The Washington times., 1902-01-16
CONNECTING DRIVEWAYS.
Entire Park System to BE United by
Continuous Boulevard.


The report refers briefly to Fort Kemble
Park, Battery PARROT and Georgetown
Parkway, and continuing. the report
speaks thus of Pirey Branch and Savan-
nah Parkways:
Turning from the western to the CEN
trail section, it is Of the utmost import
ance to secure an agreeable park-line
connection between Rock Creek and Sol
dlers' Home as bringing into organic re-
lafion two of the largest and most beauti-
f,l places of recreation lying within reach
of the principal residence district of the
city, and considered in relation to the
proposed new holdings such a connection
would form one of the links binding the
eastern and western parks into a compre-
hensive system.
Starting from the Piney Branch en-
trance of Rock Creek Park at Sixteenth
Street, the line would continue for some
distance in the valley of Piney Branch,
thus taking advantage of one of the most
charming passages of natural valley
scenery in the District"
Condition of Anacostia Park.
The Commission speaks at length of
the Anacostia Park. 1t says:
The present outrageous condition of
the Anacostia River has been so fully dis
cussed before Congress in various reports
during several years that there is no oc-
caSton for us TO describe it in detail. Suf-
flee it to say that within the District of
Columbia the Anacostia is fresh water
estuary with normal tide to about three
feet, which alternately covers and eX-
poses to the sun a great area of reeking
mud flats upon which the aquatic plants
constantly entangle additional deposits OF
c1s, ,n,rs,,
ter. Those parts of the bottom not eX-
posed at low water are for the most
part shallow and support vegetable
growth that prevents a rapid and cleans
ing movement of the tide. while above or
dinary high water level there are broad
marshes and meadows which are flooded
at varying intervals, whenever the water
of the Potomac is raised by food or con-
trary winds above its normal level, and
which retain after each flooding innumer-
able stagnaat pools.
NO conditions could be more favorable
to the developments Of malaria, and be-
cause of these conditions the disease has
made havoc with the inmates and officers
of the Government Hospital for the In
sane. of the jail and of the workhouse,
and with those occupied at the navy yard
and Washington Barracks, ell of whom
several thousand in NUMBER are COM
PEELED by the action OF the Government
to subject themselves constantly to its
infiuence-not to mention. in addition,
those unfortunate private citizens who,
for one reason or another, must live with
in the great area affected by these de-
plorable conditions.
The pressing sanitary problem is sim
ply to do away with the low, amphibious
areas which are alternately flooded and
exposed. and to convert them either into
deep water or into dry land. but incident
| ally the improvements may be made to
| provide increased commercial water
| frontage, while a part Of the reclaimed
| lands may be used as park.
plans and estimates for the improve
ment of the river, with view to com
were prepared by Colonel Allen and sub
mitted to Congress in 1898. For the por-
tion above Benning Bridge the time and
the appropriation did not suffice for COM
plete surveys and estimates, and the pos
sibility that this section would ever be
used for commercial frontage, even If i'm
proved, was thought to be SO slight as not
to be worth considering. The plans con-
templated the dredging of an adequate
channel and the filling of the remaining
fats and low land to a level above the
highest freshets. fourteen feet above low
water. An alternative provided for fill
ing to level merely above ordinary high
tide and for excluding the higher foods
by dilles. In the upper section, above
Benning Bridge, similar treatm was
proposed, but with the channel widened
into tidal basins, the shores of which
were to be parked. As to this section
the report did not go into detail