Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-04
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IMPORTANT WORK ON THE POTo-
MAC MAY STOP.
Appropriation for Current Year Al
most Exhausted-Plans of Engi-
neers for Local Waterway.

The big dredging machines employed in
deepening the shoal spots in the river chan
rel in the vicinity of Marshall Hall and near
Clifton Beach are now winding up their
work under the present appropriation, and
within the next week, it is stated will be
ready to return to Baltimore, unless the
War Department officials determine to
$4,000 appropriated by the last Congress-.
In that event the dredges will be kept at
work until some time in July. 1t is the pur-
pose of the army engineers In charge of the
improvements on the Potomac to eventually
have a channel 400 feet wide and in no place
less than "A feet deep at low water from
Chesapeake bay to this city. This must, the
officials say, come little by little, and each
year some work is done to improve the
channel.
The work being done now is principally
cutting away points, where the river has
shoaled to depth of "a feet 1t is stated
when the work now in lind is completed
vessels drawing a feet can come from the
bay to the forks of the channel below this
city, but cannot come into the harbor, the
deepest water about the wharves and in the
barbor channel being but II feet.
The big bucket dredge Kennedy is work.
ing on the channel near Marshall Hall. Here
a shooting of some magnitude has been taxi
ing place since the dredging machine was at
work there about three years ago. The
channel at this point is being deepened to
the 4-foot standard ana is being widened to
about 300 feet. AT Upper Smiths Point, near
Clifton Beach wharf, the scoop dredge Bal
timore is at work. At this point consider
able dredging was done in 1902, but recent
sCundings made by officials of the engineers
department disclosed the fact that there had
been heavy deposits of material at that point
and that the channel had shoaled very ma
terially. Why this was SO the engineers are
unable to say, but instead of finding "A feet
of water they found less than Is fleet. This
deposit of material is being removed by the
Gredge Baltimore. and when she completes
the work at this point the channel will be
80 feet wide and "a feet deep.
Channel Needs Widening.
There are a number of points along the
river where the channel needs widening
badly. This work will not be done this
year, but will be left for future appro-
priation. 1t is proposed at some future
time to remove the Jumps In the old or
western channel through the Kettle Bot
toms This channel has plenty of water
in it except in spots, where 1t is very shoal,
but the Potomac pilots are all well &C
quainted with the location of the shoals
and have no trouble in bringing deeply
laden vessels through the old channel to
this city or Alexandria. A year or two
ago channel was dredged over on the
eastern side of the river near the Maryland
shore. This channel is nearly straight, and
the Potomac Improvement engineers claim
it was the original ship channel.
By some means the paths of the vessels
was diverted to the channel now in use,
and the courses through the old channel
were forgotten, except by a few of the
older riVermen. Although this channel has
twenty-five feet of water in it at low tide,
and is amply wide, the pilots prefer to
the western channel, with which they are
better acquainted. AS the new channel
has recently been marked with buoys it's
entire course it is probable that the river
men will gradually begin the use of 1t, in
plotting deeply laden vessels up the river
The scheme of the improvement of the
river as mapped out, however, calls for the
dredging of the western channel as soon
as money Is available for the work.
River Trade Large
While the commerce by water to and from
Washington is not as heavy as that of Phil
adelphia or Baltimore, still in the course
of year many thousand tons of cargoes
are moved in and out of the harbor The
size and draft of vessels used Is constantly
growing, and those interested in shipping
claim that the depth of water in the Poto-
mac should be sufficient to bring the largest
size vessels to our docks. This Is what the
Potomac Improvement engineers, in their
scheme of Improvement, are preparing to do
eventually. AS it is now, vessel drawing
twenty-four feet can come in safety up the
river as far as Buena Vista, but would have
to be lightered three feet before she could
come into the harbor
For many years there has been tradition
that off Fort Washington there is hole in
the river so deep that It's bottom has never
been found. In fact, one old waterman
with every evidence of sincerity recently
told The Star reporter that once he dropped
metal bucket overheard off Fort Wash
inston, where it sank. He had of course,
given up all expectation of ever securing
| the bucket again, but on a trip he made to
the PatuXent river short time afterward,
he found his bucket. rather battered lying
on the shore near the wharf to which he
went to load his vessel. He claimed from
this that there was subterranean connec-
ton between the Potomac, off Fort Wash
ington, and the Patuxent, in Maryland
forty miles away.
The engineers, however state that the
deepest water off Fort Washington Is but
sixty feet, and If there ever was a hole
there it is now filled up