Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-05
Special Board Appointed by the
Secretary Of War.
TO REPORT UPON MERITS OF PLAN
Competency Of the Members
Selected for the Duty.
STATUS OF THE PROJECT

| U. s. A, the Secretary of War today ap-
pointed special board of army engineers
and civil architects to consider and report
| upon the relative merits of the plans SUBJ
| mitted for a memorial bridge across the
| Potomac river opposite Washington.
| The order of the Secretary is as follows:
"a board of officers Of the corps of en-
| gineers and architects, to consist of Lieut..
! Col. Chas. ]. Allen, Corps of Engineers;
Major T. w. Symons, Corps of Engineers
| Capt. David DUB. Gailard, Corps of En-
| Sineers; Mr.. Stanford White, architect, anu
| MI. James G. Hill, architect will assemble
| in Washington. d. c.. upon the call of the
| chairman of the board to consider and re-
port upon the relative merits of the plans
| submitted for a bridge TO be constructed
| over the Potomac river at Washington, D.
| c., as memorial to American patriotism.
| Lieut.. Col: Chas. j. Allen is designated
| as chairman Of the board
The board will give careful consideration
| to the plans presented. will determine their
| order of merit. and will report which plan
| If any, in the judgment of the board should
be adopted for the bridge to be constructed
Upon the completion of the duty as
signed them the engineer members of the
board Will return to their proper stations.
The journeys required under this order
are necessary for the public service and
| the expenses of the board will be paid from
the appropriation for estimate for memoir
ial bridge across Potomac river
(signeO "ELIHU ROOT,
Secretary of War"
Competency of the Board.
The board is considered a particularly
competent one, and may be depended upon
to do full Justice to the important matter
committed to their charge. Each member
was selected because of some peculiar fit
ness for the matter in hand. Lieut.. Col
Allen, as the engineer officer in charge
of the improvement of the Potomac river
conducted the surveys for the proposed
bridge, and has had direct charge of all
matters pertaining thereto up to this time.
Maj. Symonds has always taken a deep
personal interest in the project and made
an elaborate design for a bridge when the
subject was first under consideration sew
eral years ago. Capt. Gaillard is one of
the brightest officers of The Engineer Corps
He is an assistant to the Engineer Com
| missioner of the District of Columbia and
was selected incidentally as the representa-
tive Of the District government The fwo
civilian members of the board are archi-
tects who stand high in their profession
| and are known to take a personal interest
in the subject under consideration. Mr.
White is a resident of New York and Mr.
Hill, who was formerly supervising archi-
tect OF the treasury, is resident of this
city.
Designs for the proposed memorial bridge
have been received by Col. Allen from four
of the most distinguished bridge architects
in the country. They are Messrs. George
Burr and William R. Hutton, all of New
York. They have been engaged on the
work since last July, and have submitted
most elaborate designs. These designs will
be submitted to the board appointed today
at the first opportunity, and will be treated
as strictly confidential in every particular
until after they have been passed upon by
the board.
Status of the Bridge Project.
In his last annual report to Congress Gen.
Wilson explained the status of the memoir
ial bridge project in the following words:
Congress has given much favorable con-
sideration to the construction Of memor-
ial bridge across the Potomac river to the
national cemetery at Arlington, and con-
sideration has also been given to a national
boulevard connecting Arlington with Mt.
Vernon. Several reports, with plans and
approximate estimates. have been submit
ted by officers of the Corps Of Engineers in
response to calls by Congress since 1856
Ihe act of June 4, 1897, appropriated s., 500
for making soundings and borings and Sc
curing designs and estimates for a memoir
ial bridge. This amount was applied to the
purpose for which appropriated to as full
an extent as the amount permitted, and
tne report OF the survey, ETC., was submit
ted March 19, 1888, and is printed as House
document No. 3SS, Fifty-fifth Congress,
second session
The act of Congress approved February
%, 1889, appropriated SO 600 for a survey
for national road from a point near the
end of the Aqueduct bridge to Mount Yer
non The report upon this survey Is printed
as House Ex. Doc No. 106. Fffty-first Con-
gress, first session. From such report the
Following quotation Is given:
What, then, is the object? 1t is to COM
memorate the virtues of the grandest
character in American history. 1t is to sat
isfy the cravings of a patriotic sentiment
that fills the hearts of the American peo-
pie to honor the name Of Washington.
Whatever tends to keep alive the mem
ory of his character and virtues will tend
to make us all better citizens Of the re-
public. A road, therefore, built from the
capital of the nation to the tomb of its
founder would not be such as is built for
ordinary traffic. 1t should have the char
acter Of monumental structure, such as
would comport with the dignit of this
great nation in such an undertaking and
the grandeur of character Of the man to
whom it is dedicated.
Conversational Action Urged.
Inviting attention to the report Of Col
Peter c. Hams, corps of engineers, upon the
proposed boulevard. earnestly recommend
congressional action looking toward the
early commencement of this great national
enterprise. The estimated cost varies from
81, OO0, 600 to $2,000,0O0 depending upon the
route selected, the width of road proposed
and the character of the road covering
ee55SSeSN
road, varying in length from about four
teen to about sixteen miles.
The sundry civil act of March 8, 1899,
contained an item as follows:
Memorial bridge across Potomac river: To
enable the chief of engineers Of the army
to continue the examination Of the subject
and to make or secure designs, calcula-
uons and estimates for a memorial bridge
from the most convenient point of the naval
observatory grounds, adjacent thereto.
across the Potomac river to the most con-
venent point of the Arlington estate prop
erty the sum. Of 5000.
In accordance with the provisions of this
act, and by authority of the President of
the United States and the Secretary of
War. four eminent bridge engineers have
been invited to submit competitive designs
for a bridge combining the elements of
strength and durability, and such architec-
tural establishment and ornamentation as
will fifty apply to the dedication, IA memo-
rial to American patriotism"
1t is anticipated that the distinguished en-
gineers now preparing designs for the bridge
will submit them by January 16, 1900 and
that the matter will be brought to the at
tention Of Congress by special report dur
ing the month Of February. 1900.
to Ackr~ 4, 49,