The times., 1897-07-23
IMPROVING THE POTOMAC
Colonel Allen Submits His Re-
port of Recent Operations.
WORK OFTHE YEAR REVIEWED
Plaus for Dredging and New Sea
WaIls-A Tidal Basin Above the
Long Bridge-A rea OF the he
claimed lats-Great BeDefits
TO Commerce and Navigation.

Col Charles j. Allen has submitted TO
the War Department his annual report
concerning the Improvement OF the Potomac
River II. it he says: The present, which
is the original project, for the improve
ment, has for its object the Improvement
of tl,e navigation of the river, by widen
ing and deepening it's channels, reclamation
of the fats by depositing on them The ma
Uerial Gredged from the channels, the free
ing of the Washington channel, so far asit /
can be done, OF sewage, and the establish
n.ent OF harbur lines beyond which nc
wharyes should be built. -
TO effect these the project provided
for twenty feet depth in the channels at
low water. for filling in tile flats TO IL
height Of ttfee feet aiove the flood plan"
OF SIT, and lor Tidal reservoir ar basln
ahove Long Llidge, 10 lie provided wlth
inlet and outlet gates OF ample Dimensions
lo work automatically, and SO arranged as
10 admit OF the basin being filled from the
Virginia channel On IlUod tide ana dis-
charged into tie Washington channel On
the ebh An ample system OF drainage
for lne reclaimed area was also eonteln'
plated.
The project also provides for the re-
building Of Long bridge at an early period
during lie iIoeress CT tie Improvement,
with vide 81 ans upon piers Offering the
least Tossible obstruction TO the flow of
water, aud the interception Of The sewage
now discharged INTO tile Washington chair
mel, and lis ccnvey vance TO the James Creek
| sewer canal, but neither OF these WORKS
was included IN tie estimated cost OF ths
improveinen Mt, which was S2,7l6, ,365. The
I estimate as revised in 1897 was So ,953,-
| o20.
The total Of appropriations for this inn
provement from August , 1882, to ddteiS
| s., ,2s5,oo0. The amount eXpeuded to dne
| 20, inclusive, 1856 was s., ,i:i1 ,049 -
| The work done 20 that date had resulJad: IN
| the dredging OF a channel 20 feet q eeF and
| $50 wide through the bar anove Long
] bridge, and in restoring the standard 20
foot navigation by redredging shoals . ue
| to freshets. in widening the natural chan
n.l just below Long bridge from 90 20 800
| feet and deepening il 70 20 feet. in q redg-
| Ing a channel $50 feet wide and 30 feet
/ deep through tile bar in the Nirginia chan
mel near Giesboro poiut; in dredging in the
Washington channel 10 IA width OF 400 feet
aud depth of !. feet: IN dredging the June
ton OF the Washington and Virginia chan
nes; In dredging the tidal reservoir GII
/ qcresl 10 a depth OF about feet; con-
struciion OF the reservoir outlet; and con
struction Of 3s, $50 linear feet OF sea wall
and $500 linear feet of training dixie.
The work OF the past fiscal year has
consisted in laying sea wall On the Vr-
ginia channel front and in the tidal reser
yoir; also in relaying part OF the old sea
wall along the Washington channel front
OF section III OF the flats. a contract
was made March 8, 1887, with A ".
CIesg, OF Washington, ~ c., for dredging
to be done under the appropriation II
100000 for the improvement made by
the act or June 3, 1886, the work to
begin July /.
The items of work remaining to be
completed are as follows: The dredging
of the Virginia channel and the raising
OF the remainder OF the reclaimed area 20
the required height; the dredging of the
tidal reservoir; the coBpletion of the sea-
wall; the construction OF the reservoir
inlet, and the completion OF the training
dike on the right Of the Virginia channel
above Long Bridge.
material was deposited were largely OF
soft mud. The average depth of filling on
the nats has been about ten feet, and, as
was expected, tile weight OF this material
has compressed the soft mud beneath,
resulting in some settling OF the mass
Levels have recently been taken over tie
reclaimed area and oomput alton made of
the amount of filling required to raise the
/ fn bn rr1 tall NV I,a
project OF $50 The amount of fill re-
Quired over that originally estimated is
100000 cubic yards This increase in
fuil i : due in part TO the change In grade
of section III, made in SS4, in part Ia
shrinkage and drying out Of dredged ma
terial, but chiefly to the settlement and
compaoting Of dredged material Just men
toned The training dixie ON the Vir
ginia side of the channel, added to the
project Of 1890, and the estimated Ia.
crease in cost OF inlet gates, have also
been factors ia the revision of the estimate
The increase in estimated cost is 1926, ,655
which, when one cons iders that the
original estimate was made about 1882
and that the work since then has beer
subject to fluctuations in prices of Iabo
aud materials, and has been subject tc
| Is Ebb DS All means
large for such a work as is under con
siderati0n.
The benefits TO commerce and navi
cation have been most ma rked. Vessels o
the draUght now enga ged in the coal trade
| from Georgetown were formerly unable &
cross the lar In the Virginia channel. The
increased drausht now practicable has lie
creased the fteigiit ate smaterially. In tn
Il
has cnabled deeper draught vessels en-
gagged in the ice trade 10 reach the por
and freights have decreased, while in
, | creased width has greatly facilitated the
mana cement OF steamers naviga ting tht
river. All Of the coal shipped and most O
/ the asphalt received pa SIS through the Vii
ginia channel. The greater part of the ic
received and all freights re ceived by stea IN
ers come through the Washington channel
Wood and ice, however, also go up III
Anacosti3 River.
The value of the commerce to be bene
fitted may be judged by examination of tn
following table showing the commerce q
the port of Washington, in tons, from IS
to 1895, inclusive: 1887, 61s,s72; sss
5s1. .575; 1889. 4ss.6SO; 1890, 51e.eg,
1891, 551 .219; 1899, 76e,954; 1898
$50, 433; 1924. 644,5ss; 1895, 693,4 ,45l
t 1895, 723,e57.
"The sum asked for the fiscal year ent
= ing June 80. 1899, is to be applied