Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-10
TO IMPROVE HARb0R
Appropriation Of $3.50, 900 for
Potomac and'Anacostia. 2
PROJECTS TO BE CONTINUED
General Expenditures to Exceed
Usual Amount.
COMPRISED IN TWO MEASURES
Rivers and Harbors and Sundry
Civil Bill to Garry s2e, 2e2, eas.
Above Average of Decade.

| For continuing improvements on the
| Potomac river, S60,Goo. and for carrying
on the work on the Anacostia river. 500
COO, are provisions made in the rivers and
harbors appropriation bill.
| In comprehensive report on the bill,
put on its passage through Congress to-
day, the House committee OH rivers and
| harbprs points out that the cash appro-
priations carried in the measure are
$732oO0 less than the estimates. and that
the authorizations were carefully cur
| tailed
Exceeds Average Expenditures.
The average annual expenditure for
rivers and harbors. says the report, is
| approximately So, 100000 for the ten
years since 1899. The cash appropria-
ton carried in the present bill. together
with .$7,36S,O77 to be carried for rivers
and harbors in the sundry civil bill for
| the fiscal year ending June, so. 1912,
| makes total of S29,262,93S, largely in
| excess of the average for decade.
The 21O items contained in the bill are
| equally divided between maintenance of
completed works and continuing projects.
The bill also carries authorizations which
will require in the sundry civil act for
1913, $4,755.OD; for 191 1, So, 10000, and
for 1915, $1,5S5,OGO.
Washington Harbor Projects.
Under the head of the District of CO.
lumbia, the report has this to say
1.-The engineer-in-chef submits an es-
innate of $4,000 for continuing work on
the Potomac river at Washington and
one of 100000 for continuing work on
the Anacostia river. These are allowed
in the bill. Work on the Potomac river
below Washington has been completed
and provision was made in the act OF
1910 for the completion of the improve
ment at Lower Cedar point
The project for the Improvement or
the Potomac river was authorized by
the act of 1881 which directed a survey
to be made of the Potomac and Anacostia
rivers in the vicinity of Washington, with
reference to the Improvement OF naVlsa-
ton, establishment of harbor lines ana
teh raising of the flats so far es their
improvement may be necessary to the mn
provement of navigation and the estab-
lishment of harbOr lines. The project
was prepared by a board OF engineer
officers and was approved by act OF Noh-
gress dated August >, 1882.
prior to this improvement the river
passing the gorge at the Aqueduct brldge
appeared to discharge partly through the
channel between Analostan Island ana
the Virginia shore, and partly between
the island and Georgetown. The shllt-
ing of the main channel between THESE
two routes caused much injury to ship
ping interests along the Georgetown
water front. After passing the lower
part of Analostan Island and EasDys
point the river discharged through low
submerged lands, partially uncovered at
lot m N
one mite wide. were traversed by three
channels which had no permanently, ana
shifted with the various changes OF ny
draulc conditions (-...:
Two Permanent Channels. ''s"
1.-The ruling depth of water near Gies-
| boro point was fourteen feet Above the
Long bridge in the vicinity of the pres
ent Highway bridge, the ruling depth
was eight feet. In the Washington cham
| mel the ruling depth was ten feet. Money
expended in the improvement of the river
has resulted i'm securing two channels
permanently and definitely located one
the Virginia channel. passing from tiles
boro point up to the water front az
Georgetown: the other, the Washington
channel. from Giesboro point up TO the
foot of 14th street.
''The least depth in the Virginia chan
mel was twenty feet at low tide, but mas
SnOaIed DN tnp uepoSI VI hoICi ia
brought down by the Potomac river to
a depth of eighteen feet above the High
way bridge. 1t has a least width OF 500
feet. The increased depth available now
permits the more economical handling of
freight In addition to the number of
scows and barses of less than twelve
feet draft, numbers of coal barges draw
ing from sixteen to eighteen feet now
navigate the channel. Coal to the amount
of over 100000 tons and sand and gravel
to the amount of 100000 tons are now
handled in the Virginia channel.
1.-The Washington channel has a depth
of twenty feet, but the money available
will procure a depth of twentyfour feet
for a width of 400 feet, with gradually
diminishing slope to the sea wall along
the Potomac Park.
''Harbor of Refuge"
1.-The. improvement. as carried out. has
made the Washington channel harbOr
of refuge in time of flood for the shipping
along the water front. The retaining of
the land now known Potomac Park
prevents the flood waters of the Poto-
mac river discharging from the Washing
ton channel; which occurred prior to the
improvement of the stream. The in
creased depth permits vessels of much
4 .t.Yr% k,xl