Evening star., 1894-01-19
DEEPENING THE CHANNEL
Some af the Results of the River Improve
ments.
Mai. Davis Gives q summary In His
Monthly Responsibilities
the Flats.

Major Davis Of the engineer corps has
made report of the operations in improv-
ing the Potomac river during the month of
December. When the present project Of
improvement was adopted, the Georgetown
channel was narrow and crooked and had
not sufficient depth to accommodate COM
merce, and the Washington channel was
shoal and narrow. The fats in front Of
the city were alternately exposed and COW
cred by the tide.
In execution of the project there has been
dredged a channel from $50 to $50 feet
wide and % feet deep through the bars be-
tween Giesboro' Point and Georgetown. As
this channel has filled up above the Long
bridge, II has been redredged there several
times and training dixie has been built
with view Of reducing the deposit. In the
Washington channel the navigation chan
mel has been dredged to a depth of 20 feet
and a width Of $50 feet. The ruling depth,
however, was decreased to about 10 feet
by the freshet of June 2, 1889. The area
between the navigation channel and the
wall on section Ill has been dredged to a
depth of II feet. The redredging of the
navigation channel comprises all the work
that is proposed for the Washington chan
mel Dredging i'm the Washington channel,
under the contract OF the San Francisco
bftuge company, was cOnt1nue0 through
the entire month with the hydraulic dredge
Boston. The weather was unusually favor
able and the progress made with the work
was quite satisfactory. Mai. Davis says
the dredge is well adapted to the work. is
kept in good repair, and being manned by
an efficient crew, there have been no ma
terial delays. During the month s., s2y
cubic yards Of material were dredged and
deposited on section III of the reclaimed
area. On December 81 the navigation chan
mel had been dredged and widened TO the
full dimensions of 20 feet In depth and 4oo
feet in width, from the River View wharf
for a distance of 2,400 feet down stream
while above this wharf a section 600 feet
amount of dredging under the contract TO
December 81 was go, $50 cubic yards, leav-
ing a balance of $40, Ala cubic yards to be
dredged to make the total of $4,000 cubic
yards.
The Sea Wall.
The construction of the sea wall on the
Washington channel front of section Ill
was continued during the month, and 800
linear feet completed. For this work, 400
cubic yards of building stone We're pur-
chased during the month. The construction
of the training dixie on the west side Of the
Virginia channel above Long bridge was
continued and 4S0 cubic yards OF riprap
purchased and put in place.
All the material is being deposited on the
fats. and practically the entire area to be
reclaimed has been raised above the over
flow at ordinary high tide. OF the 12.O00
OOo cubic yards estimated to fill the flats to
the required height there has been deposit
ed on them about 9.595,0O0 cubic yards.
The reservoir outlet has been completed,
except the railing.
The wreck of the lighter belonging to
Littlefeld Alvord a. Co., in Virginia chan
rel of Potomac river at. Washington was
removed by the owners during the month
and deposited in shoal water on the shoal
of Analostan Island, where IL does not en-
danger navigation. 1t is proposed to re-
build the lighter. Maj. Davis says that the
wreck of the steam yacht Ella in Washing
ton channel of Potomac river at Washing
ton is an obstruction to navigation, and
that he recommends that Messrs. F.. G..
Lang & Co., the local representatives of
the underwriters, be held to their agree
ment with the Secretary of War to re-
move the wreck. Final arrangements have
been made for the removal of the wreck of
the steamer w. W. Colt in the Washington