Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-26


UNDER wATER?-THE CONTEST OVER RIPARIAN
RIGETS-DEcISIoN IN FAVOR OF THE UNITED
Legislation ASKED BY TIE DIS
TRICT COMMISSIONERS.
InthcIr report to Congress the District Com
mieSioEers ask legislation to place under their
control. Tor revenue purposes that part Of the
Potomac front Of the city which lies betwee-
the Long bridge and the Arsenal grUunds,-the
part which promises to b.. in the near future.
the lea ;;ng public landing in the District They
ash also the same powerof control as at George
town over the movements of shipping inside Of
the Washington ship channel
This request makes appropriate retrospect
Of the history Of this part Of the river front
In the original plan Of Washington CITY ex-
hihited at the public sale of lots in 1852 Water
street appears ~ broad quay. with numerous
Wh&TTeS extending into the river. or these
there were about twenty between what is now
the head ot Long bridge and = street, which is
The present north Iiue Of the Arsenal grounds.
he s2'Hc magnificent public landing appears OIL
other plans 0f that period and the ConteInpora-
nc"U- publications make t clear that the iutc;!-
ton OF IT. founders was that WASHINGTON should
have a commerce al front equal t. that of auy
other ciIy IN tine Union. What was regarded at
that time as the most valuable part OF il was
Rock creek and lis vicinity on the Potomac ard
the Eastern Branch. The great distance from
below Long Bridge TO Capitol Hi! and the pres
ent site of the President house made the lower
Potomac front almost vaIueess for immediate
Use The great WharTes prior to 1890 were
Barry on the Eastern Branch. Harbaugh's on
Rock Geek and Lenox's. just below Long bridge.
WATER STREET IN THE OLDEN TINE.
Water street below Long bridge was not then
the fine broad street Of the present day On all
The maps il appears as a strip of varying width.
A biui!, varying from thirty feet high at Long
bridge to eight at Z street. ran in irregular line
down the present breadth of Water street In
1StS. when Long bridge built. the water
side of its abutment was 119 feet south Of
the north lire of Water street Opposite John
Son IS harVes the bluff jutted between 80 aud 10
feet into the street The old map of I1.s, which
gives the outline Of Motley Younm's garden
shows that his vegetable patch which was on
the top of the bluff. included all of square :,5G
AMI 40 or 20 feet of what is now Water street
Lambelrs old shfpyard which was between
9Th aud 10th streets south iay wholly in
Water street between the bluff and the river
hat was built before about 1929 Some ten
years later. FOui6es and I.ambell procured the
PASSAGE of an ordinance MAY 81. 1890. permit
ting them to build sea wall and fill up to il
with earth on the street side For the wall and
Milling. they were entitled to claim t,rO hundred
dollars from the corporation. fact which alone
shows that the filling was small in proportion
to the street. Lower down the river. between
l. and streets. Water street was from 125 TO
200 feet in width. and this. probably before
1870 Two squares lower down. between and
u streets. Water street was not more than thirty
feet in width. The narrOwest part of the oil
Water street between VI and streets
where the river had cut a cove up to near the
north line of the street 1t was on the broad
street. between l. and NJ that Charles B. Church
had "A steamboat building yard for several Years
between 1910 and 1850
Water street was not opened as a continuous
th"rou@htare before the war: but it is clear
that parts vi 1t were complete long before that
time: between l. GTd VI. prior to 1900; between
9Th ana i2th street,. before 1890 and there was
beiDT" lN'p. street leading down TO Lenox =
near the Long bridge.
THE LEvEI. OF WATER STREET
appears to have always been what it is now
The old tavern. northeast corner of Water and N
streets WAS built about 1875 The sidewalk in
front II Il is at least eight feet aboye the level of
ordinary high tide in the river None of the
buildings en- the north side of Water street are
built lower than that tavern. They were all
built on the site OF the former bluff and at a
considerable elevation above tide level. OF the
numerous WiaTycS GA that front. the platform
OI not one il less than five or SIX feet at the
channel end. above hs-h tide level. As it is
ITrT"~frruuS L" suppose that the tide was
formerly eight feet higher than al present the
Claim made 10y one or two persons Of late wears
that Water street formerly covered by
water. must be abandoned.
made ''"1 late years. ii was never made prior to
1S.,,s iaf as can he ascertatned. The contrary
was asserted by Mr.. Peter Force in 1875 when
the public controversy in regard to this part of
the water front was begun In HIS protest. en-
tered July -. 1StGJ. the records Of the COM
mon council Mr.. Force asserted that the Presj-
dent had reserved land ''GiOHg TIE trhOe rndrqiT,
q tie I'"to1n1c rirt7'. from 18th street west to
The mouth Of the Eastern branch" That this
land Was on tae margin of the river was not de-
MED 10y Mr. Naury IN his protest.
WHAT Has BEEN SETTLED
1t must be considered then as settled that a
public landing was reserved on the Potomac
front and that tie strip of land to make it on.
lay between the private squares and the river
the name Water street was given to it in
11.c; 10y the commissioners. On June "a of that
year they ordered that Water street" should
De lett according to the design Of the plan of
the city. Instead Of certain returns which
bounded some squares with and others near the
water
SOME HISTORICAL POINTS.
Between ! 81 and ISIS. the beginning Of steam
boat navigation on the Potomac there appears
10 have been scarcely any wharfng business
done on the lower Potomac front EXCEPT at Len
OXS. mean the Long bridge In 1877 there were
twCP:lak platforms. upon piers one little above
NJ. the other a ttl" below street. The second
bcfnHTrr! TO Nicholson: the ownership of the
Motley Young "a the owner These rotted down
after a time one was then built a, the end of
NJ street. This passed. in 1921 into the frands
OF Cana Another built above and near il
by Brent Both of them became dilapidated
were repaired from time to time, but amounted
to little, commercially. UNTIL In 1851 thew fell
into the hands of George Page who built the
structure which. with repairs and additions is
now owned by the Potomac steamboat COMPANY
The one below street rOtted down and was
rebuilt by one Bull. Falling again into
utter dilapldation. il was rebuilt in 1925 by An
drew Bartle- with the aid of $3.50 donated by
the city corporation. (See ordinance Of August
IS. lS25) In the same year Bradiey's wharf
near 10Th street. finished Ii became the
steamboat wharf. Two steamboats, were put
on the Potomac that year and the number in
Creased from time TO time. River commerce
Received decided impulse. Between 1895 ard
1880 ii number OF wharves were erected and
wharrn" privileges the Potomac became val
Na0l@ in the market
IL MAS az that time that the doctrine OF wharf
Ing privileges as appurtenant to the lots on the
north side OF Water street seems to have been
devised IL was first publicly proclaimed by a
le" lot owners IN 1875. and was met BY a most
vigorous opposition on the part Of Peter Force
and other members of the common council
Neither party procured any definite action from
The council Peter Force was elected MAYOR i'm
lSh- and was reelected in 1893 Ii was In
DIS administration that the line of the wnaryes
anu COCKS and street lad