The Washington times., 1913-10-11
PLAN IMPROVEMENT
OF HARBOR FRONT
Wharf Committee Asks for
Fund to Prepare Survey of
Needed Alterations.

Plans for the imprON ement of the har-
oor front, characterized by engineering
officials as disgrace to the National
capital. are under consideration by the
Engineer Department of the District. The
wharf committee, in its annual report
submitted to the Commissioners today,
recommends that an item of $1,000 be
included in the annual estimates for the
preparation of surveys estimates and
plans in order that the need of this i'm
provement may be property presented
10 Congress.
Pursuant to a provision in the District
appropriation bill of 1907 the Commits
sioners on May g. 1908. forwarded TO
Congress a detailed report on the i'm
provement OF the harbor front prepared
by committee OF District officials con-
sisting of the harbor master, engineer
of bridges and the chief clerk of the
engineer department. Congress took no
action on the report
In view of the statement OF the
wharf committee that ii will soon be
necessary to rebuild all the wharf struc-
lures and that ii should be done along
some definite plan, the Commissioners
are asked to urge upon Congress an
appropriation for another survey.
Called For $2,soo,o 1000.
The original estimates called for an
appropriation of g, $4,000. 1t was plan
ned to spend the greater part of this,
A,775,0o0, in the removal of the sea wall
on the Potomac side and the widening
of the Washington channel, so as to
insure the easy and rapid turning OF
vessels.
Later investigations, however, have
led the engineering officials to believe
that a saving of half the original esti-
mate may be effected by eliminating the
plan to increase the width of the water
way and to erect the wharves pointing
former Engineer Commissioner w. V.
Judson.
II II Is shown by a later report that
the improvements to the water front
can be accomplished with an expendi-
ture not to exceed s., 500, 900, it is be-
lieved that the Commissioners will urge
upon Congress an appropriation for be-
ginning the work
1t is said b. engineering officials that
no other large city in the world with
such admira BILE water facilities has such
an unsightly and impracticable water
front.
Wharves Are Menace.
The existing wharves, it is declared,
are not only unsightly, but are a men
ace from a sanitary standpoint, and the
dangers from fire are manifest. The
bulkheads, wharves. and other build
inEs were built by individuals and cor
porations under the assumption that
the water frontage did not belong to
the United States.
In 1856 the matter was taken into court,
and IL was decided in 1898 that the en-
tire water front. which was occupied
by private enterprises, belonged to the
United States. since which time the
Government has assumed control with
out making any Improvements.
The annual rental received by the
Government from Potomac river
wharves during the last fiscal year
amounted to So, 966.24.
In connection with the improvement
OF the water front. but considering IL as
separate item. the wharf committee
has recommended that the Commission
ers include in their annual estimates
an appropriation for a model municipal
fish wharf and market. the cost Of
which is estimated at sl75,00.
With Forty Stalls.
Plans for the wharf, which were
drafted by committee consisting Of D.
z. Garges, chief clerk of the Engineer
Department; Snowden Ashford. and
Col. W. c. Haskell, superintendent of
weights, Measures and markets pro-
vided for a building structure $50 feet
In length, forty-five feet in width. and
equipped with forty stalls for retail and
Wholesale trade.
The present fish wharf over which
the commissioners assumed Jurisdiction
March Is, consists of number of
old buildings, which are declared by the
wharf committee to be inadequate The
committee consists of D. f. Garges. D.
F. McComb, engineer of bridges, and
Russell Dean, harbormaster.