Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-13
CLEARING RIVER OF ICE
REPORT OF HARBoRMASTER SUIT
TON SUBMITTED.
Conditions During Past Winter Worse
Than for Twenty Three
Years.

ton relative to the operations of the h&rbor
patrol in connection with the clearing of
the Potomac river of ice during the past
winter was submitted to the Commissioners
today. In his report Mr.. Sutton describes
the condition of the work, and declares that
the past winter the conditions have been
worse than at any time during the past
twenty-three years. The Commissioners
upon receiving the report, expressed to
Commodore Sutton their apprecia ton of his
careful and efficient work in experimenting
| the ice-breaking. and declared that they are
gratiied with the results.
In his report Mr.. Sutton says:
''The necessity for clearing the river was
first brought to the attention of the Com
| missioners by a petition from the mer
chants of Georgetown and Pennsylvania
| avenue, setting forth the danger and the
damage to property which would result
from the formation of ice gorges in the
river and the consequent flooding of the
| lower sections of the city. The petition
was supplemented by my own urgent re-
quest that an appropriation of $4,000 be
obtained for the work, and the act of Feb
ruary 10, 1905 provided such an appropri
ton.
Under verbal orders from the Commits
sioners Immediately hired every available
tugbOat with ice plows to the number of
fifteen, and had them prepared for the
work of breaking up the ice. Work was
begun on the ice or February %, when the
entire fleet was employed in opening a
channel 400 feet wide from the entrance
| into the Washington channel to the Aque-
duct bridge. The ice encountered was
heavier than that of any former year, and
the task of breaking 1t so difficult that at
| the end of the ,irst days operations almost
all OF the tugboats were seriously injured
in some way or other. One of them had a
yyh nknn md hn n q
more or less injured. On account of the
cold weather and the thickness of the ice
work was suspended until the 18th of Feb
| ruary. when 1t was resumed. tn" boats be-
ing repaired in the interval Operations
were again suspended after that date for
the same reasons.
1.-The approach Of the inaugural ceremonies
and the danger that the route of the pro-
cession might be flooded with water was
a source of great anxiety. and on the first
appearance of a moderation in temperature.
work was again resumed on March l and
continued without interruption excepting
Sunday. March g. until the 18th. the scene
of the operations extending from a point
about two miles above the Aqueduct bridge
down to Glymont. The ice encountered was
from ten to fourteen inches in thickness
| and this fact alone will convey some idea
of the difficult nature of the work Valu-
able assistance in breaking up the gorges
from the Three Sisters to the Aqueduct
bridge rendered by Mr.. w. J. Doug
| las, engineer of bridges of the District of
Columbia, who employed dynamite for that
purpose.
Sent to Aqueduct Bridge
''On the morning of March 10. in re-
Spouse to an urgent request from the
Georgetown merchants the fleet was sent
| to the Aqueduct bridge, where extensive
gorges were forming by the ice coming
down from the upper Potomac in great
packs. The boats were divided between
| the Aqueduct and the Long bridges, and on
March 10 and II were engaged in cutting
out the gorges at the piers of all the
bridges, three of the boats remaining on
| duty at the Long bridge during all of the
night of the 10th. 1t should be remem-
| bered that in the vicinity of the old Long
bridge there are now in place the piers
of two additional bridges-the new railway
and the new highway bridges, making
| three in all. and the consequent danger
| of ice gorges forming at this point has
been very greatly increased.
ION the 18th instant the river was COM
paratively clear of ice, and as no further
damage was apprehended from the upper
river the services of the fleet of boats were
regarded no longer necessary and they
were discharged. having been employed for
a period of ten days in all. The captains
and crews of the various tugs displayed
the greatest zeal and enthusiasm in their
work and deserve the warmest commenda-
ton therefor.
LAS stated heretofore. the great thick
ness of the ice formed during one of the
coolest of winters made the work of break
ing it the most difficult encountered in all
| my experience of twenty-three years, and
there is no doubt that but for the prompt
action of the Commissioners and of Con-
gress concerning the appropriation the
lower sections of the city would have been
flooded and considerable damage to prop
erty have resulted 1t is hoped and be-
leved that due appreciation and commenda-
ton Of your action will be accorded by all
business interests"