Evening star., 1899-07-08
THE HARB0R LINES
Recommendations Of Their Establish
ment Approved Today.
EXPLANATION By GENERAL WILSON
Reports of Officers in Charge Of
Potomac Improvement
BULKHEADS AND WHARvES

BULKHEADS AND WHARvES
The Secretary Of War has referred to the
of army engineer officers in regard to the
establishment Of harbor lines in the Po-
tomac river at Washington in accordance
with various acts of Congress.
In a letter to the Secretary Of War Gen.
Wilson explained the matter briefly. as
follows:
Gen. Wilson's Letter.
by letter of February q, 1893, this Of
flee directed Maj. C. e. L. B. Davis corps
of engineers, then in charge of the improve
ment of the locality, to consider and re-
port upon the subject Of the establish
ment of harbor lines In the Potomac river
at Washington, D. c.. having In view the
provisions of the river and harbor act of
August 2 1882. and the provisions Of Sec
ton II of the act of September 10, 1880.
Major Davis gave the subject careful con-
sideration and submitted two reports, one
dated August Is, 1874 in which he describ-
ed bulkhead line extending around the
area reclaimed by the United States from
Easby's Point, near the foot Of 9th street
northwest to the southwest abutment of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's
bridge across the Washington channel; the
other, dated December 80, 1885, in which is
described buIkhead line along the water
front of the city of Washington on the
Washington channel between the Long
bridge, at the foot of 14th street west. and
rivers, off the lower end of the United
States arsenal grounds "a map showing by
full red lines the bulkhead lines described
in both reports and recommended by Major
Davis is also submitted)
I'm his report of December 80, 1885, Ma
jor Davis also recommends that so much
OF the wharf line of the Anacostia river as
lies south of reservation No. Gu. s. ar
senal grounds) shall be regarded as bulk
head line, subject to such notifications as
may be found convenient and economical
in the construction of wall, in order that
the triangular area thus incloSed might be
filled in as contemplated by the plans for
the Improvement of the. Anacosia river.
These papers have been considered by
Lieut.. Col. Charles J. Allen, corps of en-
gineers. the officer now in charge of the
Potomac river Improvement whose report
is submitted herewith.
"Concurring in the views of these oi1i-
GERS, L recommend approval by the Secre-
tary of War of the accompanying reports
and the establishment under the provl-
sions of section IL of the river and harbor
act approved March 3, 1889, of the lines Sc
lected.
Col. Aliens Report.
In his report Lieut.. Col. Allen says:
THE wharf and bulkhead lines laid down
on the map accompanying the within re-
port Chat of Maj. Davis are regarded as
coed and sufficient. The wharf line for the
Washington channel leaves a channel in
front of and generally parallel to 1t. of
about 800 feet width, divided as follows:
Commencing at the wharf line, 4HD feet
width, with depth of 20 feet; then go feet.
with II feet in depth; then 80 feet, grad
ually diminishing in depth from II feet to
6 feet at the wall line Of Potomac Park.
The wharf line. as shown on the map was
described in a project approved by act of
Congress of August 2, 1882. Should the
needs OF commerce ever demand small
advance of the wharf line, the channel
can be correspondingly dredged. Any ad-
vance of the line, however, would diminish
the turning room for steamers. Approval
of the harbor lines as laid down on the map
accompanying the within report is respect
fully recommended
Maj. Davis, in his report of August u,
1884, says that the line laid down on the
map ''is that of the lower edge of the stone
retaining wall built around the filled-in area
where it reached the plane of mean low wa
ter, except where the line crosses the sewer
canal and the inlet Of the tidal reservoir
in the latter cases being the prolongaton of
the line: the line Is, therefore, a bulkhead
line. AS no wall or piers are to be built on
this area, no Lier head line Is put down.
The lengths Of the chords, the
ares and the radii of curvature are COM
puted. and the bearings are true not mag
netic."
In his report of December, 1895, making
additional recommendations in regard to the
bulkhead lines along the river front, Mai
Davis says:
Heterogeneous Collection of wharves
The Washington channel front, between
the Long bridge at 14th street west, and
the upper end of the arsenal grounds, at
street south, Is occupied by heterogeneous
collection of wharves Of varied shapes
widths, lengths and construction. Some Of
these are open pile wharves, but most of
them are solid. being built with faces Of
timber, crib work or stone, and filed in
with earth. Most of the wharves have
buildings upon them. The existing bulk
heads are irregular in line and of similarly
varied construction. Water street, which
extends along the entire front from 18th
street west to 2 street south has numerous
car tracks upon 1t, while it's westerly side Is
lned with wooden storehouses and other
buildings, many of them projecting beyond
the line of the street, as established Feb
Tuary y. 1899, by the President of the
S.1io Ghieea states. In view Of the existing con-
action could be taken without a detailed
survey of this entire front, and the prem
aration aI1 OF a working map showing the loca-
as well as Water street and the adiaeent
squares of the CITY,"
Maj. Davis then details the work per
formed In connection with the survey Of
the river and the necessities of the situa-
tion, an important factor in which was the
Wioth required for traffic along Water
street. He says further:
The Builshead Lines.
Bulkhead lines laid down as indicated
DO not vary greatly from the existing butk-
heads upon the lower section of Water
street, and do not, therefore, infringe ma
tenally upon the existing tidal space in the
channel Along the upper sections of Water
street, where the wharves are, for the most
part. solid. material increase in the tidal
space Will be secured when the bulkbead is
Duiit and open pile wharves are substituted
Ior those now filled in. Along the arsenal
grounds the existing wall furnishes a de-
sirable bulkhead line for the upper half
OF the reservation, while the general line
OF this bulkhead extended to the initial
point OF the wharf line of the Anscostia
river Will rectify the Irregularities in the
arsenal wall and improve existing conai-
tions. 1t is proposed to fill in the triangular
space at the junction of the two rivers. as
shoal naturally forms there and the space
Is not needed for wharfage. Lines have
been laid down on the working map in ac-
eordance with the above general principles
fnnnd n he mt