitted the following report, which was
unanimously dopted:-Whereas the District
commissioners propose to and now advocate the
closing OF the Washington channel of the Poto-
water front OF the city and the commerce de-
pendent upon the same. and creating nuisances
detrimental to the health OF our people, &C.:
Therefore, resolved that the citizens OF wash
ingtOn can never agree to any plan which
destroys the Washington channel or any part
of 1t, and forces their commerce to Georgetown,
the upper end OF the District. That the nuis-
ances now complained OF on the flats and
around the wharveS and docks have been and
are now caused by the dumping Of sand and
mud on the north side OF the river, at point
where the Washington channel intersects the
Georgetown or Virginia channel, which mud
and sand had been dredged from the Virginia
channel, and the removal OF said sand and mud
will remedy the evils complained of. That the
Hats, with their malar1al accumulations, have
been caused by-1irst, the causeWay Of the
bridge preventing the easy flow of the water,
and, second, by the diminished amount OF water
flowing down the river; and that the existing
evils can be fully remedled by narrowing the
river, which Will give deeper channels, By ill.,
closing and filling up the flats both in the center
Of the river and on the north side That to
this end we recommend that the plan agreed
upon by the subcommittee OF one hun
dred be carried out, which will preserve and
deepen both channels and destroy all the
unhealthful nuisances which now exist
plan which, once carried out, will need
TO expensive machinery to maintain It,
That the proposed plan to carry the large Sc yer
row IN course OF construction out to The Vir-
ginia channel, at a large outlay OF money, and
TO the destruction OF the Washington channel