Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-16
Proposition Made to Blow Up the
STRUCTURE.
CITIZENS MARrI A BAD FLOOD
Delegation CaIEsqon Commissioners
and Secretary of War.
EAKING THE ICE


of officials being called to the matter and
in the hope of hundreds of interested citi-
zens that something may be done to mini
mize the damages that are sure to result
should The expected flood materialize.
Thousands of citizens in the 1ow-lying
sections of the city are looking forward
with apprehension. These include residents,
with large families and property, as well
as business men who have thousands OF
dollars at, stake. Every business man on
Pennsylvania avenue remembers the ex-
periences of the city in 1881, and sees in
the present situation a reproduction of the
conditions which preceded that disaster. II
anything, the conditions now are said to
betoken a greater flood than the last one.
Naturally business men are alarmed and
are doing all they can to try to forestali
the dangers.
Many business men on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and in the sections south of that have
gone so far as to look around to ascertain
what arrangements they can make for re-
moving their goods, machinery, &c, in
case warning comes that the flood, with an
ice gorge, is certain. Suggestions of vari-
Gus kinds are constantly made as to the
best means of warding off part of the force
of the expected blow. One of the most
practical so far presented is the breaking
up of the ice in the river so as to prevent
it damming at the Long bridge. Another
is an appeal to the War Department to
blow up the Long bridge at the first sign
of disaster.
To Blow Up Bridge.
Messrs. Frank Hume N. H. Shea and
F. p May, well-kDown Pennsylvania
avenue business men, called upon the Dis
trict Commissioners today for the purpose
of suggesting that the Commissioners en-
ploy the powerful steamers of the Norfolk
and Washington Steamboat Company to
assist in breaking the ice on the river. They
informed the Commissioners that it is be-
lieVed that the tug boats proposed to be
employed by the District in this work are
not powerful enough to open the river I'M
assisted, while they contended, on the
other hand. that the Norfolk and Wash
ington boats repot only just the ones
needed for the purpose, but that they can
be engaged.
The gentlemen explained that they rep
resent not the business men on Pennsyl-
Vania avenue, but they We're sure all resi-
dents and propetty owners in that portion
of the city which wotffd most seriously feel
the effects of fhe" threatened flood They
pointed out thYt the Long bridge is not
only standing menace to the city, but
that there should be some arrangement
made for its destruction should it appear
that its non-destruction would eudanger the
city. ~
They therefore suggested that the Com
missioners comhunic4te with Congress in
the matter. SO that the Secretary of War
or some other authority could be author
lzed TO take such radical step in the event
OF II becoming necessary. So
The conditions now prevailing, the Com
missioners were told 'Sre more serious and
threatening than ever before known and in
the event OF heavy rains sudden thaw,
before the river could be well opened, the
city would be surely flooded as never be-
fore known. In such an event it was stat
ed, not only would the damage resulting to
property amount to an ENORMOUS sum. but
ll,ta .l1t
these reasons the Commissioners were re-
quested to engage the boats of the Norfolk
and Washington line to open channel
through the ice in the river as far up as
the Aqueduct bridge, thus enabling the less
powerful tugs to follow, but also as far
down the river as might be deemed neces-
sary.
Referring to the damage caused the city
in the past by the Long bridge, it was sug-
gested to the Commissioners that some one
should be authorized to secure an indict-
ment against the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad
Company for maintaining such dangerous
nuisance. The Commissioners expressed
desire to do everything which would pre-
vent any flooding of the city and. assured
the delegation that they will give their sug-
gestions very careful consideration.
At the War Department..
From the District building Messrs Hume,
Shea and May went to the War Department
to confer with Secretary Alger and other
officials who are familiar with the facts as
to the great danger presented by the Long
bridge in case of flood. Their object was
to present to the Secretary of War the fact
that the bridge may be the means of the
destruction of millions of dollars of prop
erty and of many lives and to inquire if
the department has power 10 blow up the
structure destroy it by fire at the first
sign of the approaching food. The men
named intended to point out to the Secre-
"a no fa, hot tl1 -l,S,N ~
bridge is a doubtful one, owing to the
fact that many people doubt whether the
railroad company has compiled with the
conditions imposed by Congress when it
was turned over to the company. The Sec
rotary was to be told that the channel of
the river has been narrowed probably one
third by the mountains of stones which
have been piled around the piers of the
bridge to protect it from Ice and flood. BY
the narrowing of the channel the bridge be-
comes a dam. and later forms an immense
lake, from which the water pours all over
the exposed parts of the city.
1t is held that the War Department has
power to take this action, just any con-
stituted authority has power to destroy
buildings in the path of Il conftagration to
lessen the damages and dangers If the
power is not assumed by the government
the government loss will be proportionately
as great as that of individuals as a large
number of public buildings including the
new city post Office, will be in the path of
the flood. On the ground of the welfare
and good of the people it is held that the
government has power to destroy the build
ing when 1T is apparent that the bridge is
going to become dam from which the
city will be flooded and millions of dollars
of property and many lives put in peril.
Board Of Trade Report.
In 1892 the committee on bridges of the
board of trade Submitted report on the
Long bridge SHOWING that it is really a
long dam which stands a menace to
the city at all timesa After pointing out
the condition of Che structure, which was
declared to be unsafe, frhe report concluded
by the statement. that 1.-The public verdict
is that the Long brhdge must go, and
the community , reasonably demands a
comprehensive plan of removing the whole
nuisance" The report goes further and
shows in detail the part played by the
bridge in the flood of 1881. 1t says:
ut is time tha9 the people OF the capital
insisted in no u1certSin tones upon the
abatement of theLnuisarce the removal of
the menace of existing Long bridge and
the substitution of useful and ornamental
structure in its place. Life and millions of
property are periodically threatened by it.
Great damage has resulted from it in the
past More serious losses are threatened
in the future Navigation is INSTRUCTED and
harbor facilities injured by it. GEORGETOWN
and the whole river front with reason cry