The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-02-05
To Use DYNAAI
ON RIVER GORGE
Engineer Douglass to Bore
Holes in the Lee,
GUARDING AGAINST FLOOD
Bill for Special Appropriation Into
duced IN House-Georgetown Prop
eTty Owners Anxious.

Engineer Douglass, of the Bridge De
partment of the District, will take the
first steps tomorrow to prevent a dis
astrous food as the result of ice gorges
in the Potomac River. HarbormaSter
Sutton and those who have had many
years experience on the river front are
agreed that there has never been a time
when the danger of a flood was greater
1t has been u score of years, perhaps,
since the river has been frozen over 50
solidly as it is now. With the mercury
lowering around the zero mark for the
last three or four days. the ice has in
creased in thickness with wonderful "a
pidity. In many places 1t is fourteen or
fifteen inches thick.
Tomorrow morning Engineer Douglass
Will start to work on the ice gorge, be
ginning to form at the base OF the new
highway bridge. OF course, the Ice has
not moved for three or four days, but
during the thaw eight or ten days ago
a considerable amount OF blocked ice
formed around the stone piers and va
irious material supports used in the work
These froZe over as soon as the present
cold spell came, and at present make
a dangerous starter fer an ice gorge.
which would form as high as the bridge
itself if a day or two of warm weather
came Such an ice gorge would back
up the waters of the Potomac for miles,
and property all along the river front
might be submerged.
Dynamite Under Water
Mr.. Douglass viii drill holes in the
ice at intervals of about nifty feet.
making about ten in all. In these holes
he viii place a charge of dynamite
| about pound in each opening. Here
tofore it has been the custom to place
| the dynamite in the ice itself the re-
| suit being merely to shatter the top
Engineer Douglass proposes to place
| the sticks of dynamite five or six feet
| down in the water, believing that the
explosion will be sufficient to blow W
the ice for yards around.
One difficulty in this direction Is
that the weather may be so cold as tc
cause the dynamite to freeze if kept il
the water more than a few seconds
For this reason only one hole will be
. | fired at time, In case the dynamite
should not fire, the precaution viii be
taken to weight the stick do WI witt
heavy stones, SO as to sink the e1oIc.
, | sive to the bottom. IF 1t were not fol
this, the dynamite might float down tax
river and ultimately cause trouble.
The work Of Engineer Douglas il
merely an experiment. It is argued tina
!
feat down the stream and get below
7 the city such work win be useless. a.
| the ice will simply be blown up ana lief
where il is
lee Bill in House.
The Commissioners bill appropriat
ing $4,000 for clearing the river of ic
| was introduced III the House yesterda
afternoon by Representative McClear,
: and referred to the Committee on APP
preparations. It is thought that tn
bill Will be finally disposed of by mex
| Wednesday at the latest
The measure would have been intro
i duced earlier but for the absence of Nj
: McCleary from the city. 1t was sent t
: him IN his capacity of chairman of tn
. special subcommittee of the House Com
: mittee on Appropriations in charge G
q District matters.
Property. owners along the river from
are watching with great interest tn
progress of this bill, as its passage ma
- mean the saving of thousands OF dollar
Z to them,