Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-18
RECLAIMING WASTE LAND
WORK OF WATERWAYS COM
MISSION AS OUTLINED.
One Of the Topics Discussed at Meet.
ing Of Engineers-Special
Trips Planned.

Plans for the winters meetings of the
Washington Society Of Engineers were
outlined at meeting Of the society held
last Tuesday evening in Hubbard Me-
mortal Hall. 10Th and NJ streets northwest
were planned, and discussions Of engi-
neering work will be given by experts
at regular monthly meetings of the So
ciety and at smokers to be held weekly
at the rooms Of the society on 18th street
One Of the first trips to be made is to
the Jamestown exposition October % to
inspect a fuel testing plan. under the
supervision Of men from the geological
the exposition authorities as fuel and
cement day. and special test is to be
made at the plant. The party will leave
on the evening Of October "a.
Another trip planned for the society
is to Mccall Ferry. Pa. where a huge
dam is being built in the Susquehanna
river. The preliminary work for this
construction will cost 100000. When
1t is completed it was explained. 100, 900
horse power will be utilized. AS this is
as much power as is obtained by the
Niagara Falls Power Company, the ex-
tent Of the work Is regarded as stupen-
dous.
The evening of November the society
will be the guests Of George F. Bower
man. librarian Of the public library. and
will be addressed by Mr. Bowerman on
the subject Engineering and Other Tech
biological Books in the Public Library"
1t was also announced that at the smoker
in the clubrooms October % Prof. ]. A.
Holmes. chief Of the technologic branch
of the geological survey. will address the
society on the fuel testing plant at the
jamestown exposition.
A description Of the recent trip Of the
inland waterways commission. which
President Roosevelt accompanied down the
Missouri and Mississippi rivers, was given
last night by F. H. Newell, director Of
the reclamation service and a member
Of the commission. AS a result Of the
trip. he said. the President expressed
himself more enthusiastically than ever
in favor Of the development Of the inland
waterways of the country. The general
plans for the work Of making new banks
and new channels and the possibilities of
the waterways after this development
were pointed out to the President on the
trip.
Mr.. Newell first read the letter Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt appointing the inland
waterways commission. and then he de-
scribed the general work to be done for
the Missouri and Mississippi rivers On
account of the soft soil on the banks Of
the Missouri river 1t was explained. many
thousands of dollars worth Of land is
washed down the river into the Mississippi
river every year. This fills up the channel
of the latter stream and makes the work
of dredging there almost useless. To
properly develop all the inland water
ways Of the country, it was stated. would
cost billion dollars; and yet, Mr. Newell
stated, this amount was not great when
compared with the amount expended on
railways and with the returns that can
be expected.
Arthur P. Davis, chief engineer of the
reclamation service. also gave talk on
the twenty-five projects now being car
ried out by the service. All of these. he
stated, have cost the government millions
of dollars, but by the system of charges
for the water to the users 1t was ex-
pected to get the money back in time
He also told of the building of cement
plant forty miles from any railway be-
cause cement could not be obtained where
it was needed Tor the waterways. The
lectures were illustrated with lantern
slides.