Evening star., 1901-10-30

| the Potomac river. Gen. Gillespie says, in
part:
"The flats which had prior to the present
project been in gradual process of formation
| for long time, extended from the Wash
| ington shore to the edge of the Virginia
channel Between Easbys Point and the old
nth street wharf large area, in some
places 1,oo0 feet wide, had been raised by
accretions to height of about a foot above
mean low tide. Large quantities of sewage
We're carried at high tide over these flats
and distributed by the flow among the rank
growth of Sedges and aquatic plants with
Wnich the fats We're covered. As the tide
| fell this mass of sewage was left exposed
| to the rays of the sun. These conditions
combined to generate effiuvia which rem
dered the adjacent portions of the city al
most uninhabitable, and at the same time
| were reported as causing malarial and other
| diseases.
The present, which is the original pro-
| ject for improvement was adopted by the
! act of Congress of August . 1882 Ii has
| for its object the Improvement of the navi-
cation of the river by widening and deep
ening its channel, reclamation of the flats
| by depoSiting on them the material dredged
| from the channels the freeing of the Wash
[ ington channel, so far it can be DONE OF
sewage, and the establishment of harbor
! lines beyond which no wharves shall be
| QUILT To effect these the project provided
| for 20 feet depth in the channels at low
water for filling in the flats to height OF
feet above the flood plane of 1877, and for
bridge to be provided with inlet and outlet
gates of ample dimensions to work auto
matically, and so arranged as to admit OF
| the basin being filed from the Virginia
channel on the flood tide and discharged
into the Washington channel on the ebb
An ample system of drainage for the re-
claimed area was also contemplated
"A training dixie the Virginia shore
extending down stream from the foot of
Analostan Island, was added to the project
in 1880.
The project also provided for the re-
! building of Long bridge at an early period
during the progress of the Improvement
| with wide spans upon piers Offering the
| least possible obstruction to the flow of the
water; ana the interception of all sewage
now discharged into the Washington chan
mel and Its conveyance to the James creek
sewer canal, but neither of these works
was included in the estimated cost of the
Improvement, which was S27l6365 The
estimate, as revised in 1891, is 81 953 a2O
The total of appropriations for this work
from n1a august 1882, to March 3. 1899, was
$2,359,000. The amount expended to the
close of the fiscal year ending June 70 1000
was 2,229, 103. 3d.
| The Work Accomplished,
| The expenditure resulted in the dredging
or channel 20 feet deep and $50 feet wide
through the bar above Long bridge and in
| restoring the standard 20-foot navigation
by redredging shoals due to freshets; in
increasing the width Of the natural cham
mel just below Long bridge by 80 to 500
feet and in deepening it to 20 feet; in dredg-
| ing channel $50 feet wide and 20 feet deem
through the bar in the Virginia channel
near Giesboro' Point; in dredging the Wash
lngton channel to a width of 400 feet and
| oeptn OF ~ feet for navigation channel
| ana In dredging between this navigation
! channel and the wall of the adjacent re-
| claimed area to a depth of II feet; in dredg-
| ing at the junction of the Washington and
| Virginia channels; in dredging the tidal
| N q Of ot,N o
| rect in the construction of the reservoir
outlet, ana In the construction of 35 2S9
linear feet of sea wall of which 4.91o linear
1eet has been taken down and reiaid, and
596o linear feet of training dixie.
The total number of cubic yards of ma
| terlal dredged from the channels from
the commencement of the Improvement
| QSs2) to date and deposited on the flats is
| about II, ,174,770 cubic yards.
THE area of land reclaimed by these
| operations Is 6212 acres (or, including
! reservoirs, 739. AZ acres), which by act of
March 3, 1897, was declared to be public
park, under the name of Potomac Park.
The necessary dredging in the Washing
| ton channel was completed by April 25
| since which time the dredge has been on,
Grating in the Virginia channel above Long
bridge. Vessels drawing 20 feet of water
can now proceed to the Washington and
Georgetown. wharves
THE total amount of material dredged
| from the channels and deposited upon the
mats during the past fiscal year was PSI ,163
euoiC ydruS. lue maximum draft that
could be carried through the Washington
| channel on June 30, 1901. at mean low tide
was 20 feet; for the Virginia channel it was
the same. 1t is proposed to continue the
dredging of the Virginia channel during
I the present season to the extent of about
3S4 600 cubic yards.
THE benefits to navigation from the i'm
provements have been marked Vessels can
come to Washington loaded more heavily
| than was formerly the case.
THE items of work remaining Ito be
completed are the dredging to full width
OF the Virginia channel, the maintenance
| or both the channels washington and Vir-
g1nia), the raising of the incompletely rails
ed portions OF the area to the full height
tion of the sea wall of the tidal reservoir
the construction of the reservoir inlet. and
completion Of the training dixie on the right
of the Virginia channel above Long bridge
Five hundred linear feet of sea wall will
have to be built at the northeast corner
of the tidal reservoir in case the bathing
beach shall ever be discontinued"
The amount (estimated) required for the
completion OF the existing project is $a94,-
O20, and the amount that can be profitably
expended in the fiscal year ending June So
1908, for improvements and maintenance
| is 100000.
The River Below the City.
The appropriations for the Improvement
of the Potomac below Washington. ID. c.,
from March 8. 1899. to March 3, 1901, aR-
gregate $4,000.
The amount expended to June 80. 1900.
| was $l1 .65S Y. The work done had resulted
in dredging channel "A feet deep ana 30
\ feet wide for length Of about 1000 feet,
| and of the same depth and leo feet wide
for about 200 feet additional at Malta