The morning times., 1896-05-10
a CHANCE FOR a NEW WASHINGTON.
Could Building Placed the Market and the
Improvement Pay Itself in Time.

seems destined to become the great work
shop OF the Navy Department. Its secure
position in time Of war must of necessity
give 1T prominent place as naval estaD-
lishment. For these reasons alone the
government has an immense interest In
making the yard apprOachable by some or
its large vessels. The channel depth, as
stated, is already eighteen feet, but 1t IS
narrow and crooked. and it IS no un usual
thing to see a government vessel aground
in the channel, although she may be of
comparatively Eight draft. The keeping
OF the channel open for the navy alone has
been regarded as OF so much Importance
that IL steam dredging plant has for years
been kept constantly On hand and frequently
at work by the Navy Department, improv-
ing the channel as well as the docks IN
front OF the yard. Frequent appropriations
have been made by Congress and expended
under the Navy Department for dredging
the Aracostia River, no less than $4,000
having been expended on this account IA
the last twenty years.
To say that the Eastern Branch OF the
Potomac should be improved is only to say
what Congress has virtually said when II
made appropriations for the Improvement.
Besides the wants OF the Navy Department.
there are commercial reasons for lmprOv-
ing the river between its mouth and tie
Navy Yard Bridge. The water front of this
city is already overcrowded. The most Of
the shipping arriving and departing MAKE
their landings al wharves along the Wash
inton Channel. The wharfage room here
not sufficient for the existing demands
commerce. The question of selling the re>eT
walton OF Washington Barracks has alreaf-
been considered IN Congress, and more
room is urgently demanded. If the Capitdi
Is to grow, and grow II must, additional
wharfage Will be required. The most avail
able space for it is on the bank OF the
Auacostia between BuZzards Point and the
navy yard. and to utilize il the channel
must he widencd and deepened.
There are reasons, however. other than
purely commercial ones, which call for the
improvement OF this river. Nearly One-half
OF the sewage Of the city or Washington is
discharged into this stream. As the city
grows the amount will increase. The ef-
feet of this will be TO cause such pollution
Of the water that q most unsanitary state
OF affairs will be brought about sooner OF
later. The sewage Will spread out on the
flats and these fill up higher and higher
the otors from them will increase until a
large part of the CITY bordering ON It Will
be rendered unhealthy, If not uninhabira-
BILE.
THE QUESTION PRESETED.
The question seems. therefore, 20 he
not is the improvement desirable, but how
caa ii best he done: In answering this
question 1t Is important, in my opinion,
that temporary eXpedients for ameIiOrat-
ing existing difficulties should not be
adopted, buu that due considerable should
be given 20 the requirements of the future
as well as the present, and pm fOrmu
lated that looks TO the future dema nds><f
great city
Appropriations are made in small hi
ennidl installmentS and this fact should not
he lost sight Of, so that the work OF each
year. be it little or great. should be in con-
formity To some comprehensive plan. Here
tofore the channel has been dredged from
TING to time and the Spoiis deposited where
it could be done at least expense.
1t is sea rcely within the range Of prob
| abilities that that portion of the river above
| the bridge Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
! Company Will need improvement for many
years TO come. From Benning bridge TO the
navy yard the river does not need improve
| nent at the present time, but doubtless viii
| at no distant day. The part 0ftbe river to be
| improved would, therefore, for the present
| at least, be that portion from the Navy
| Yard bridge down to- its mouth.
1t is said that less than 100 years ago
| vessels of considerable size loaded at
| Bladcnsburg, but can find no maps of tie
| river that show q navigab!e stream To that
! point. The river has filled up considerably
| from the deposits OF freshetS, which de-
| posts have AIKEN place from both directions.
| The lower part of the river has suffered
| more from the deposit of silt brought down
| tie Potomac than from that brought down
/ the river itself, and the reverse IS doubtless
! true with respect to the upper part. The
| sitting process is still going on, and must.
| from tie nature Of things, continue This
| silt nj in z
| At other times the river is comparatively
| clear. but the deposit from the sewers IS
| continuous.
THE TIDAL AREA.
The tidal compartment of the Anacostia
above Poplar Point, as calculated from
maps of the Coast and Geodetic survey.
and our own, is found 10 be as follows:
The area between a line drawn from
Poplar Point TO Berning Bridge is 81
$4,000 square feet The range of tides
within this area is taken at three feet
The tidal area between BennIng Bridge
| and Biadensburg is 9,303,65 square feet
! The range OF tides at BIadenSburg is . /
| feet, and the average range within the last
named area ma Y be taken as =. % feet. The
tidal prism between Poplar Point and
Bladensburg VIII then be as follows:
Cubic feet.
| Poplar Point TO Bladensburg,
37,oS4, COOKS .-112,T52, 500
| Benning Bridge 10 Bladensburg,
| 9,303, ,650X2 .6 =. e. 241S9. 400
Total cubic feet e. .. / Sc, 492 ,09O
The fluviaI discharge of the Angcostia
River is about sixty cubic feet per second
so that on the ebh tide the above should
be increased by 1 ,45S, 900 cubic feet, and
on the flood decreased by ,152, ,OOO cubic
feet.
Between the crossing of the Baltimore
and Potomac Railroad and Benning Bridge
the tidal area is made up chiefly of flats
and marshes, which are now overflow &c
at high tide, but which are gradually silt
ing up, and which eventually will he raised
In this way, or else reclaimed, so as to bt
above ordinary high tides. Above Ben
ming Bridge there is a small area of fiat!