Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-11
MORE ACTION NEXT YEAR
Appropriation of $4,000 Will En-.
large the Undertaking.
AB0UToNE-FoURTH COMPLETED
Report of Engineers in Charge Shows
Twenty-Foot Channel From
Mouth to Navy Yard.

VI IdpllOi Hill anu the SOutHcdSl III poi
ticular, are rejoicing over the provisions
of the waterways bill, which was an
nounced yesterday as ready to be report
ed to the House by the rivers and har-
bors committee. The measure as ap-
proved by the committee, and h,ch is
understood to have the Endorsement of
the administration, carries $4,000 for the
continuation of improvements in the Ana
costa river and the maintenance of eX-
listing improvements. and if 1t is carr. ed
TO passage in this form it means that a
greater volume of work will be in progress
in 191o-191l toward the deepening o. ...e
Anacosta river and the reclamation Of
The adjacent flats than in any other year
since this great project was first
preached.
Before the improvement of the Ana
costa river began the ruling depth of
The stream from its mouth at Glesboro
point to the Navy Yard bridge was ap-
proximately eighteen feet, and the chan
mel affording this depth was narrow and
tortuous. An allotment of $4,000 for
work in the Anacostia river was made
from the appropriation of September 10,
1890. for improving the Potomac river at
Washington, and with this money the
through the shoals at the foot of South
Capitol street and opposite the Washing
ton barracks marked the Inauguration
of the improvement of conditions in the
river which bisects the eastern section
of the District of Columbia.
Work on Present Project.
The present project for this stream
was adopted June Is, 1902. and provides
for the Improvement of that portion Of
the Anacostia below the navy yard
bridge by dredging a channel 400 feet
wide and twenty feet deep, the depth
gradually decreasing to six feet at the
bulkhead lines, and by depositing the
dredsed material on the adjacent flats to
an average elevation of seven feet above
mean low tide. the reclaimed area to be
surrounded by an earthen embankment
to an average height of fourteen feet
ABOVE low tide, protected by masonry
sea wall. and provided with suitable
drainage through the embankment all
at an estimated cost of 81. 21S, 525.
Acting under the chief of engineers.
.. s. A, Maj. Jay j. Morrow. formerly
Englneer Commissioner of the District,
is In charge OF this reclamation work
at the present time. For the purpose of
simplifying calculations regarding the
improvement the army engineers have
divided the Anacostia river and fiat i'm
provement project into three sections,
numbered one, two and three respective
~. The first contains all of the area
between the Navy Yard bridge and the
mouth of the stream; section two includes
the river and flats from the Navy Yard
bridge to the Pennsylvania Avenue
bridge, and section three includes the
area between the Pennsylvania Avenue
bridge and the District line
Complete Section One First.
All work up to the present date has
been In section 1. and it is the intention
OF the army engineers. Congress assent
Ing. to complete the deeping of the chan
mel and the reclamation of the fats in
this portion of the river before undertake
ins the work far her upstream
In reviewing the portion of the work
annual report says: THE amount ex-
pended on the existing project to June 80,
1909. was $267, 2SS Is, of which $6,4Sl. 10
was applied to maintenance
AS result OF this expenditure channel
20 feet deep and at least $50 feet de
has been secured for distance of $500
feet upstream from the mouth of the An
acostia-that Is, as far as the upper lin
its of the navy yard. The quantity ex-
cavated to date amounts to 1,S94, $50 cubic
va DIS. in addition to which o14S03 cubic
yards have been dredged by other depart
ments OF the government and by private
parties under permits from, but without
cost to this office
"A riprap wall has been built to
height of fou feet above mean low wa.
ter for a distance of 1890 feet along the
left bulkhead line and 1900 linear feet Of
it has been raised to height of five feet
4,023 cubic yards of this stone was laid
in 1909. The work of improvement for
the fiscal year 1909 amounted to $50, 3O2 ST.
The entire project is now about IS per
cent completed
Reclamation of Flats.
Incidental to the deepening of the chan
mel about $50 acres of the Anacostia flats
have been 'reclaimed-a1l of this new
ground being opposite to the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane This 49,
acre area is now about four feet above
low water. In the expenditure of the
$4,000 appropriation for the fiscal year
1910 it is proposed to finish this tract to
its final height of seven feet above low
water level; to prepare the earthen en-
bankments along the same line to the
moth of the river at Giesboro point and
to continue the dredging. This latter
section contains about 16D acres, and the
engineers estimate that the work during
the ensuing year will suffice to fill the
flats TO about one-half the desired height
Next in the order of Improvement will
come the section of 40 acres of marsh
land lying between the grounds of the
government hospital and the Navy Yard
bridge. and this will be the final stage
of the work in section one. The engin-
GERS stated today that it would be at
least thu ee years before all of the i'm
provements in contemplation In section
one are finished.