Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-23

width of about 900 feet 1t suddenly widens out
| to over 5000 feet. The coarse material swept
into the river is rolled along the bottom by the
current and comes to rest as soon as the velo-
city CT the current is sufficiently retarded to lose
| the power of imparting motion to it. Thus 1t IL
that the coarscr material is always found in the
| channel. The lighter portions, however. are
| held in suspension and carried along by the
current, are deposited In quiet places,
behind projecting points. Above Easby'a
Point there is but little deposit OF
sediment but when that point is passed the
RIVER Wldens out. the currents are retarded and
the light material is deposited and thus the de-
tested flats have been enlarged. This sediment
fln':s Its way into the river. net Onlv ,,ui lug
freshets. tut whenever local rams wash out the
ground poughed up on the hllsiies Tie
large amount OF land drained by the Potomac
ana It's blanches. Recently brought under cult
VatiV' accounts in great degree for the raj ID
! growth Of the shoals Of late years. Other re;.-
sons are the building OF whlrves tie Long
bridge and the discharge of sewage into 1h,,
river. After the flats had reached a sufficient
htlGht to support growth OF aquatic plants
the deposit of setiiileilt was even still mere
rapid, ard the thick growth of weeds near the
sewer canal furnished a good settling basin for
the worst contents Of the sewers, which ere cX-
posed to the direct rays Of the sun for several
| hours each day. The testimony OF the highest
medical authorities before the congressional
col..ttee proved beyond doubt that disease
producing germs are thus generated and that
the health OF the city has been more or less al
ftcted by it,
No better history OF the changes that have
taken place in The Potomac river within the has;
century can be obtained than by carefully eyalnn-
ing three maps which were made respectively in
l'.h3. 1881 and 1881. The first, which gives the
earliest authentic information Of the topography
OF the bottom Of the river in the vicinity OF
Washington. waa made 10y NJ. Elcott civil en-
gineer. BY this map it can readily be seen that
there were three distinct channels in front Of
the city. The first commenced near the site Of
the Virginia aGutments OF the Aqueduct bridge
passed between Analostan island ana the Nir-
GINA shore and followed along the latter as fax
as the site OF the Long bridge. The second or
middle channel. called the ''swaSh. was = con-
tinuatOn of the Georgetown channel which
swept In front OF the Georgetown wharvcs and
after passing Eashy's point curved towards the
Washington shore. joining the third channel a
short distance below the site of the canspway Of
Long bridge The third or Washington chan
mel was branch from the Georgetown chan
mel which, after passing EasbS's point separa-
TED into two parts-one. the ''swash the ether
following along the Washington shore. The
naVlgaDle depth OF the Georgetown channel at
low tide was eight feet, of the swash it. and of
the Washington 3ft., namely. off the mouth of the
llber. The second map referred to is that OF
Lieutenant Colonel James kearncy corps of
Typographical engineers, made In 1851 An
ANIMATION OF this map shows that the old chan
mel between Anaiostaa island ana the Virginia
shore no longer existed. The dam built across
it in 1906 had rendered it useless. This map
also shows that the Washington channel was
entirely cut Off from the GEORGETOWN channel
and the remains of it only existed in the shape
OF a long and narrow strip of water between
the washington shore and the iry Shoal which
reached from the main land Just below EaSby's
point, to point some distance below Tiber
t-ncl, af,,
according to Ellicott, had about six feet
at Its junction with the city channel below Long
bridge. had become almost dry at low tide
me third map, made in 1881, by S. T. Albert,
civil engineer. shows the Washington channel
no longer in existence above 10th street and no
Vestlge OF the swash channel. The Georgetown
channel had, in 1881. navigable depth of ID
feet, produced by dredging however and not
10y natural causes. Ecott's map does not show
what the depth OF water was on the shoals. It
gives soundings only along the channels. but be-
tween the channels shoals must have existed
The kearney map shows that at extreme low
water portion of the flats below Easbys point
was exposed; that near Long bridge there were
TWO snoals dry at extreme low tide. The Albert
map shows the wide extent of flats as they exist
to-day.
SURVEYS OF THE RIVER.
For number of years all the surveys follow
Ing that OF Lieut.. Col. Kearney had no compre-
nenslVe plan OF Improvement in view. Their
main object seemed to be to deepen the bar be-
tween washington and Georgetown for the
benefit OF navigation. In 1851 when it was
proposed to erect free bridge across the river.
Alfred Rives civil engineer, made report,
which was submitted to Congress, in which he
calls attention to the fact that the consideration
OF plans for a permanent bridge is 80 Intimately
connected with project for the improvement
OF navigation of the river that one cannot prop
erly be matured without due consideration of
tne other: he then presents plan for the i'm
proVement OF the navigation of the river as
well as plans for bridge His plan of improve
ment seems to have been the first official pre-
sentation. in behalf of the government,
of definite plan for the improve
ment OF the river in this vicinity.
The plan proposed by him provided for opening
clear water way Ito feet wide along the
Washington shore. by removing the existing
causeway and replacing it temporarily by a
wooden structure on piles, lowering the dam
from Analostan Island to the Virginia shore.
the island to defect the current into the new
channel, and In retaining about 166 acres of
the flats at the mouth of the Tiber. In short |
his plan was to close the deepest and open the
shaliowest, and what was for part of the way
no channel at all. Nothing seems to have been |
zone oy the government subsequent to the pub |
lcation OF Rives' report until March I'd, 1867,
when congress directed the Secretary of WI
10 cause examinations or surveys, or both, to
De made OF the Potomac river in the vicinity of
washington. In July of that year, Major
Nathaniel Mlchler, corps Of engineers, was as
In April Of the following year he made a report
recommending plan essentially the same as
that submitted by A. c. Rves In 1872 board
of survey was created by Congress for the pur-
pose OF deVtsing comprehensive plan Of im-