Evening star., 1920-07-09
PARK
SHOWS PROGRESS
AT CLOSE Of YEAR
Beautiful Pleasure Resort in
Prospect, With Long Drive
for Motorists.

Close of the last fiscal year found
work on the Anacostia Park project
approximately 35 per cent completed.
with Anacostia river narrowed and
rs ade navigable from the navy yard
to the Benning bridge, over, which
passes the Washington. Baltimore and.
Annapolis railroad. Along both sides
OF the stream from the navy yard to
the Pennsylvania railroad bridge a
sea wall has been built, and from the
PennsyIvania Railroad bridge to Ben
mig bridge the "riprap"-broken
stone foundation for sea wall-has
been laid.
What were once swamps and
marshes on both sides Of the river
to this later point have been filled In
with mud taken from the bottom Of
the deepened channel. and the only
thing holding back the work at pres
ent and preventing the reclamation
from extending upstream to the DIS
trict line IS the Eenning bridge.
The War Department has notified
the Washington. Baltimore, ana An
napolis railroad to cut draw In this
span This probably will be done
within the year. the government
upstream to the District line, which
will mark the termination OF the fu-
ture park.
Five-Year Job Ahead.
1t probably will take Ave years for
the work to be completed, but. ac-
cording to the latest plans worked
out by the engineers In charge. the
park when finished will be one OF
the most beautiful artificial pleasure
resorts in the country.
On the right bank of the riv' there
will be a replica of the present Po-
tomac Park. made more beautf1ui oy
an artificial lake. which Will be Dor.
dered by a driveway. This lake will
honor of Brig. Gen. d. c. kingman,
former chief of engineers of the Unit
ed states Army. It will extend from
the Pennsylvania avenue bridge to
what will be known as MaSruder
bridge.
te posstble for a motorist to start at
the upper entrance to Rock Creek
PARK and follow the course OF the
stream to the Georgetown entrance 10
Potomac Park. Driving along the
river to the Mall. through the Mall to
Pennsylvania avenue and down Penn
syiyania avenue southeast to Barney
circle. the automobilist will enter
Anacostia Park and follow the wind
ing course Of the road bordering the
artificial lake to Magruder bridge
Hare a driveway will stretch along
the river to the District line, bordered
on each side by shrubbery and mower
inr plants. The length of the park
will be about six and one-half miles.
Three Distinct Purposes.
I The work on the Anacostia Park
has three distinct aims. The first Is
70 create in the District another park
I constructed along the lines OF the
Measure spots for which Washington
is famed. The second Is to make nav
ieable the Anacostia river. and this
sIraady has been accomplished to a
certain extent. Deep-draft vessels now
nae the area between the Anacostia
and the Pennsylvania Avenue bridges.
| This area already is in use as yacht
harbor, and the crowded condition of
the Washington harbor has been
greatly relieved.
The third aim. and perhaps the most
| ,r,nortant phase of the reclamation
work. Is to safeguard the health OF
TWashtngtonians living in the south
cast Prior to the improvement al
ready made, the channel of the Ana
costa river was narrow and winding.
and between the banks and the chan
mel were extensive flats and marshes.
which alternately were exposed and
! flooded by the tides: In summer the
! nats were covered with a rank growth
OF aquatic plants. which prevented a
ranid cleansing movement of the tide
and caused deposits of mud and filth.
The meadows. which were above
the ordinary high-water level, were
| hooded at varying intervals. whenever
the water was raised by flood or east
| erIy winds above normal level, and
| every depression retained stagnant
nooI. This condition. which now has
been alleviated to a great extent. was
most favorable to the development OF
The war and the shortage Of labor.
high price and scarcity of material.
and the use of dredges for war pur-
poses, held back the work on Ana
costa Park. But, with additional
forces of men and with more equip
ment, the Army engineers. who have
the project in charge. hope for a
steady and uninterrupted completion
NJ the project.