Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-12
ENG|N EER|NG WORK
Local Features as Reported
by General Mackenzie.
THE POTOMAC RIVER
DREDGING ACCOMPLISHED DUR
ING THE PAST YEAR.
Benefits to Navigation Have Been
Marked-Vessels More Heavily
Loaded Can Come Up.
THE POTOMAC RIVER

\ comprehensive review of the condition
Of all the government engineering work In
progress in this vicinity is contained In
the annual report OF Brigadier General
Mackenzie, chief OF engineers made public
today
Regarding the improvement of the Po-
tomac river at Washington. he says that
the amount expended on the work of the
existing project which was adopted in 1882,
up to the close of the last fiscal year. was
s.. t0O.OiS.91, of which about $4,000 was
applied to maintenance. The expenditure
resulted in the dredging OF channel
~ feet deep and 500 feet wide through
the bar above Long bridge and in restoring
the standard 20-foot navigation by re-
dredging shoals due to freshets; in in
creasing the width of the natural channel
just below Long bridge by 30 to 500 feet
and in deepening 1t to ~ feet, in dredging
a channel $50 feet wide and 20 feet deep
through the bar in the Virginia channel
near Giesboro' Point; in dredging the
Washington channel to width of 400 feet
and depth of 20 feet for navigation
channe' and in dredging between this
naVi ga ton channel and the wall or the ad-
iscent reclaimed area to a depth OF IL feet'
in dredging at the junction Of the Wash
ington and Virginia channels; In dredging
the tidal reservoir Oh acres) to depth
Of about y feet: In the construction of the
reservoir outlet, and in the construction or
q, 2sg linear feet of sea wall, OF which A.
100 linear feet has been taken down and re-
laid and 1895 linear feet of training dixie
The work of maintenance during the past
fiscal year resulted in the restoration OF the
channel through the bar at the mouth OF
the Washington channel to its full depth
of ~ feet and width of 400 feet. and in the
dredging of a cut at least 20 feet deep and
30 feet wide through the bar In the Viz
sinia channel above the Long bridge.
The area of land reclaimed by these opera
lions is I'll IL acres Tor. including reservoir
7:,9 ~ acres). which. by act of March 3,
1897, was declared to be a public park under
the name of Potomac Park.
The maximum draft that could be car
ried through the Washington channel on
June 80 1904, at mean low tide, was -
feet, for the Virginia channel 1t was ~
feet. The main range of tides is about 3
feet.
The benefits to- navigation from the I'M
provements have been marked. Vessels
can come TO Washington loaded more heav-
lily than formerly the case. The value
of the commerce to be benefited may be
judged by the fact that the commerce of
the port of Washington has increased from
6lS.gI2 tons In 1887 to 62,O43 tons in 1903.
Gen. Mackenzie says the additional work
proposed is necessary for extension OF bene-
fits TO navigation interests and for the
maintenance of the improvements In ser
vicea Die condition. The amount required
for the completion of the existing project is
SJl9 u2O and the amount that can be profit
ably expended during the next fiscal year Is
S2tD.OO in addition to an unexpended bal
an of