The Washington critic. (Washington City, D.C.) 1890-1890, 1890-02-18
MORE MONEY WANTED
FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE
POTOMAC RlVERI

Appeal of the Washington Board OF
Trade TO the House Committee -
Deeper and wider Than the Mis-
sissippi-One Hundred Miles Long.
The Washington Board of Trade
Committee on the Improvement of the
Potomac River, appeared before the
House Committee on Rivers and llar-
bors this morning and asked that the
present small appropriation for the i'm
provemcnt of the Potomac River be in
creased to a respectable amount, in
order that the necessary Improvements
may be made.
The full Board of Trade committee,
consisting of the Hon. S. T. Whcatley,
Henry Wise Garnet, Alexander d.
Anderson, George 7. Dunlop and J. II.
Magruder, were present. Mr. Wheat
ley, as its chairman, acted as spokes-
man. He said that as representative
Of the Board of Trade of Wash
ington, which included as members
nearly 800 of the business men
of the city, he came to ask that
an appropriation be made to deepen
and widen and improve the Potomac
River. Although an appropriation had
been made for improving the Potomac
flats, this was but a secondary consider
alton when compared to the necessity
of improving the river.
The river was over hundred miles
long and the second in Importance in
the United States. It was deeper and
wider than the Mississippi and
the needed improvement would probably
have been made long ago but for the
fact that the District had no representa-
tion, but was compelled to rely upon its
organizations of citizens to ask for
these necessities
One of the Harbor Committee wanted
to know when the suit instituted
against the Government to establish
their claims to the flats would
be settled. Neither Mr.. Wheat
ley or Mr.. Garnett could state,
exactly, but the former said that
he had no doubt but that
the Government would win the suit
which, he said, should stop the work,
as only forty acres of the flats alto
gethcr was in dispute. Mr. Wheatley
then read the following letter, which
had been sent to the Board of Trade:
"UNrrEp STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
ilcr. d. anderson, Secretary, Washington,
u, c.:
SIR: In reply to your oral inquiries in re-
gard to the depth of water available for
vessels, between the mouth of the Potomac
River and Washington, d. c., have to
state that, from the mouth of the river
| to Kettle Bottoms about thirty (30) feet can
| be carried at low tide. Over the Ket-
tie Bottoms there is an available depth of
| about twenty-one (2l) feet at low tide, or
about twenty two and one-half (22I) feet at
| high tide. From Kettle Bottoms to Mary
aud Point there is ample draught for the
argest vessels. From Maryland Point to
Deep Point there is about twenty-one (2l
| feet at low tide, or about twenty-five and
one-balf (224) feet at high tide. At Deep
Point there is q shoal on which there i a
depth of nineteen (l9) feet at low tide, or
twenty and onehalf (20l) feet at high tide.
From thence to Giesboro Point there Is an
available depth of from twenty-four to
twenty-seven ga to 27) feet at low tide
Along the wharves in Washington there Is
about twenty (20) feet at low tide.
The depth in the river could be increased
to twenty four (24) feet at low tide by
deepening on Kettle Bottoms and between
Maryland Point and Deep Point, the cost
of which would not, in my opinion, exceed
about 100000. This is not an estimate,
| DNI guess.
There is ample harbor capacity between
Washington and Alexander for an immense
feet Very respectfully,
PETER C. HAMS,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers.
Another of the committee said that
according to the reports of engineers
who had surveyed the cast and wes
branches of the Potomac, it would bC
useless to improve them.
Mr.. Wheatley said that the river
should be made twenty four feet deer
at Kettle Bottoms and between Maryland
Point and Deep Point. AS it is rule
of the committee that no appropriation
can be made until a survey has beer
made, Messrs. Wheatley and Garnet
asked that such survey should be made
Their request was put in writing ant
Hlol