The Washington herald., 1908-04-14
SEEKS DEEP CHANNEL
Gen. Mackenzie Approves Po-
tOmac improvement.
WATERWAY 400 FEET WIDE
Depth of - Feet for II6 Miles 10
Open Sea Advocated by Chief En-
spend s2O4,OOO ON WOrk-wOuId
Permit Big ships to Anchor Here.

When the Atlantic fleet completes its
round the world trip. it may. instead OF
anchoring off the cspes to await the
President of the United States, steam
grandly up the Potomac River and heave
to within sight of the White House.
A 4O0-foOt channel "a feet deep, all the
Iway from Washington to the sea,
Through the many shoals that are now
an effectual bar to big ships, may, By
that time. be a reality. The dream OF
Washingtonians may yet come true, II
1.-THE recommendations Of Brig. Gen. Mack
lenzie, Chief OF Engineers of the War De-
partment. are followed by Congress.
Yesterday. Gen. Mackenzie sent to the
Speaker a lengthy communication from
engineers In this district. showing the
cost of making such Improvements in the
Potomac River. While the subordinate
engineers, whose reports the chief for
warded, were prone to assert that i'm
lprovements should be made to the Wash
ington harbor before the channel TO the
sea was deepened and widened, Gen
Mackenzie had no such engineering
lqualms. He unqualifedly Endorsed the
proposition, which If carried out by Con-
gress, will mean that the Nations Capt.
tai is at last to become something of
real seaport.
Congress May BaIk.
As to whether or not Congress may be
induced to provide Immediately the ap-
propriation-$2o4,o 600 is declared necessary
there is, of course. some doubt. II Is
| thoroughly understood that there is to
be no river and barbor bill this year, and
to obtain the amount named some stiff
work would be required.
On the other hand. even If the purse
guarders are upon the lookout this year,
IT is possible that a project that has re-
ceived such high recommendation as that
Of the Chief Engineer Of the army, and
which costs such a comparatively small
/ sum, may so through II some leader will
! step forth to push it.
! To see the greatest battie-ship fleet that
ever sailed under the American flag come
TO anchor near the city Of Washington
may even wake some Of those guardians
Of the public purse into beiated action to
! the needs Of the Potomac.
The report Of Gen. Mackenzie said IN
part;
| In 1880. prior 10 the improvement. II
was reported that at best only about
/ eighteen feet at mean low water could
/ be carried with safety over certain shoal
/ spots in the channel below Washington.
/ There has since been secured by dTedg-
| ing an unobstructed channel at least 200
/ feet wide and "a feet deep at mean low
! tide from Just below Washington 10 the
mouth Of the river.
VIII Cost s2O4, 600,
1T is now estimated that It will cost
/ $204, eco to increase the width Of this "a
foot channel 10 400 feet: maintenance Of
the completed channel is estimated 10
cost at the rate Of s., 500 annually,
at Is the opinion Of the district officer.
Iconcurred in by the division engineer and
the board Of engineers Of the rivers and
harbors. that this locality was worthy of
Improvements, but they believe that the
widening Of the channel below Wash
ington should not be undertaken until
an increase in the depth to twenty-four
feet in the channels Of either or both OF
the Potomac and Anacostia rivers at
:
for by Congress.
The estimated projected depth for the
Potomac and Anacostia rivers at Wash
ingt0n is twenty feet az mean low water
The mean range Of the tide is about three
feet. II is desirable that the larger COM
mercial and naval vessels which leave the
docks at high water should be permitted
to proceed out through the 100 miles of
river channel without regard to the tide. !
and II Will appear also that the estimated
200-foot channel is TOO narrow for vessels |
to be easily navigated at speed or for
boats TO pass at night in bad weather /
L am constrained to differ from the opin-
ion expressed in the accompanying re-
ports and TO recommend that the plan Of
Improvement presented receive favorable |
consideration by Congress"
Mai. COsby's Report.
Accompanying the letter Of Gen. Mac
kenzie, which is indorsed formally BY
Robert Shaw Oliver. Acting Secretary OF |
War, is a report from Nat. Spencer Cos |
by. Corps OF Engineers, Z. s. a, In |
charge Of this division.
Maj. Cosby in his report goes thoroughly |
into the question. He says that from the /
head Of navigation OF the Potomac, about
three miles above this city to the mouth |
of the river, is a distance Of about IIs |
miles. For all Of this distance It is a |
tidal stream.
He points out that the 1s-foot natural-I
or artihcal-channel OF the river from
Giesboro Point, just below this city, to
the mouth OF the river. varies in width. /
- Tc
800 feet wide and gradually it increases
in width until at Cedar Point it Is about
2500 and at the bay # is about four miles.
Mai Cosby says that the Potomac is
now navigable at low tide for vessels Of
24foot draft from the mouth to about
one mile below the wharves OF Washing
ton. There are six shoals In this dis
tanee.
In 1906 the receipts from seagoing yes
sells on the Potomac was about S20O00 .000
About $500 seagoers arrived In 1905; of
this number about 500 drew ever sixteen
feet and of the latter number the ma
iority drew between nineteen and twenty
two feet.
More Freight Carried.
Maj Cosby says that if the channel
were widened IN the Potomac and Ana
costa more freight would be carried and
the Washington Navy Yard would be
made accessible even to the largest ships
of the navy.
The seven shoals which would require
dredging under The proposed deep-sea Wa
terWay plan are: Kettle Bottom. where 70
900 cubic yards would be removed: Mary
land Point. 244000, Smiths Point Gower)
81 .000. Smiths Point upper. $4,000; Matt