Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-17
DANGER, Of FLOOD
= Continued from First Page.)


| breaks up, and the bridge itself has been
partially destroyed several times already
by such freshetSI
~. That if tbs channel of the river be
partially daHme9 up, sss it is now by the
| bridge, the level Of the freshet will be rails
| ed, and the chances ofswatar being thrown
| in on the city wiB be Increased.
"5. That the regent Unprecedented fall of
snow not only inIthis Vicinity, but through
out the whole atrea. Of country from the
OF r rye I'M, makes it
and Ice begin to break up and melt that
all the lower portion of the river viii be
hooded, and that all that portion of the
city of Washington extending from Penn
sylvanla avenue southwark to the river
will be overf1owed, and great damage will
pc inflicted upon the property and business
interests OF trat portion of the city, which
damage will be greatly increased and ac-
centuated by the obstruction to the proper
flow of the river caused by the aforesaid
bride.
I'm consideration of the foregoing. your
petitioners are of the opinion that ample
room should be provided through this
bridge to allow the water to flow off freely,
and they respectfully ask that you take
such measures as may be possible under
existing laws to compel the Pennsylvania
railroad Company to take proper steps
to that end, and, If there is no existing
law under which you can take action, we
beg that you bring the matter to the at
tention of Congress, with earnest recon-
mendation thet some. law be enacted to
afford the needed relief.
We further ask that If the anticipated
flood should assume such proportions as
all the indication now point to and as your
petitioners fear, you will, for the safety of
life and property and for the preserva ton
of the river improvements which have
been accomplished by the government at a
cost Of millions of dollars direct the engi-
neer officer in charge of the Potomac river
Improvement to take charge of the said
bridge and remove it from the channel of
the river in the most expeditions and eff
fecuve manner
Gen. Wilson's Report.
The letter was referred to Gen. Wilson,
chief of engineers, who took the subject I'M
der mediate consideration, with the result
that his report was submitted to the acting
secretary of war this afternoon. 1t is as
follows:
Respectfully returned to the Secretary
of War;
THE Long bridge was built in 1909. and
by an act of Congress approved June 81,
1870, the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
Company was authorized to take possession
of and extend its tracks across it under
certain conditions
The construction of the bridge is faulty;
the spans are short, the piers too numer-
Gus and set in positions that make them
more obstructive to the flow of water than
they need be, besides they are built on pile
and griliage foundations, which reach about
to the level of low water and require en-
rockments or mounds of stone around them
to secure and keep the material composing
the bed of the river from being washed
away.
The bridge as constructed partially dams
up the river, seriously obstructs the flow
of water in times of freshets, and when
the river is full of ice sudden thaw or
breaking up causes a gorge to form at the
bridge. FreShetS more apt to occur
when the ice in the upper Potomac breaks
up after heavy rttins, and when they have
occurred in the tDast the bridge has con-
tributp6 la rppV iowa ri r.tiCi he
and causing the flooding of the southern
portion of the city of Washington, destroy
ing private PROPERTY and producing I'M
healthy conditions ~
These matters have been frequently re-
ferred TO in the azlnual'reports of the chief
of engineers, and the necessity of recon-
structing the bridge emphasized.
A special report on the reconstruction of
the bridge, accompanied by plans, was
made by Col. Peter Hams, Corps of Engi-
neers IN response tc a Senate resolution in
April, 1890
The recent immense fall of snow and ex-
tremely low temperature causing the for
nation of ice inrthe river, both of which
are almost unprecedented in this section
of the country, indicate that the fears ex-
pressed by thesehRetitioners of disastrous
food in the river are not without reason
able foundation. If such a, flood should
occur, accompanied, as it would be under
existing conditions, with immense fields
of floating ice, l am convinced that jam
would form at this bridge, and that the
damage 10 the property in this city would
reach enormous proportions.
While in sympathy with the desire of the
petitioners to secure relief from threatened
calamity, 1 do not know of any law under
which the Secretary of War could provide
a remedy.
The subject is one which appears to be
under the control of Congress-
Action of the Commissioners.
AT a board meeting held shortly before
noon today it was decided by the District
Commissioners that the work of breaking
a channel through the ice In the river
should be commenced this afternoon. and
Capt. L. s. Randall of the steamer EsteiIe
Randall was engaged to begin the work.
the Commissioners agreeing to pay him
800 day.
Capt. Randall and Harbor Master Sutton
We're present at the meeting of the Com
missiOners and stated that in their opinjon
the work OF opening a channel should be
commenced this afternoon Can't Beach
the Engineer Commissioner, explained that
he had this morning conferred with the
weather bureau officials, and had baen in
formed by them that the Temperatures will
be stationary, between 30 and ~ degrees
above zero. and that there is no rain in
SlSht. Under these conditions he agreed
with the river men that the channel should
be opened at once. Mr.. Sutton said thar in
his opinion there is today not so much
danger of disastrous food as there was
yesterday, and he expressed the opjnjon
that Capt Randalls boat. which is proyfd-
ed with an ice plow. which brushes the ice
by falling on it, assisted by the tugs which
the Commissioners have engaged could
render very efficient service. He stated
that he has received Information that the
river is covered by ice as far down as Cedar
Point, although one. of the boats of the
Norfolk and Washington Steamboat Com
pany reached the city at o'clock this
morning, having opened a channel for her.
self
In this connection it was explained BY the
river men that the channel opened by the
Norfolk and Washington steamers is a
rather narrow one. which they closely fol- |
low, of course, and that it quickly becomes
niled with ice after they pass. Capt Ram
dali stated that the work of break king the |
Ice is not particularly desired by him but |
that outside of the money consideration he |
wished to assist in clearing the river and |
90 what he could to relieve the situation
1t was then decided by the Commissioners |
that the work should be commenced at the |
earliest moment and that Captain Ram |
daHs boat should be engaged. 1t was |
thought best to open a channel after re- |
leasing the tugs in the Washington chan |
mel which to assist, from the Long
~ iGgrl TO ,,l,,io