Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-16


CONSTRUCTION ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
The annual report of Col Peter C. Hams, en-
gineer corps, in charge Of improvements of the
Potomac river in the vicinity of the city, has been
made and delivered to the chief OF engineers
| The predatory portion OF the report deals
with the condition of the river previous to the
commencement of efforts to improve it for
navigation and shows that the Georgetown
channel had not sufficient depth TO accommo-
date commerce. Vessels drawing sixteen feet
frequently grounded at high water above Long
bridge, and to maintain this depth frequent
dredging was necessary, and even then the
channel was narrow. as the appropriations for
dredging were only sufficient to make a narrow
cut through the bar The Washington channel
was not only shoal but narrow and wholly mad
equate to the wants of commerce.
THE HISTORY OF LEGISLATION
in the matter is then discussed and the essen
tial points of the present project are made
plain. Besides a number of minor improve
ments already we'll known the plan contem-
plates the removal of the Long bridge or its
being rebuilt with longer spans, and the inter
ceptlon of all sewage now discharged into the
Washington channel and its conveyance to the
James creek, but neither the reconstruction of
of the bridge nor the building of the intercept
ing sewer were included in the estimated cost
of the improvement.
TIE AMOUNT EXPENDED
up to the close of the fiscal year ending June
80, 1888, was S1,247, 4949O. At that time the
Washington channel had a depth of 20 feet at
mean low tide and width of $50 feet the Vir-
ginia channel below Long bridge had a depth
of 20 to "a feet at mean low tide and width of
$50 to 500 feet: the same channel above Long
bridge had depth of about II feet at mean
low tide and width of about $50 feet The
az ndi trra of tha hax,a haa,, Il
voted to the improvement of navigation by
widening the Washington channel at its lower
end and removing the shoal at its junction
with the Virginia channel, SO that the distance
from the wharves along the river front below
Long bridge to Georgetown has been mate
rally shortened, the material 50 dredged being
deposited ON the lower end of section 81 to
raising the entertainments along the margin of
the fill wherever necessary and along the sewer
canal; to protecting the same by means of rip
rap, and to continuing the construction of the
reservoir outlet.
THE GREAT FREsHET.
On the I'd Of June, the report says, there oc-
CURED the greatest freshet in the Potomac
river of which there is any authoritative
record. The Potomac at Harpers Ferry rose
to the height of "a feet above the low stage.
The water was at one time feet inches
above the rails of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road on the bridge and feet 8 inches higher
the maximum height was 4 feet above the
freshet of 1877. At the Chain bridge it was 40
feet inches above the tide level. After the
river began to fall it fell quite rapidly, but for
more than twenty four hours the river was too
high for the sewers in the low part of the CITY
to discharge their contents. Hence, if heavy
rainfall had occurred during this period the
sewers could not have carried off the rain water
at all, and still larger area of the city would
have been flooded: The highest point reached
by the water at the sewer canal at the foot Of
18th street was 1926 feet. Before this height
was reached the water backed up in the B
street sewer and came into the streets from the
sewer outlets. After the water rose above the
level OF B street 1T came into the city from the
sewers and from the river direct.
DAMAGE TO THE FLATS.
The actual damage to the reclaimed land on
the river front was not great. Section was
protected by a heavy growth of willows. The
water swept over section with considerable
velocity and as the material consisted largely
of sand many cubic yards were washed into the
tidal reservoir. Section was not badly dam
aged. Considerable lumber and tools were
lost at the reservoir outlet, but the masonry of
the structure not damaged The loss of
material on the flats would be covered by
S25. coo.
The channels Of the river suffered consider
ably. The Virginia channel above the Long
bridge was filed up to such an extent that
there is not more than IA feet in many places
where there was 20 feet. Below Long bridge
this channel did not fill much except at the
junction of the Washington channel, where
there was deposit of feet At the upper end
OF the Washington channel there was deposit
of about feet. falling off to nothing at the
arsenal grounds. In the tidal reservoir the
deposit varies from to feet 1t is estimated
that not less than 100000 cubic yards of
material was brought down by the freshet and
deposited IN places where 1t is injurious to the
channels of the river and will have to be re-
moved in order to restore them to
the freshet. There was great damage
done to private property in the city,
as the water on b street was in many places
over four feet deep.
REBCILDING OF LONG BRIDGE NECESSARY
The necessity of early action in respect to
the rebuilding of Long bridge is emphasized
by this freshet. Had it occurred when the
river was full Of ice a gorge would in all proba-
bility have formed at the bridge, which would
have thrown much more water into the city and
done much larger amount of damage. As it
was the obstruction of the piers was so great as
to cause an accumulation of drift which ac-
tually reduced the discharge area materially
The low ground south of Long bridge was
deeply inundated and an immense quantity of
water was discharged over it. There was a
good-sized river running over Alexander's
Island when the freshet was at its height II this
exit had been cut of, as it would be BY the con-
structlon of a substantial embankment on which
to carry the railroad tracks, the rise at and
above the bridge would have been much higher
and more water would have come into the city
There Is nothing to prevent the owners of the
island from building dixie around it to shut
out such freshets or OF any railroad company
from building such an embankment as is re-
ferred to. Attention has been called so often
to the necessity of rebuilding Long bridge
without any action being taken, that it seems
almost an lmpertinence to again recur to the
subject, but the necessity increases as the work
advances To delay it longer is to put vast in
terests in jeopardy. The amount expended
during the fiscal year WAS STA, 298 TO- Out
standing liabilities amount to SI718S87 and
SSl,143.39 is covered by existing contracts.
leaving S52.303.74 available The estimate to
complete the work lis Si,14i, 365. and OF this
amount 100000 is asked for the next fiscal
year.
The commercial statistics appended to this
! portion of Col. HaiDs' report show that 1928
steamers mot including ferry or local passenger
and excursion steamers) and sailing vessels ar
rived and departed from Washington during
the year ending December 81, 1888, and in adj
| dition to these there were 2.S21 barges draw
ing from 4 to 10 feet of water each. The Ie-
ceipts and shipments foot up SIS tons.
| divided follows: Coal. 240. 836 tons: ice
10S, 42l tons; lumber 45, l0l tons; sand, so. 600
tons; wood, SO, 040 tons; miscellaneous, 1O4, 1T
tons.
Public ADJUSTMENTS.
NEW NATIONAL THEArER-''The Merry War"
Strausa' m tuuaful A.