Evening star., 1898-08-18
To Raise It's Level at the Cost of a
Million
ANNUAL REPORT OF COLONEL ALLEN
Years Progress in Improving the
Potomac.
DREDGING THE CHANNEL

Col. ChdrteS j. Alien, SOEpS Engineers,
in charge Of the Potomac river and its
tributaries, has made his annual report to
the Secretary of War of operations during
the past fiscal year. The present project
for the Improvement of the Potomac river
was adopted by act Of Congress, Angus. 2,
1882. 1t has for its objecss the improve
ment of the navigation of the river by
widening and deepening its channel, the
reclamation of the flats py depositing on
them material dredged from the channels,
the freeing of the Washington channal, so
far as it can be done, of sewage, and the
es establishment of harbor lines beyond which
no wharves snail be built. The channels
are to be made 20 feet deep at low water;
the flats above Long bridge are to be filed
in to height of three feet above the flood
plane of 1877, and below the bridge to +,
filled in to the same elevation along the
middle longitudinal line, but to slope to-
ward each channel SO as 20 have a height
of six feet above low tide a. the margins Of
the fill. A tidal reservoir or basin was to
be established above Long bridge not less
than eight feet deep and provided with m
let and outlet gates automatically arranged
for filling the reservoir the flood tide
from the Virginia channsl and emptSing
it into the Washington channel at low-wa-
ter level on the ebb.
The project also considered the rebuild
ing of Long bridge and the intercepting Of
sewage discharged into the Washington
channel and it's conveyance to the James
Creek sewer canal but neither of these
were included in the estimated cost CT the
Improvement, which was $2,il2,365. This
estimate, as revised in 1897, was Increased
to $2,953,O2O, for reasons sIa-ed in the an
nual report of the chief engineer for tkat
year. A training dixie on the Virginia
shore was added to the project in 1890.
Dredging Virginia Channel.
Very little progress is reported in the
work of dredging material from the Vir-
ginia channel of the river during the past
year. In March, 1897, contract was en-
tered into with A. NJ. Clegg of this city for
dredging about $4,000 cubic yards of ma
terial from this channel. OF this amount
260,oOU cubic yards were to be dredged from
the channel above Long bridge and about
2So,0OO cubic yards from the channel below
the bridge, the dredged material to be de-
posted on the flats or reclaimed area. The
contract provided for commencement of the
work on or before July /, 1897 and the
completion of the same on or before Oc-
tober l, 1893. 1t contemplated the dredging
and deposit of the soil at the rate of Az, 900
cubic yards per month. 1t appears from
the report, however, that the contractor
has been very delinquent in the prosecution
of his work and that the total amount of
dredging done by him during the past fiscal
year was but 12,554 cubic yards. Because
of the failure Of the contractor, Col. Allen
lue dDTCRdtlOH, Oh MS con-
tract. The contract was accordingly an
nulled in March last, but subsequently the
annullment was revoked by the War De-
partment and Mr.. Clegg was permitted to
proceed with the work of dredging under
bond to execute the contract within the
time originally specified. Since that date
the dredging machine has been out of
pair and scarcely any dredging has been
done The total number of cubic yards of
material dredged from the channels from
TIL, commencement of the improvement. in
1882, to date and deposited on the flats is
10 ,693, ,554. .i. 's-
Raising the Sea Wall.
During the year considerable progress
was made in the work Of reconstructing
and raising the sea wall along the Wash
ington channel front. or of section g. being
that portion of the reclaimed area below
the Long bridge. The length of wall relaid
and raised during the year was 2,7S0 feet.
AS the wall was completed gravel backing
was placed behind it to afford efficient
drainage, and the earth was banked up
against the gravel. The total length of sea
wall built to date is 5,2S9 linear feet. of
which 1910 linear feet have been taken
down and relaid.
Colonel Allen says the items Of work re-
| naming to be completed are as follows:
The dredging of the Virginia channel and
the raising of the remainder OF the re-
claimed area to the required height; the
| dredging Of the tidal rese-voi-, the COM
pletion of the sea wall. the construction CT
the reservoir, the reservoir inlet and the
completion of the training dixie on the right
of the Virginia channel above Long bridge.
The sum OF $225, 900 can he profitaby eX-
Ccrded during the fiscal year ending June
| 80, 1900, toward completion of the project.
There are 500 linear fee: of see wall to
| be built on the northeast margin of the
| tida' reservoir when the bathing heacl
| shall have been discontinued.
BENEFIT to Commerce.
The value of improvement of the Foto-
mac can be appreciated by reference to the
commercial statistics Of the port. Vessels
| of large draught engaged in -he coal trade.
| and which were formerly unable to pass
! the bar in the Virginia channel, have been
| enabled. until within some months past, to
| arrive at and depart from the Georgetown
wharves without apprecieble trouble, and
| 1t is hoped that the earty removal OF the
| shoal places above Long bridge will restore
| the twenty-foot channel.
In the Washington channel the increas-
ed depth has enabled deeper drausht ves-
sells engaged in the ice trade to reach the
| port, and freights are reported to have
decreased, while increased width has greatly
| Facilitated the management of steam
| ers navigating the river. All of the coal
| Shipment and most of the asphalt received
| passed through the Virginia channel. The
greater part of the ice received and all
| freights received by steamers come through
the Washington channel Wood and ice.
however, also go up the Anacostia river
The Land Reclaimed.
The Improvement has now reached a
stage where the maintenance and preser-
walton require attention. The growth of
weeds and underbrush, which, in the sum-
mer season especially, renders access to
the various parts of the work difficult,
should be cleared up each year until the
reservation is ready to be Maid out and
graded. Annual repairs will also be need
ed on the wall and reservoir gates
Inc proper police supervision of the ex-
tensive area Of G21 acres has also become
a matter Of Importance. In order to pre-
ETC., the reservation should be patroIled,
ana 1t is recommended that annual pro-
vision be made for watchmen. 1t is esti-