Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-16
g Fight Join Rock Creek, geological and Potomac Parks


plete. II is TO be hoped that Senator GAL
linger, his successor on the committee,
will ASSUME the role OF leader in Congress
for the great movement for the working
out OF the true destiny of the District of
Columbia, an object worthy Of the high
est ambitions of our most influential law
makers"
In the report of the president of tho
Board OF Trade in 1904 CIV. V. Cox
those persons interested in the history OF
the campaign for the parkway connection
NAV read that
THE proper scheme for developing Rock
Creek valley. in the opinion OF the COM
mittee. would be to terrace tile banks,
straighten the creek from Lyons MIL -
o street by an opening across p street
at point about one hundred feet west
of its present position. at which point
there is probably good rock foundation
for the abutments of the bridge. and
move the bridge accordingly. 1t is also
suggested that planting the edges OF
Rock creek with trees and shruhhery
would obliterate blemishes and be in full
accord with the Burnham commission
which favored the open parkway treat
ment for Rock Greek valley
In the report Of the parks and reserva-
tions committee of the Board of Trade
for 1905. The attention of the board is
called TO the urgent necessity OF such
action by the authorities as will provide
a driveway Of considerable width along
both sides of Rock creek from George
town to the Geological Park, which will
forever obviate the danger of the banks
OF that beautiful stream and the ap-
proaches to bridges across II becoming
the back Yards of city residences
In 1906 the park commission. Daniel IA.
Burnham, Charles +. Mckim, Augustus
Saint Gaudens and Frederick Law Ohm
stead. jr., made report TO the Senate
committee of the District OF Columbia
upon the Improvement of the park sys-
tenn of the District. and the commission
devoted considerable time to the pres
entation of facts relating TO the OPEN
valley and the conduit plans of treat
ment, strongly favoring the open method.
The act of Congress providing appro-
priations for the District of Columbia for
the fiscal year 1905 contained a provision
for preparation of plans and estimates
for the treatment of the valley OF Rock
creek from Massachusetts avenue To the
mouth of the creek both by open-yalley
method and by conduit, including neces-
sary surveys, boring. test pits and esti-
mates of cost, $1,000 April -, 1905. Jay
j. Morrow, major, Corps of Engineers,
l.. S. A., Engineer Commissioner of the
District of Columbia forwarded to the
board of District Commissioners a re-
port rendered by L. VI. Markham, cap
tain. Corps of Engineers, L. S. A. as
sistant to the Engineer Commissioners,
and w. J. Douglas, engineer of bridges.
forwarded to Charles w. Fairbanks.
President of the Senate, under date OF
April 80, 1905 The report estimated that
the cost of open treatment would be S.
S00.0 600. and the open-valley method was
recommended for the following reasons:
That it would be cheaper that il would
be safer and therefore better from the en-
gineering standpoint, that the improve
ment could be executed in one-half the
time that il would give a better Inn
provement for the abutters. that 1T
would give a better Improvement
for the city considered as whole
that it wcvfI give parkway be-
tween Potomac and Geological parks
which was most desirable that it offered
the best parkway because the highway
travel would not intersect the park trav-
Ell at grade that ii would give a park
for the abutting section of Washington
which is without proper park facilities,
and that the open space which would re-
suit under the open-valley method would
be a health asset when the abutting
property should become closely built upon.
The people of Washington should bear
in mind that the reclamation of the lower
valley of Rock creek, valuable in itself
for park purposes but especially valuable
i'm that it will multiply the advantages OF
other great parks, is not the result of
sudden inspiration or a single stroke or
fortune, but that il Is coming about be-
cause of persistent, insistent and reso-
lutte presentation of the merits of the
proposition.