The Washington critic., 1886-01-28
Precautions Being Taken 10 Prevent
q Flood.
EFFECT5 or TIE BLOCKADE.
The Assistance Of the Go,nrumuni's
Tug. Boats Promised.
THE oIriagH5 INTENTIONS.

! take 10 Inc matter
"Thc commissioners promised the
committee which waited upon them
yesterday TO ask the Secretary of the
Navy TO have two Government tugs
placed AT their disposal, 50 that help
would be available In case of an cmcr.
| gcncy' replied Mr. Crane.
"Jutil We hear the result Of the Comms.
sioncrs action nothing Will be done. The
! memory of the disastrous food OF 1851
| ought to be sufficient 10 induce the citizens
| who suffered from the inundatIun not TO
lose Il single moment In taking necessary
| precautions. OF course no one can tell not
even the weather bureau, whether we are to
have food uruot long enough in advance
| to give us time to prepare for ii. The best
course for us to pursue Is TO act promptly
| with such means us we have, and do what
! we can while We have time instead uf wait
| irg, as We did five years ago, until The lorsi
! Is upon Us before aCtiug.h r'" ''
"Nould opening the Cblhncl proyept
gorge when the ice t,rc,k.,i
mo ~ o.. q several ways that II seems to
| w F''g may be done. ono is 10 break
4 tddiucl by charicGng the tugs now lying
| at our WharyC~; another 10 break up the
| fec by the use OF dyunmiic another by the
use OF cannon. Any one of these, or all
! combined, would no doubt be of great ser
| vice in preventing an ice gorge in front Of
| the city In case Of flood our position is
| what peculiar Congress having taken
| our local government out Of our hands and
| put our affairs into the hands OF three Com
nssioneIs, In whose appointment we have
| no voice, we naturally look to them at
such times as the present to act, but rs
| they, rs well ns the War Department, I'M
| der whose jurisdiction the Potomac River
comes, have failed to act, there is no alter
| native but for citizens io act.
"The Secretary of War has the power to
| open the Potomac River. Tho Secretary of
the Navy can do It, Government vessels
are now lying here, manned and ready for
| service Any one OF them could break a
! channel to the sea In twcnty-four hours,
| with but trlling cost to the Government.
| The James and the Delaware are both open
! to navigation from the head of tide water to
the ocean. This long ice blockade of the
| Potomac, the national highway from the
| Capital to the sea, is not crcditahlc TO the
National Government or to the citizens who
| reside here.
"The New York steamers, heavily loaded
| with freight, consigned to merchants in this
| city, lie blockalcd In the ice near Point
| Lookout. The price of oysters has adj
yanced fifteen and twenty-five cents on the
| gallon by the river being closed. The pro-
| ducc market is affected. Commission
houses, some Of which entirely depend ON
of tie livcr are on the verge Of bank
ruptcy. Employees of steamers and tug
boats have been thrown out Of employ
ment to await the opening Of the river TO
navigation Express men, whose families
| depend upon the small earnings of the
| river traffic, are idle.
"The stores along the hollow below Penn
| sylvania avenue, which is not over three
! feet above high water mark, are all heavily
stocked with perishabe wares, and should
| flood occur, the damage would be meal
| culablc. Immediate action Is necessary,
aud as warmer weather Is predicted from
| the weather bureau, not a moment should
| be lQst.n
II is appears to be the prevailing impress
sion. And as Il Critic reporter made his
way along the wharvcs this morning he
heard no other opinions expressed. Mr..
Riddle, Superintendent of the Washington
| Steamboat Company said that While he
| did not want to pose as an alarmist the
situation was certainly very grave and he
was prepared for an emergency by having
| steam up on three of his steamers now in
| port, so that in case Of an lce-gorgc he
| could run right into the Eastern Branch
! The ice IN the river between the Long
| Bridge and Georgetown is broken and in
| good position to gorge upon the least rise
III the river, Mr.. Riddle said that if the
city authorities would furnish q couple of
luE-INNlS nc Nbulu htNu OuJ one Ol ms
steamers and soon break up the harlOr.
The committee received information from
llarlormaster Sutton this morning that he
had tug boat in readiness to break the ice
as soon as the river broke above.
Commissioners Elmonds and Webb
called on the Secretary Of the Treasury to.
Day to secure his assistance in relieving the
livor front from ice. The Secretary In
formed them that he would place a Govern
mtnt tug-hoat at their disposal. The Com
missioners expressed their determination to
put the tug to work Immediately, and no
delay will occur because the Government
tugs are always manned.
The committee appointed yesterday af-
ternoon to wait upon the District Commits
sioneis and urge the appropriation of a sul-
iicient sum from the emergency fund to
clear the Potomac River, held Il brief con
ference with that trlumvirate Immediately
after the meeting. Commissioner EdmOnds
stated that he thought the agitation was
premature. He said that before an ice
gorge could form in this District one would
have to form in the Shenandoah, another
at Ilarpers Ferry and another at Edwards
Ferry, and these gorges would give notice
IN ample time to prepare below for the
damage, Mr.. j. l., Barbour, chairman of
the committee, insisted that when IL was
found that there was immediate danger of
q flood, it would be too late to prevent 1t,
After considerable discussion the commit
tee were Informed that the Commissioners
did not think the emergency was sufficient
to justify their using the fund.- and that
they would take no immediate action. Com
missioner Webb said that the harbOrmastcr
had tug ready to act on the ice In case Of
sudden emergency, and gave every as
surance that the District Government would
lie on the alert. The conference was not
entirely satisfactory to the committee, and
lat huN dot t.
breaking the blockade without the as.
sistance Of the Commissioners.
The committee held a brief meeting at
the store Of n. II. Shea, at 1880 o'clock this
afternoon, Mr.. Tenney and Mr.. Browning
thought that there was no immediate cause
for apprehension but Mr.. Barbour said that
as the money had been contributed for
a specific purpose the committee should
not be inactive. Offers from the owners Of
fhe tug-beats, Mary Lewis and 4. d. Hart
ley TO break the ice for 800 a day each
were accepted. Operations will begin to.
morrow morning. The steamer Wakefield
will follow in the track Of the tug-boats
The committee waited upon President
Norment Of the "lslaudn Company aud
asked the use Of the steamer John W.
Thompson, and also upou William II.
Welch, agent of the Potomac Steamboat
Company, for the use Of the IcaTy but
were refused in both eases.
We SHALL offer tomorrow morning all
the remnants Of genuine Wamsutta ten
quarter sheetings at 20 cents per yard.
This is the best shee&ng made and cannot
be bought from the agents for less than 35
cents, Six cases fine tlress gingsams and
English Ghelyiots at cats per Sdfdi splen,
did bleached and brown Ard, vide cotton at
. cents; new satteens at &ytents; kitchen
crash, cents; best 3-plyG linen collars,
sizing from u to II, foye0 &nts per Dozen
and thousands OF repShants' Of every de
scrption at less TIM half tho cost price.
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