Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-02-12
TIE PORT OF ALEXANDRIA.

The secretary OF war has transmitted
to the House of Represent itivss a le.tsr
enclosing q letter from the chief of en-
gineers 10 regard to the examination and
survey of the Potomac river at Alex
sndr.a, Among other things the seere-
saYs: "rhe city of Alexandria iS one
of the oldest cilies in the Uaited States
and has long been q port of entry. Bills
OF lsdiog dating back to 1872 are 10 e1-
istenee, bat it had been established "a a
po.t prior to that. The present popnla-
tioa of Alexandra is neatly 10000 and
IL said to be Increasing. The city csn-
tsins about 400 mercantile and industrial
establishments. Two marine rsilwAys,
one of them the largest on the river, are
located at AlexsDdris, and about 100
yfs els of various kinus and sizes hail
from this port. At least five different
lines Of raIlfosd pass through Alexandra
and tracks skirt the wharf front. form
ing The only direct rail and water con-
nections of any Importance on the Poto.
mac. No such connection exists at
Washington, save for ccal t'pple re.
Gently established on the ArscosIis.
Shepherds Landing, opposite Alexandria
is used almost exclusively in connection
Rlth the lines at Alexandra. The form
er railroad terminals ct POpes Greek,
QuanticO Greek, and Aqlia Greek have
been abandoned. Asa result, it is claim
cd ttal most OF the waterfall shipments
of Washington are handled st Alex
audris, while the shipments TO and from
the country extending inland from 80 to
rs miles aIe largely made from that port
up to twenty years sg) the main current
of The Potomac wss DETECTED from the
pposite Maryland shore above Shep
nerds Landing aud ran close in front of
he wharves at Alexandria, maintaining
depth of 90 feet or more along the en-
tire wharf fr3nt. During the great
freshetIof Jule, 1889 sn old Hudson river
steamboat about 300 feet long, which
had been converted into q large, wss
sunk cf the outlet cks Of the Cheaa.
p'ake and OHIO Canal, at the upper end
Of the Alexandra wharf front This
wreck Intercepted the curTeut, which
had hitherto swept past the city front,
and def scted it toward the opposite shore
with the result ihst bar of soft mud has
been gradual y formed until the depth OF
water in front OF the upper wharves has
become too shallow for commercial pur-
poses and the fleet of the shOal is be-
giuiDg 10 be felt even at the lower end.
Statistics of trade tor the calendar year
1906 ta7e been carefully complied BY
NJ. J. L. Preston, secretary of the
Chamber Of Commerce. They show
TT ! of receipts of 100, 66l tons valued
at 81 $50, $40, and total Of shipments
of 81 76S tous, valued a, : |, 226, LOG ex-
elusive Of the teams snd vehicles trans
por;ed by the Washington ard Alex
audria ferry line. The principal articles
of commerce are cCal, ftrihzsr, glass
bottles, ice, lumber, oil, phosphate rock.
railroad ties, sand, whcltfale groceries,
and general merchandise. 1t is 8 a,ed
that few years ago Alexsndra a was the
sixth sugar market in the United States.
10 view Of the importance Of the city Of
Alezandris, Of the extent OF it's COM
merce, and Of the conditions above
stated, the removal Of The bar recently
formed is regarded as sn improvement
wtr.hy to be undertaken By the general
government. II is thought that the es-
tsblshment of hsrbor lines should be
included iD this improvement.