Evening star., 1898-12-16
Estimates for Reclaiming Them Sent
to Congress.
COL. ALLEN SUBMITS Two PROJECTS
To Deepen the Channel and Build
Sea Wall.
MR.. MEIKLEJOHN APPROVES

| Acting Secretary Meiklejohn of the War
| Department today transmitted to Congress
| a project for the Improvement of Anacos-
| tia river and the reclamation of its flats
| from the line of the District of Columbia to
| its mouth. The project is embodied in a re-
! port made by Lieutenant Colonel Charles j
| Allen, Corps of Engineers, in compliance
| with the requirements of joint resolution
| of Congress approved April II, 1885 as fol-
| lows:
| That the Secretary of War be- and he is
| hereby, directed to prepare and submit to
| Congress forthwith a project for the i'm
| provement of the Anacostia river and the
| reclamation of its flats from the line of the
| District of Columbia to the mouth of said
river, with an estimate of the cost of the
| same, and a report on the area and owner
| ship of the land to be reclaimed, and il any
| portion OF said land is vested in private
persons an estimate of the cost of acquiring
| the same
| Gen. Wilson, chief of engineers, in trans
| nitting Col. Aliens report to the War De-
| partment, summarizes its conclusions in
| the following words:
! Lieutenant Colonel Allen states that
| taking the present plan for depth of twen-
| ty feet in the Potomac as a basis, the nee
| eSsary ruling depths for navigation of the
| Anacostia, considered in his report are
| twenty feet at low water from the mouth
| of the river to the Navy Yard, with a widt h
| of 400 feet; thence to Benning bridge a
| depth of sixteen feet with widths of 2QO
| to 800 feet. and that, as the flats above
! Benning bridge are beyond the city limits.
| their Improvement might be deferred and
attention be given for the present to the
portion of the river in front of the citv
where interests OF the city and of the
| United States government are concerned.
Two projects for Improvement from the
District line to the mouth. with estimate
OF cost by sections, are presented
| l. Dredging enamel 1pnOSitiDp noa
| terial to an average elevation of seven feet
above low tide, including construction OF
| sea wall and embankment to height OF
| fourteen feet above low tide; estimated to
| cost, including contingencies:
| Section From mouth to Navy Yard
| bridge $l;2ls,,25. Section 2.-From Navy
| Yard bridge to Benning bridge s976, 1875
| Section 3.-From Benning bridge to the Dis
| trict line, $6l4,6O0. Total, s.. 5000
IF the embankment and drainage be
| omitted the total of this estimate will be
| reduced to s., 4G, ,4S0
''2. Dredging channel and depositfng
| dredged material on the flats and trans
| porting material to raise the fats to a
| height of fourteen feet above low tide, in
| ing contingencies:
Section /. from mouth to Navy Yard
| bridge, $!,29l, 40; section ,, from Navy
Yard bridge to Benning bridge, $2G4o, $40
| section D. IRON Benning bridge to the Dis
| trict line, 81 OPS 800; total. $69ti7 1So
Assuming that the high-grade filling
| although more desirable, would probably
| not be undertaken on account of its great
! cost, and that the Improvement of the rive,
| above Benning bridge may be deferred foI
| The present.
! Lieut.. Co. Allen suggests the Improvement
| of sections / and ., including reclamation
! of the flats within these sections estiua ed
| to cost 81 94,I20, as the plan probably seri,-
i ing present needs and as the least eXpen-
| siVe, the flats within those sections to be
| raised to a height of about seven feet
| above low tide and as specified in estimate
| NO. l, the channels eXCaVated to afford
| ruling depths of twenty feet at low tide
| from the mouth to the navy yard, and OF
| sixteen feet thence to Benning bridge, with
| widths as indicated above
| The estimates for this work have been
| made upon the assumption that large and
| continuous appropriations will be made SO
as to permit rapid and continuous work
and 1t is estimated that 100000 can be
| adVantaseously expended annually under
! the minimum plan ESTIMATED cost 81 1874 :
| 72W.
| The estimates presented do not include
| the cost of alteration of bridges which
| would be necessitated by the Improvement
| nor the cost of protection of bridge piers
| which may be affected by excavation Sc
| near them
| "A list of lands within the limits of the
| proposed Improvement with names of own
| ers and assessed value thereof, accom-
| panies this report, and Lieut.. Col. Allen
states that it has not been practicabl to
| obtain any estimate of the cost of acuuir-
| ing the lands other than that which may
| be indicated by their assessed values.
| Il concur in the views of Lieut.. Col. Al
| len, and commend this important work to
| the favorable consideration of Congress-.