Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-01

carried many hundred thousands OF per-
sons up and down the river not life
was lost nor was passenger injured
by accident on the steamers. The boats
day after day in the summer excursion
season each had aboard daily from a
thousand to twenty-five hundred passen-
gers on a trip. No accident involving
loss of life occurred during the year on
any of the passenger lines operating on
the Chesapeake.
The tearing down Of the old icehouse
which for many years stood on the 10th
street wharf and in which ice from
Maine was stored for the use of the
appearance of the sportion of the river
front about the ice wharves. While no
new wharf buildings have been erected,
the portion of the river front section on
Water street south of l. street southwest
has been improved by the erection of
number OF handsome dwelling houses.
Improvement of Channels.
improvements continue to be made
10 the river channels. In the Eastern
branch old Buzzards point was cut
away and the channel improved and
deepened from the river channel to the
navy yard. A contract has been placed
for the dredging of $4,000 cubic yards
OF material from the Georgetown cham
mel between the Highway bridge and
Georgetown. Work has been started
on the project, but on the coming of
cold weather it was discontinued to
be resumed next spring. AS the level
of Potomac Park has reached the grade
wanted, the material to be taken from
the channel will be pumped in the low
lands on the Virginia side of the river.
improvements to Potomac Park also
continue. and in the past year the sec
ton east of the railroad embankment
has been graded and several miles of
fine waterside driveways laid out. This
work is to be continued until Wash
ington has one of the finest waterside
parks in the country if not in the
world.
One steamboat, the Capital City, was
year, and a small steamer, the Vo1un-
teer, placed in service. Otherwise there
was no change in the steamboat serv-
ice out of the port. There has been
some talk of a new line to Norfolk and
New York being established. but moth
ing definite has been done in this re-
gard. A few days ago the steamer
Colchester was purchased for service
on the Potomac, but she is not expected
to come here until next spring.
Yachting Interest Increasing.
Interest in yachting is on the increase
and numerous fine pleasure craft have
been added to the fleet in service on the
river. The National Yacht Club has been
organized, with membership of nearly
hundred enthusiastic pleasure craft
owners. The club has established its
headquarters at the foot of 9Th street
southwest. The frequent visits of the
Department of Commerce inspection
launch Tarragon have brought the pleas
ure fleet up to a high standard in point
of equipment.
Though the Potomac was visited by
several heavy storms in the past year,
that Of the afternoon of July 20 was the
most severe. In 1t two vessels were dis
masted, and a number of others blown
ashore and badly damaged. While large
number of river craft were caught in
the gale and damaged. no lives were lost
nor was any one seriously injured.
Except for two cargoes of lumber and
two of asphalt from Trinidad, there were
no big vessels in port in the past year.
The bringing of ice here from Maine
has entirely ceased. as the ice-making
plants can make all the ice the city can
use. In the past summer a surplus was
made and Washington shipped ice by
barge to Philadelphia to help out a short
age there.
A movement was started looking to the
extension of navigation on the Potomac
to Cumber and. AS yet the plans are
in embryo, though the United States en-
gineers' office is still working on them.
The public health service yacht Bratton
was brought here from Philadelphia. and,
with public health officials aboard is
making a sanitary examination of the
water of the Potomac to determine to
what extent 1t is contaminated by sewage
and what effect the sewage Is having upon
the oyster beds. 1t will be several weeks
before the examination is concluded and
the findings Of the health officers made
public.