Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-25
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Development of Potomac Park
for Public Uses.
IDEAL AS PLEASURE RESORT
Features of the Capital City in Its
Summer Garb.
FLOWERS AND SHRUBBERY
Washington Found to Have Attrac-
tons to Many as a Place
Of Summer Residence.
OVERS AND SHRUBBERY

me progress In transferring the Poto.
mac mats into a public park is noted In
the annual report Of the officer in charge
OF public buildings and grounds, which
has just been made public. The extent
OF what has been done Is hard to fully
appreciate unless personal visit is made
to the locality. To say that transforms
tion has been wrought is said to only
feebiy express what has actually taken
place. Instead of a desolate stretch of
swamp and tangled thicket and neglected
commons there are now verdant lawns
and trees and shrubbery and flowers. and
above all, walks and drives and seats
where the public may view the river and
the surroundings which have thus been
created.
Col. Cromwell states In his. report that
the new roadway along the banks of the
Potomac extends from the inlet Of the
tidal reservoir to the foot of 18th street
northwest. 1t Is $3.50 feet in length and
a feet wide. The section extending from
the inlet to the drainage canal, which sec
ton is 1850 feet in length, was con-
structed between March and June. 1907.
with the $4,000 of the appropriation
able.
The Old Canal.
The remaining section between the
canal and the foot of 26th street was
constructed between July /. 1907. and June
80, 1908. The two sections are connected
by bridge built across the mouth of the
canal on pilebents. with timber deck. The
bridge is 156 feet long and 20 feet wide.
II Will be removed as soon as the drainage
canal is filled up and the filled-in mate
rial Is solid enough TO build the roadway
across II.
The canal is now being filed with ma
terial dredged from the river by the en-
gineer oficer In charge Of the Potomac
river improvement, and in March and
April about 4.S30 cubic yards of clay were
hauled In without expense to the United
States and used in filing up at the mouth
OF this canal where the roadway Is to
cross The sea wall on the river side Of
the new roadway was raised four feet
for a length Of Ito feet. at a point about
$500 feet north of this bridge. to retain
the footing Of an earthen embankment
built at that point and on which circle
is laid out in the center Of the roadway.
Park Seats Provided.
Park settees are placed on the COM
pleted cinder walk near the sea wall on
the river side, and also at intervals along
the finished roadway. The site of the
north end Of this roadway being the
stretch between the mouth of Easbys
Point sewer. at foot Of Esd street, and
the terminus at 18th and Water streets,
was gully much below the grade of the
other portions. This was filled up to
grade with $4,000 cubic yards of clay,
ashes. etc, hauled in and spread with
out expense to the United States between
August. 1907. and March. 1908, and with
2,6i0 wagon loads OF clay filling purchased
at a low price.
AS this filing would not have settled
SnfficiopfV n hermit Of the COmDipttOn
of the Improvement by June 80, 1908, Con-
gress reappropriated the unexpended bal
ance of the appropriation. which amount
ed to $4,000. and made it available
for completing the roadway and for gen
eral improvements during the fiscal year
1909.
Park Roadway Along B Street.
May %. 1893 Congress appropriated the
sum of $1,000 for continuing the improve
ment of Potomac Park by continuing
North q street from Virginia avenue west
ward to the Potomac river as a park road
way along the northern boundary of Po-
tomac Park, including the acquisition by
purchase or condemnation of squares Us
and 50. to be expended under the direc.
ton of the officer in charge of this office
Correspondence was at once entered into
with the owners or those representing the
owners of lots in those squares with q
view 10 g3tinS oHerS from them Tor the
sale OF the land. The services Of num-
Der of men experienced In appraising real
estate were secured to appraise the value
OF the land. in order that expressions OF
opinion from unbia sed sources might be
had to compare with the offers made by
the owners.
The site of this proposed B street road
way through the United States land west
of 23d street Is very low and work was
commenced in May building an embank-
for fba roadway with ashes and
clay which were hauled in and spread
without expense to the United States
During May and June, 1908, there were