Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-09
ANCIENT CREEK BOTTOM
objections Upon the Part of Veter-
ans to Locating Memorial There.
SITE DECLARED TO BE UNFIT
Botanic Garden on Made Ground
Swampy, Soggy and the Very
Lowest in the City.

The wOrkmen engaged in eN-
cavating about the Crittenden
memorial oak tree. in the east side
of the Botanic Garden. where it
Is proposed to locate the great
Grant statue. struck water today
in such quantities that force OF
men is kept busy pumping it from
the hole. An ancient creek once
flowed al that point. and the dig
gers have struck its bed. where
river bottom conditions prevail.
Strong objection against locating
the monument in such swampv
and obscure place is said to be
developing, especially among vet
eran soldiers.
The removal of the trio Of historical
and memorial trees in the Botanic Gar
den to clear the way for the site of the
Grant monument IS said to have further
demonstrated the unfitness of the locality
selected for the erection of the proposed
great pile of memorial marble and metal
IL was learned today that the tree NOV
ers and workmen employed by Isaac
Hicks K Son. the contractors in excavat-
ing about the Crittenden peace oak have
AT the the depth of about seven feet he
meath the surface of the ground struck
what Mr.. Hicks describes as river bot
tom conditions
In other words. the records show that
neneath the site is the bed of an old
creek which in years long ago meandered
southWard over that particular territory
on It's winding way to the Potomac In
the course of events. including the crea-
1l"n OF the picturesque Botanic Garden
with It's "reminiscences of great Amer ca ns
VINO We're fond of the institution and its
rare foreign and domestic flowers and
plants. the creek filed in Layer by
layer earth was placed in the bed of the
creek until the ground reached its pres
ent grade But beneath the surface the
conditions remain soggy and swamp
and when the workmen reached depth
of little more than six feet about the
Crittenden oak water began TO rise rap
IDLY and filled the ation.
SO great Wes the flow that Mr. Hicks
found IL necessary to employ immediate
means of pumping out the water. and
some of the diggers and root dissectors
We're formed into sort of emergency
corps of water bumpers.
Swampy Conditions
A fine place. indeed, to place the fo,frl-
dation of a great monument in memory
Of Gen. Grant" a venerable citizen re-
marked. with a touch Of sarcasm. as he
watched the waters of the ancient creek
gushing from the ground. IF the condi-
tions are watery and swampy AT a depth
of six or seven feet what will they he
when a much greater depth is attempted
for the foundation of the statue?''
Another citizen described picture he
had In mind of the future with the statue
r.ff he Of
out of sight in the marshiness that lies
beneath the greensward at the east end
of the ga rden.
Along the sides of the excavations that
have been made about the sites of the
Crittenden oak and the Beck and Shep-
herd elms be seen the several layers
Of earth and Gebris-ashes, oyster shells
and what nOt-with which the creek bed
process of its filling. That the character
Of the material there threatens disaster
if used foundation of a statue of great
weight was the opinion expressed today
ny several persons who watched the work
men pumping the water from the eXca-
waited place.
II was recalled that many years ago the
present location of the Botanic Garden
was stretch of swamp land with
eral feeders To the James creek and old
Tiber creek in the shape of smaller
streams running through 1t.
Therefore the proposed obscuring OF the
Grant statue by sinking ii in swamp
Is not looked upon with favor by some
of the veterans who followed his for
tunes through the fire and smoke OF
battle in the civil war. IL is said To
he probable that action against the site
selected by the straight-line park system
faddists may be taken by several of the
soldier organ Zations of the District and
elsewhere before il IS too late. In the
meantime the bucket brigade will con-
finue 10 bail out the submerged waters
of the old creek. it is said.
Experts Employed.
Mr.. Hicks. the contractor who is NOV
ing the trees. when seen today hv a Star
reporter said ne brought with him from
his nurseries at Westbury. Nassau coun-
". y Y. fourteen expert tree-movers and
also found t necessary to emp.cy twelve
local iaborers. He found that the roots
Of the big trees. especially the Crittenden
oak. radiated from fifteen to eighteen feet
from the trunk. These roots. great and
small. he added. were dissected and care
fully wrapped in moss and burlap /" pre-
vent injury in the process of transferring
them TO the other sites
After digging down about six feet about
the Criitenden oak the workmen tunneled
under il at that layer in order To get al
the principal roots. Mr.. Hicks said he
into fbers at the water Ievel-in the bed
of the old creek. The division of the
tap root into the fibers was due to the
river bottom conditions found there a
described. There were much water and
sand. also sravelly conditiCn MS such as
are found in the beu of stream The
tap root could not continue it's normal
growth through the watery and miry
soil The creek bottom about the OAK
and elmS was found to have been filled
in to depth of at least seven or eigh,
feet from the surface.
IL IS proposed to get the Crittende,
memorial oak upon Jacks" by tomor-
row afternoon. if possible and move i,
on tmbers. creased blocks and rollers as
brick houses are moved A great ball OF
soil Will be carried with il.
Believes Trees Will Thrive.
Being asked as to the chances of the
big oak living and thriving after it's re-
moval. Mr. Hicks referred to a number
of great oak trees he had moved in tho
north. and said. as rule. they haC
thrved and Increased in both size anC
beauty.
I'll is my candid opinion. h" said tina
the Crittenden oak will thrive after it's Re
moVal. In order to insure this we are
adapting methods to the tree instead o
following the usual order"