The evening times., 1899-02-02
IMPROVING TIE POTOMAC.
Lurgcr appropriation III the River
and HarboT Bill Desired.

Asaii-l5N' ga NV
and HarboT Bill Desired.
The following letter has been sent TO
Chairman Frye, of the Senate Committee
on Commerce:
Business Tea's Association,
Washington, y. G, Fch. }. IsG1.
Hon. William p. Frye. Chairman Committee on
= Commerce. United States Senate:
Dear Sir: 4 large number Of the prominent bisi-
mess men 1T the District of Columbia have, in Il
ialgJl letter address al to tic association ot which
l JH secretary expressed their surprise Al the
small appropriation reported Ia the river and har
Dor bill far the improvement u the Potomac
River. ami desire ttat the attention ot senators
auj Representatives hc invited 10 the facts ot
ilc case.
\, it j. nov too Late to gel hearing before the
House committee in charge OF the subject | re-
spcctiuly submit for thr consideration OF yoUr
honorable committee. b.iei statement. hoping
the Potomac max hc as literally treated Is the
other great Gayisablc rivers included il the pro-
Visions of Ihe bin
The superior merits of ;hc Potomac. d deep
waterway oi commerce. seems 10 have been over
looked prciahly Tor the reason that il iIas thus
i5T bee: mainly known - The seat of military and
political operations. and because Of the crnpara-
tiv" neglect Of industries and development in the
tributary country.
tries and commerce of Washington. Norfolk. New
pou News. and other places interested in the
navigation of The river, arc entering upon neT
era az rTigSt rial development. thereby making 4
deep-wlter channel and adequate hJri'oT> matter,
OF gicat practical importance.
Washington. which has heretofore been little
known an Industrial and commercial city, be
cJU~, ~ ils political prominence i. nevertheless.
great manufacturing centIc. According 10 the
United States of 1870 lis annual products
of manufacture were over S:s9.0n.eO1 in value.
This Is a larger annual product than those OF
~U.h -cli-LnUwn industrial centres Fail River.
! s. Paul, Kansas Civ, indianapolis, Richmond,
/ and many other prominent cities. But 1t Is only
! the beginning If il industrial development, tor
I tie El.yFirBU of tIJ a
power ri tha Great and Little Falls of the Poto-
mac Tor the generation Of electricity, the cstab-
| ii.lmcHt u new manufacturing plants in George
/ io"n. Alexandra CITY aud county. the Govern
| mental works At Indian lead. the Manufacture "I
! icd cannon and other firearms ina >uath Wash
ngtau: tl,e construction ~ the nc@ dry dock at
| Newport News, ihe rapid growth Of the ship
/ hHiiriU- industry 81 t.tc same place. and many
! other enterprises already started projected
/ along Tie banks 4 the Potomac, and from the
mouth 81 ti" fIfel 90 the scahu5rd. and d." am
| proN5meII and enlargement OF thc railways trih-
! utary 10 Washington. al indicate yciy Clearly
that Ilc country nter>eotcd 10y the Potomac River
! l. entering upon Now era ~ material progress.
! and that deep waterway 10 tEe >glbosrd j. 4
/ matter oi general interest.
! This statement that thc Potomac IN natural adj
/ vauIa@c- and in depth Of ulygalIc ynrurI i, far
! superior 20 most oi the great rivers oi both En-
! rope and America. may sem too broad IA a>slT.
/ fluH. yof Ii l. q ficl.
Ia uatunl Advantages i"r maritime commerce
Washington Is also superior tu nearly all the great
inland cities
/ Row well nature has equirnad he Capital city
ia ii.i- respect will DC appreciated when one con
tlaSl~ ihr Potomac with Tic WATERWAYS tributary
! go London and PIIis. namely. the Thames and the
! Seine.
THE ,hrco capitals arc al near the seaboard
Form The mouths OF their IrSpa,iiy" rivers Lon
con ~ distant -. Fans 40, and Washington l0i
I miles.
Historically and politically hy reason ci The
/ great capitals with which they are associated.
/ the l3ser rivers all familiar nanrs. But their
! respective commercial cap3utic, in depth OF nav
! i@ati"n hge not generally known.
/ tue Thames Tor instance J. nayieable for large
1 vessels at irregular intervals Of fry miles. OF 70
| Iopaon Bridge. Its natural defects have been de
| -rrihrd by Jeans "a London authority on water
/ wsy-l. -, follows:
! III la~ an extremely turiuolS. irregular and
dangerous channel: IL j. Subec, to great fiuclua-
ton of tides: il l. liable To be stcd up with the
d'rp-it~ ot nd md wage from l. lGwar rca :.
The condition ot the tide. except at
ingh wafer. Goes not admit oi ships ei very large
SIC t"inilig up the r1yer. The depth
| - mol uniform; il j. liable to fluctuation and ii
would hc difficult TO adapt the river for the On
t,i'og ol rc.~eis OF the largest Size AT any state
! ii the tide
The Seine. between Paris and the sea. dis
| lance OF no miles. has al all times nayiglhle
depth ot 10 II feet. But this depth was only re.
| Gently secuted 10y the canalizatiGn at the lower
! river. at coSt Of Sli.GDJ.Opn
/ TIE best known uayigable rivers in the | nit I'd
States, lhe ones generally supposed To have the
greatest commercial capacity, Is the lower Mis-
! ~issippi. nom 81 Louis To the Gull OF Mexico.
! Iiu when contFasted with the Potomac in depth
oi navigation, its supposed superiority at once
Xani>huS
The depth OF its channel between St Louis and
| Cairo during six months If 1875 was IS follows
July 10 81, 10 feet; August l Il TO- . feet Au-
gust 10 to 81, feet; September 10 L. : feet
! September - 10 30 g feet: October | 10 81
feet; November l to 20, no navigation on account
! oi low water; December / 10 % > feet; Decen
bcr - 90 81. % feet.
The record very much the same during tht
>iN months, July To December 81. Of the YEAR
l,5 and 1891. and this regardless OF the fact that
Congress has appropriated millions and million
of dollars for this trunk line waterway. During
thc past twenty years alone, or from tie creation
! of The Mississippi River Commission. by act o
Congress. June ~, 1873, 10 June 80. lS9S, the ap
preparations for the lower Mississippi were tin
enormous sum of S3I.25s.021 THIS docs not in
cludc the further sum OF several million dollar
Appropriated Tor the iettieS at the mouth OF tn
rivc:.
In marked contrast with these great and we'll
known rivers. the channel of the Potomac, iron
Washington 10 its mouth. has minimum depth
at low tide OF nineteen feet In several section
oi the river it is twenty-five TO thirty feet A
four points there are shoals consisting OF mud
mud humps, old oyster beds. etc, whicl
! there Is but nineteen feet of water.
! These four shoals and the harbor at Washington
| can be easily dredged TO twenty-four feet. 1h
| expense OF this improvement. : estimated bv In
IN Insignificant when Contrasted with tn
! liberal appropriations for the rivers and larbor
"t other sections OF the United States.
| With larger appropriation il is believed b.
shippers familiar with the river, that its nayiga
bic depth can be increased to twenty-cght 0
twenty-nine feet
Bat all we now ask is the small approximation
recommended by the War Department, and to thi
the business OF Washington, Alexandria, Nor
folk Newport News. Portsmouth, and all the il
teuncdiate and tributary country feel they ar
VI s. McKEAN.