Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-24
DREDGING THE RIVER
The improvement Of the
Potomac.
TWENTY YEARS WORK
OVER SO, 900 HAS BEEN Elk
PENDED.
Reports Of Col Allen 49, Estimates
$500, 900 as Needed for Next Year
Plans for Reclaimed Flats.


Col Charles ]. Allen, Corps of Engineers.
has made an interesting report to the chief
of engineers regarding the work for the
Improvement of the Potomac river at this
city. He says the present. which is the
original project for Improvement, was
adopted by the act of Congress of August
2, 1882 1t has for it's object the improve
ment of the navigation of the river by
widening and deepening it's channels. recla-
nation of the flats by deposting on them
the material dredged from the channels,
the freeing of the Washington channel. so
far as it can be DONE of sewage. and the
establishment of harbor lines beyond which
no wharves shall be built. To effect these
the project provided for twenty feet depth
in the channels at low water. for filling in
the flats to a height of three feet above the
flood plane of 1877, and for tidal reservoir
or basin above Long bridge. TO be provided
with inlet and outlet gates of ample dimen-
sions, to work automatically, and so ar
ranged as to admit of the basin being filled
from the Virginia channel on the flood tide
and discharged into the Washington chan
mel on the ebb An ample system of drain
age for the reclaimed area was also con-
tempiated.
A training dixie on the Virginia shore. ex-
tending down stream from the foot OF An
| alostan Island. was added to the project In
1890.
The project also provided for the rebuild
ing of Long bridge at an early period dur
ing the progress of the Improvement. with
| wide spans upon piers Offering the least
possible obstruction to the flow of the
| water. and 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 S2,716,36o The
estimate. as revised in 1897. is s., 953, 02O.
| The amount expended to the close Of the
| fiscal year ending June 30, 1902, was S2,346,-
411.76.
Dredging in Past Fiscal Year.
Dredging in the Virginia channel above
Long bridge under contract with the At
lantic. Gulf and Pacific Company was In
progress at the close of the preceding fiscal
year, and was continued until September
2S, 1901, when the limit of dredging under
the contract was reached. Excellent prog
ress was made on this work, says Colonel
Allen, and in September, 1901, III 900 cubic
yards of material were excavated and de-
posted by the dredge working night and
day, which is the largest monthly amount
of work that has ever been done with a
single dredge on this improvement.
AS a result of the work done under this
contract there existed in September 1901,
a channel 400 feet wide and 20 feet deep
through the bar at the entrance to the
Washington channel, and a channel had
been obtained through the entire length Of
the bar in the Virginia channel above Long
bridge of 20 feet depth. and with widths as
follows: For distance of 4,SO0 feet from
the lower end of the bar, 400 feet; thence
for 1,20O feet, narrowing uniformly to 30
feet: thence with a width of 270 feet for
200 feet, or to the upper end Of the bar.
The material dredged from the channels
was deposited on Potomac Park. SO as to
materially raise the grade of several low
portions Of large area.
Last Winters Freshet.
During the greater part of February, 1902,
the river was covered with ice from 4 to s
inches in thickness, and navigation was
largely suspended. On the 18th of that
month, the river having risen from heavy
rains and melting snow, the ice commenced
to move out, and by the end Of the month
it had all disappeared from the channels
but the freshet was still increasing and at
tained Its maximum height March 2. The
water reached the following elevations
above mean low tide: Twelve feet at the
Aqueduct bridge. 81 feet at Easbys Point
and 10 feet at the Long bridge, being the
highest water since the great freshet of
| 1889. The ice had been we'll broken up in
front and below Washington by tugs en-
| ployed under direction Of the city. and no
| serious damage resulted either from the
| moving ice or freshet. though the water
| was extremely muddy for two weeks or
| more and some shoaling and narrowing Of
| the dredged channels occurred. A large
amount of drift wood was brought down
by the current. Five trees lodged In or
| near the channels, where they were con-
| sidered distractions to navigation, and
| were removed by the United States snag-
| boat. A mass Of drift wood which collected
| at the reservoir outlet was also removed.
| About 800 linear feet of the training dixie,
| which had settled, were raised with stone
| left over from the reconstruction Of the sea
| wall along the lower portion of the Wash
| ington channel.
| Six of the twelve outlet gates which were
| found to have been somewhat injured from
! the effects of the steamboat swells since
| they were last repaired. in 1899. were taken
| out and placed In good condition.
A portion Of the park area was cleared
| Of brush. about 400 linear feet of the old
| fence near Easby's Point was taken down
| and partly rebuilt and other similar work
incidental to the Improvement was done.
Making Depth Of Twenty-Four Feet.
The original project for this Improvement
makes the following provision as to chan
mel depth:
| cit is regarded as necessary to the proper
| execution of this plan, as thus defined, tina t
| the channel depths In both Washington ana
| Georgetown harbors should be sufficient to
| accommodate the largest draft vessels that
can be brought up to Arsenal point, with
| such additional depth at the wharves that
| vessels can receive their full cargoes with
| out grounding at low water"
| The projected depth was not stated in
| feet. but by the above imposed condition
| was at that time limited to twenty feet
| at low tide, and this depth was adopted
| in all estimates for the work
| BY act of March 3, 1899. Congress. how
| ever. authorized the dredging of channels
| twCrty-four feet deep at low tide through
| all shoals in the Potomac river below
| Washington. This work is now in progress
| under a continuing contract. and 1. is an
| ticIrated that it will be completed during
| the ensuing fiscal year.
| Upon the completion of this dredging Of
| the shoals in the Potomac river below
| Washington, the adopted project for i'm
| proving the Potomac river at Washington
i VIII. without any alteration. provide for a
| s,mi.ar increase In channel depth at Wash