The morning times., 1896-05-10

II In forest. The plants are mostly wa:G.r
lilies, with immense dubious and succulent
roots constantly undergoing renewal and
decay. In the fall of the year this vast
spread of vegetation willis and lies in
immense quantities in the mud and water,
undergoing miasma breeding decomposi-
ton.
SEWER FILTH.
Into this mass oil putreIying vegetable
matter there is discharged from the Yves:
ern or city side the contents OF seven or
eight sewers, constantly, day and night,
and always. One of these is the great
northern boundary sewer, emptying II the
eastern end OF II street, and another is
the wide-open James Creek Canal sewer,
Which discharges a the Arsenal grounds.
From the eastern side OF the Eastern
Branch there are now three sewers run
ming into it, besides the surface drainage
from all the high hills south and west of
Benning TO Giesboro Point. There is at
present q very rapidly increasing popula-
tlOn in all that section.
The suburban towns of HyattSville Bla-
densburg. Beuning, Twining City, East
Washington Heights. HllSdale and Anacos-
tia. whose limits already begin to merge
into each other. are growing into large
ard attractive cities. The same may be
said of East Washington. within whose
borders east of the Capitol not far from
a hundred thousand people now reside.
Now. these immense aggregatious or hu-
manity are exposed To this malaria-breed-
ing atmosphere OF the Auacnstia swamp
Immediately. while no one can say how
far beyond these limits these disease germs
are carried.
From a commercial standpoint the Ar
costa River is $500 feet wide where IL
empties into the Potomac River. and IL
gradually decreases to 800 feet in width
at the District line. The depth of the
channel varies from twenty feet at its
mouth to eight feet at the most shallow
depth in the District. The tide rises aud
falls in this stream thirty-siX inches. The
area of the flats bet ween high-water marks
on the two sides of the stream is over 600
acres and the title TO all OF il is ! q tf-s
United states by the recent decision of the
courts in the Kidwell flats case.
When the committee appointed by the
East Washington Citizens Association be-
gan the study of the question they were
amazed at the magnitude of the undertake
ing. Months were spent in the study OF
the problem. and they finally found that
il had two phascs-one sanitary, the other
commercial. SO their report was based
on these lines. less unsanitary conditions,
the deepening a nd widening OF a navigahle
stream and more wharfage.
THE COMMITTEE ) NOhh.
The committee found that some OF tie
indirect advantages would be the building
up and Improvement OF the city IN the
neighborhood OF the flats when the resi-
dents there could be free from the danger
of their present disease-breeding effects;
stimulated commercial activities, by rea-
son of Increased water front; a possible
use OF the improved channel as part OF a
proposed system of inland waterways,
and an addition of over 1000 acres or
available public land which now Is use
less. offensive and deadly.
1t also found that considerable portion
of such reclaimed land would be within the
cirv limits, and could be laid out in squares
in conformity with the design OF the plan OF
the city. Water street could be laid out be-
] tween the boundary lines of the squares and
| tie water Of the river. II believes that suCh
| new squares could be sold for a sum suffi-
cient TO more than pay for the inIpro vement.
1t found besides that the rapidly growing
commerce of-tbe city must find It's reher ID
the Eastern Branch. All along the Potomac
I River tie wharfing is controlled by private
ownership and steamboat landings. Bad
! as the wharfage on the Eastern Branch is,
many enterpriseS have been forced To Its
shores Tie widening of the Anacostla
/ River to Bennng bridge would give an addl-
tIonal mile of wharves. This being the prop
erty OF the United States would breing III
another nice sum OF money.
The committee, after an exhaustive study
Of the subject, recommend that laws be
| made directing the proper authority to
| cause Water street to be laid out according
! 10 the Elliott plan OF the city. 1t also
! recommended that-such legislation may pe
! enacted as will divert the discharge OF all
the sewers which now empty into the East
ern Branch, spreading their poisonous con
tents over that vast area OF disease-oreed,
ing marsh. into interceptors. which VIII
convey the sewage to the pumping station
| to be located at New Jersey avenue ana y
street southeast, as proposed by the boaro
Of sanitary engineers ana eApialheu IL
| tbair renort- and thus entirely relieve this
| sIurpish stream from sewage pollution