Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-23
AMENDMENT TO MEASURE
Would Garry Out Recommendation
of Commissioners.
SUM ASKED TO BEGIN WORK
Estimated Cost of Proposed I'm
lamation of Flats Is So, ,S39, 800.

lamation of Flats Is $2,S39 800.
An appropriation of S1.00O.OO0 for the
improvement of the Anacostfa river and
flats was proposed in the Senate yester-
day afternoon by Senator Gallinger,
chairman of the Senate District commit
tee.
In an amendment to the rivers and har-
bors bill. as it passed the House, Senator
Gallinger proposes to substitute for the
paragraph granting s15OOOO for 'contin-
uing the improvement and for mainte-
nance of the .Anacostia river the follow
ing paragraph:
For continuing the improvement of the
Andcostia river and the reclamation and
improvement of its flats from the line or
the District of Columbia to its mouth.
as recommended by the board of Com
missioners of the District of Colum bia,
House document numbered 903. Fifty
ninth Congress. first session, and in ac-
cordance with project number /, House
document numbered 81, Fifty-fifth Con-
gress, third session, one million dollars" :"
Channel to Be Dredged.
The project, which it is proposed to
start with the appropriation of a million
dollars. involves the dredging of chan
mel and the depositing of the material to
an average elevation of seven feet above
low tide, including the construction of a
sea wall and emba nkment to a height
of fourteen feet above low tide
The estimated cost of the entire pro-
iant Axt~>
the mouth Of the river to the Navy Yard
bridge. it is estimated that s1,21s.525 will
be required: for the section from the
Navy Yard bridge to the Benning bridge
S976, 1875; and for the section from BEN
ming bridge to the District line, s644, GOO
In the report of the army engineers
who prepared the estimates and in let
tiers from the District Commissioners it
has been suggested that the Improvement
of the section beyond the Benning bridge
need not be undertaken at once. The
army engineers, therefore, recommended
the improvements which they outlined
from the mouth of the Anacostia river
to the Benning bridge, at a cost of 81
The army engineers. in the report to
which the amendment offered by Sena-
tor Gallinger- refers, outline the needs
for the improvements which they have
suggested.
Necessity for Improvement.
THE necessity for the improvement of
the Anacostla river has been so fully
recognized by Congress in acts and reso-
lutions calling for surveys or making
appropriations for temporary relief to
navigation that no arguments are needed
here to emphasize the Importance of this
work"
The main reasons given by the army
officers are: To give access by water to
the navy yard; to give increased facilities
for commerce and navigation to the port
of Washington. as the city's trade grows
to remove insanitary conditions along the
Anacostia river.
One line of improyement not considered
by the army engineers Is presented lin the
other document TO which reference is
made in the amendment of Senator Gal
llnger 1t presents copy of letter of
the District Commissioners in which they
say:
The subject of the treatment of the
Anacostia river and flats was taken ND
by a commission appointed March /, 1901.
by the United States Senate to report on
a park system for the District of Column
bia. In this report they recommended
generally the treatment of the lower por-
tion of the river as had been recon-
mended by the War Department, but
suggested that on the line of Massachu-
Setts avenue, or at the Bennine bridge a
dixie should be built across the river hay-
ing tidal gate connection with the lower
part and that the part above this dixie
should be treated as a pleasure park. 1t
was proposed to dredge to the depth of
twelve feet and to form numerous islands
with a portion of the dredged material
The portion of this material not needed
for park purposes was to be used to
fill up the submerged land in what was
intended to be the commercial section of
the river below this dixie
Park of LOO Acres.
The area of this proposed park above
Massachusetts avenue would be about
1,1O0 acres, of which one-half would be
land and one-half would be clear water.
suitable for boating and bathing. The
cost of the project including dixie and
dredging, and exclusive of the cost of the
land, would be about S1,0OO.GOO, SO that
the total cost would be al bout the same
as the estimated cost of the War De-
partment project-about S3,OOoOOo. This
does not include development of the park
with roadway, etc.
This proposed dixie forming the lake
could be placed at Massa chusetts ave-
nue. or at Benning bridge or at any other
desra BILE point The lower location will
diminish the amount of dock frontage
and Will make, on account Of the present
location of the Pennsylvania railroad
bridge crossing the stream difficult
matter to avoid grade crossing.
A location of the dixie at East Capitol
street would probably be a very salts
factory solution. The dixie would form
a street across the river at the lower end
of the park
Senator Gallinger's amendment has been
referred TO the Senate committee on COM