National Republican., 1881-08-11
OUR RIVER FRONT.
COLONEL s. T. ABERT's REPORT.
What Has Been and IL To he Done in the Hsrbors Of
Washington Snd Georsetown-The Plans
for Permanent Improvement or
the Channels.

Colonel S. T. Albert, engineer in charge
OF the Improvements Of the harbors Of Washington
and Georgetown, has submitted his report TO the
Chief Of Engineers. Colonel Albert gives q com.
plete history of the work that has been performed
from its commencement, July II, 1870, and points
out the difficulties that have been encountered in
Its prosecution. He also presents an exhaustive
account Of the great food last February, and the
damage resulting therefrom. He then states as
follows In reference to the proposed work for
THE PRESENT FISCAL YEAR,.
The channel along the Washington wharves
(now 200 feet wide TO 10 to 10 feet deep except for
width Of rs feet next to the wharves, whore the
depth Is 10 fcc is to be deepaned to Is feet at low
water for such width as the funds will permit and
extending from the Long Bridge to deep water at
Arsenal Point The material is to be deposited on
the fnts next below the causeway OF the Long
Bridge.
GEoRGETowE HARBoR AND CHANNEL. (,
Nine rocks in Georgetown harbor, requiring an
excavation Of 66i cubic yards, are to be removed
or so much thereof as the funds will permit. One
very small rock lies about 400 feet below Aqueduct
Bridge and $50 feet Oft the wharf line Five Of the
rocks arc from 10 to 40 feet Off the wharves at and
below the Kennebeo Ice Company's wharf. The
remaining four rocks nrc of the q street wharf,
the grentor portion being within 50 feet, though
two Of the smaller rocks are respectively 1875 and
80 feet of the wharf. Georgetown channel shows
some shoaling Mt the usual locality of bar forma-
tion between Easbys Point and Long Bridge, and
should II reach degree TO cause Inconvenience to
navigation the $4,000 OF the appropriation OF 1879
reserved for that purpose will be applied to re-
dredging the channel The greatest draft OF YES.
sells clearing from Georgetown during the year was
1slS feet.
IMPROVEMENT BELOW LONG BRIDGE
ur1 tn tba 80
ofthe river Immediately below the Long Bridge
the views of engineers and commercial men in
terested seem 10 be In accord. The plan is to fill
up the fats below the Long Bridge, between the
Virginia channel and line parallel with the line
Of wharves and 500 feet from them to level one
foot above the highest known freshet The plan
might be economical by at first filling only TO one
or two feet above ordinary high tide, and after.
ward using the ground as a dump for excavatio ms
and waste earth from the city by approaches from
the Long Bridge
FOR THE IMPROVEMENT ABOVE THE BRIDGE
three plans have been proprosed:
Fist-That Of the commission of 1872, which pro.
vides for butone channel, following generally the
present Virginia channel, and for the reclamation
Ofall the area between that channel and the present
water. front of the city. This plan involves the
removal Of part of Aexanders Island, at the south
end Of the bridge, and rebuilding of the Long
Bridge to conform to the plan. A modification of
this plan provides for n channel MS n winter har-
Dor, 500 feet wide, along the Washington front as
fer mp as the Long Bridge
Second-A plan which provides for two chan
nels, the existing Virginia channel and a channel
next the present water of the city, the inter-
vcning area TO be filled up above high water mark.
A modification Of this plan provides for wide
channel only along the wharves below the Long
Bridge while II Is to be continued at much re-
duced width to point near Eusby's wharf, where
1t will join the main channel to where 1t should be
closed by guard gates In time of freshet This is
claimed by its advocates as necessary for flushing
the lower channel, and also as commercial
facility In permitting the passage of vessels
direct from the Washington wharves to
Georgetown, and thus avoiding the expense
and delay in towing around by Arsenal Point
A single channel, as contemplated In the first
place, but differing from II in simply providing
sufficiently high and wide embankment around
the river, between the channel and pres
ent water front, and utilizing the space
thus inclosed for the United States Fish
Commission, Is proposed. The embank-
ment is to be provided with inlet and outlet gates
to retain the water entering at high tide and dis
charge II at low tide into the Washington ci.s mel
Colonel Albert urges that the matter Of this i'm
provencnt be not further discussed until the Sen.
a:c subcommittee, now considering the subject
CONTINUATION UNDER PRESENT PROJECT.
The continuation OF the improvement OF the
harbors at Washington and Georgetown under the
project so far approved or recognized contem-
plates:
First-Keeping open and exten:ing In width the
Washington channel as far as the Long Bridge,
depositing the material taken therefrom on the ad
jacent fats For this work / respectfully recon-
mend an appropriation of 500 900 for the year end
ing June 30, 1888. A smaller sum than this amount
cannot be economically applied in works like this,
requiring the provision by the contractor OF u
plant specially adapted to the work.
Second-Redredging Georgetown channel at
intervals Of two to three years at the two localities
where bars have been found to form to such an
extent in about that period rs to interfere with the
navigation OF the channel between Easby's Point
and the Long Bridge; the other opposite the Ar.
senal grounds. For this work no additional funds
are required at present
Third-Removing rocks in Georgetown harbor
and at the outlet lock and inclined plane Of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal above Georgetown;
for completing the removalof rocks in Georgetown
harbor and at the outlet lock, and respectfully
recommend an appropriation Of $4,000 for the year
ending June 80, 1883 This work also requires spe-
cial appliances, and to secure economical results
the whole amount asked for should be appro-
priated in one sum.
He states that there can be prohtably expended
In the fiscal year ending June 80, 1888, sl50,0Oo.
IMPROVEMENTS AT MOUNT VERNON.
Colonel Albert also submits n report on the i'm
provements of the Potomac River at Mount ver-
non, Virginia. Under the last appropriation of
5000, by act of June II, 1880, the contract for
dredging was awarded to the National Dredging
Company at twelve and half cents per cubic
yard. Work was begun March 20, 1881, and COM
pleted April 81, during which time 2l,O05.5 cubic
yards were dredgcd and the material deposited
on the flats thrce-quarters Of mile above the
channel dredgcd and TO the right Of the Potomac
channel looking down stream. The channel has
been made 40 feet wide and feet Deep and the
turning basin has been enlarged to radius OF 100
feet from the outer angle of the wharf A further
| appropriation Of $500 is recommended to COM
plete the Improvements.