Evening star., 1916-01-01
ALONG THE RIVER.

Increased business over 1914 was
done, as a general thing. by the steam
boat lines employed on the Potomac
river and Chesapeake bay to and from
this city. and the outlook for the COM
ing year is particularly bright. The
breaking up of the big farms that for
years lined beth sides of the river and
made the people "land poor" into small
and easily cultivated farms continues
This means more production and more
production means produce for the mar
ket here and business for the steam
boats. Then, too. the growing popula
tion along the river brings buyers to
this city and makes freights good to
the river wharves. With proper steam
boat service to keep pace with the
wealth. there is no reason why the
below Washington should not be COW
cred with beautiful homes like those
that line the Hudson.
While no foreign imports were
past year, except laths from Nova
Scotia, the business of the port has
been good. 1t is estimated that up to
the middle of December 9.964,s61 feet
of lumber was landed here from ves-
sells. and in addition to this were sew
eral million bundles Of laths and
shingles from North Carolina and
Chesapeake bay ports and from Nova
Scotia. In the same period about 1900
cords of wood and about 10000 rail-
road ties were also brought here. The
local firms handled the bulk of the tie
business through Alexandria, where
over 100000 were loaded on vessels and
shipped north. In addition to this many
thousand bushels of oysters, barrels of
potatoes and onions and cases of can
ned goods were also landed here from
Chesapeake bay and lower Potomac
sources.
The. exports consisted almost exclu-
sively OF coal. During the shipping
barges loaded coal at Georgetown for
Boston and other New England ports.
The total coal shipped amounted to
about 10000 tons. Many other thou
| sands of tons were handled at the
Georgetown piers for local consumption
or were sent to Indian Head for the use
of the naval powder plant and proving
grounds
The steamers running out of this city
in the past year carried several hum
dred thousand persons. but not an ac-
cident to a passenger is to be recorded.
Accidents to freight-carrying craft
are responsible for the loss of four
lives. Early in April last the two
masted bay schooner Mary s. Ewing
sank off Point Lookout and her crew
of three men lost their lives. In Oc-
| tober the powerboat J. w. Elwell
caught hre OF Fort Washington and
one man lost his life. Another was
badly burned. but finally recovered
from his injuries.
| improvements to the channels about
| this city continue. Early in the year
the work of deepening Georgetown
| channel to twenty-one feet was COM
pleted. considerable dredging work has
| been done on the Eastern branch be-
| tween the navy yard and the Potomac
| channel. and dredges are now at work
| on the portion of the Anacostia above
| the Anacostia Bridge. Bids for the ex-
| cavation of large quantity OF mate
| rial from the Anacostia were opened
| recently In the office of the engineer Of
| ficer here. but the contract has not yet
! been awarded.
| Unabated interest has been taken by
| local yachtsmen in things aquatic In
| the past year. A number of fine pleas
| IRE craft have been added to the loca
| fleet. which now numbers fully thou
| sand boats Of all classes. The local
boat clubs are steadily growing ir
membership and growing branch OF
the United States power boat squadron
has been fRrmed here