Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-02
WHARF LEsSEEs PRESENT
Suggested Recreation Piers for Benefit
Of Children.
SAW MILLS TO BE ABOLISHED
Objection Made to Propositions Ad-
vanced by the District-1ncreas-
ing the Facilities.

along the river front had an Informal con-
ference In the Mariners Temple On Water
street this morning, with Mr.. D. E. Garges
secretary to Commissioner Biddle; Mr. w.
J. Douglas. the engineer of bridges for the
District. and Lieut.. John R. Sutton. the
harhormaster. the committee having In
charge the proposed improvements In
Washington harbor. The purpose OF the
conference was to discuss the plans and
IL possible, come to an agreement mutually
satisfactory.
me meeting was held at the invitation
" tne narDor Improvement committee, and
tne Steampoat managers and the lessees
OF the wharves between 7th and 18th
streets southwest had been invited to be
present, but only Mr. James O Carter Of
Garter & Clark, A. G. Fosbure Of the Eos
burg machine shop. Ambrose Stenhenson
1ocat agent of the Maryland, Delaware q.
virginia railway-steamboat line. and Mr.
Wills OF the Home Ice Company were
eugene Douglass exhibited drawing of
tne narbor as proposed in the future, and
after explaining it. invited discussion The
pans as prepared by Mr. Douglass call for
the elimination Of every pier and building
now standing on the river front from the
ioot OF 18th street northwest to Washing
ton barracks Park. and in their place,
ward the river to the extent of forty feet,
new piers and docks are to be built These
piers are to be sixty feet wide and 200
feet long. and are to have steam railway
iacifltfes, and with dock room between
them varying in width from $50 to 200
feet. 0~
At the foot of 18th street the fish and
oyster piers are to be located, and the pres
ent pier OF the Washington and Potomac
Steamboat Company, at the foot of Sth
street Is to give place to a two-storv
pier, the lower floor being used for a public
iandins place for which the District is to
~ n.z
used as public recreation pier for the use
OF the children. The plans as drawn pro-
vide for nineteen piers between the foot of
street and the foot OF 18th street south
west.
Saw Mills Abolished.
Mr.. Douglas explained that his plan
called for the abolition of all saw mills
and storage yards for wood and lumber
ana the giving up of the entire river front
to shipping with the steamboat business
located like it now is. in the section south
Of street. The harbor is also to be
widened, the plans calling for the taking Of
about 300 feet Of the present Potomac Park,
making the total width of the harbor about
1000 feet, instead of 700 feet. as It is now
In the discussion which followed the look
ing over Of Mr.. Douglas plans the
unanimous opinion of the wharf lessees
present was unfavorable to the plan to do
away with wood and coal storage yards on
the river front. 1t was declered that in
doing so the District would be injuring the
rental value of its wharf property.
1t was also explained to the harbor i'm
the docks too wide and the piers too mar
row. What most Of the lessees of the
wharves west of 1th street wanted was
wide docks for the wood and lumber busi-
ness, and the widening Of the piers to a
hundred feet or more and the propor-
tionate narrowing of the docks was sug-
gested.
The attention of the committee was also
called to the fact that under the plan ex-
hib1ted no provision had been made for boat
repair yards. and 1t was the general opinion
that such yards are absolutely necessary.
Widening the Harbor.
1t was agreed that the first step necessary
for the improvement of the water front was
the widening of the harbor, and until this
was done there was absolutely no use of
arranging to improve the piers, as the har-
Dor as it now stands will not allow a steam
boat over 200 feet long to be handled in it
without great trouble.
There are now six steamboats, here, all
over 200 feet in length and the outlook is
for additions to the fleet Of larger steamers
in the future.
The plans were discussed and the ideas
cupied being three-Quarters of an hour,
Mr.. Douglas and the other members of the
Improvement committee stating that 1t
was their wish to get the ideas Of those In
terested in the river front in order to have
the plans that will finally be adopted not
for that that may develop for years to
come
Another conference will be held in q few
days, at which 1t Is expected all the steam
boat lines and other interests about the
harbor will be represented