Evening star., 1921-10-06
Directors of Vast RecIama-
ton Plan Say Present Re-
Stricti0ns Must Be Lifted.
PARK DEPARTMENTw WANTS
$780, 900 APPROPRIATION
Completion Of Beauty Project Also
Of Vital Importance to Bo-
tanic Gardens Move.

Reclamation OF the Anacostia flats
started in 1911, and now approximate,
50 per cent completed. will be given
serious setback, government officials
stated today. should Congress fail to
eliminate from the next District appro-
priatioa act the present restriction that
expenditures shall be confined TO opera
tons south Of Beunins bridge
Another year and half may see The
flats project completed to the bridge
Officials directing the work are now
estopped from acquiring land beyond
that point and preparing for continue
ton OF the work. 1t is said the lara
should be acquired al least a year in
advance. Unless authority to k-op IN
advance OF the present opera tious is
given In tile. next appropriation aci.
government engineers can see ncthinc
but 3. cessation Of the work. which
would throw 4 large engineering anu
construction plant out of commission ~
a considerable loss to the government;
Will Ask Aid Of Congress.
Despite the uncertainty IS to VIVA;
Congress may do. lle>ntfice of public
buildings and grounds. it was learned
today, VIII send an initial estimate TO
Congress this year for developing +
section Of the flats that already has
been reclaimed. This Eovernmen;
branch is not concerned with the rec'a-
nation wori. itself, which is beirg d.
rected by Maj. NJ C. Tyler. Distric
engineer officer. under the authority o.
The chief OF engineers OF the GniteG
States Amy. but it will formulate and
execute plans for building roads. park.
and playgrounds and otherwise develop
ing the reclaimed fats
1t is understood that Col. Clarence q
Sheriff.. officer in charge of pubii.
buildings and grounds, will ask Cosl-
gress to appropriate $4,000 for eApendj-
tire, during the coming fiscal year o.
the filled-in flats area between the Ana
costa and Pennsylvania Avenue brdg">
THIS ground has settled and is read,
for Development 1t contains abou
s:xty-fcur acres. Col. Sheriff. wouil
deveiep 1t into great park for III
citizens OF Southeast Washington. tt,
plans c:Il for the building OF roaa
around :ile reservation and the COT
sfructioi OF piayarouads and alnje.t 4
fields. ~.
The Finisked Plan.
| The work of filling in the flats has
been done by sections Ultimately j
is this a i'm to develop the entire are;
hooking uD the several sections Wit
boulevard several miles in lenSt.
which practically would epcirclc III.
Anac"stis hranci from Boiling Fiel5
to the Penns ylyania railroad brid;yr
above BenainE and near the Dis;r!c
line.
]: this scheme OF DEVELOPMENT i
carried out. in conjunction with III.
building of a connecting link betreeu
Rock Creek and Potomac parks along
the line OF Rock creek, Washingtp,
wiz be provided with the creates
park highway system in the ~,yortd
and virtually surrounded by drivs.
ways
Jus! why Congress placed the pro
hibition in the present District acl
about combining expenditures 10 Tho
| has caused considerable speculation
That economy reasons prompted Ia.
action Is one theory advanced.
Action Caused surpri.e.
THE action came as surnr:s<-
Prior to the passage of the act, II Wa
! learned today. the Secretary OF VS..
had served n notice on the Washin.
ton Railway and Electric Company to-
construct draw in It's bridge al the
BenniRg power plant in order thai
the dredges engaged in the reclana-
ton work might proceed to the areas
north OF the bridge. At the same
! time the government proposed To
, build draw in the BenDinE ROAD
bridge. which parallels the street rail
II was estimated the cost to tb.
Washington Railway and Electric
Company Of building the draw would
be about $4,000. Te draw proposed
for the Benning Road bridge would
have cost the government an amount
estimated at $4,000.
Notice to the Washington Railway
and Electric Company TO make tho
change referred to was issued il,
February. 1929. Several months wert
, T. :. ,.txa
in June Of the same year the com
pany asked for a six months cxten-
sion of the order. which was granted
In the February following. the DIS.
'rict appropriation bill was passed
containing this section in relation TO
Bombshell I'm Six Words
"For continuing the reclanla ton
! and development of Anacostia Park.
the plans specified in the item 70"
the reclamation of the Anacostia
river and fats contained in the Dis
/ trict of Columbia appropriation &C:
| for the fiscal year 1919. $4,000. L"
! be expended below Benninc bridge"
graph threw a. bombshell into the
commission which formulated the
plans for the reclamation WORT,
! which includes the District Commits
Sioner the District engineer ohtceh
| detailed by the chief of engineers cf
the Army and the officer in charge
of public buildings and grounds.
Inasmuch as the legislation nega-'
tived the plans for building draw
in the Benning Road bridge, the sos-
ernment could not require the Wash
inston Railway and Electric Com
pany to build draw in its bridge.
and, consequently, the company was
notified by the Secretary of War that
the order OF February, 1920, would
be suspended until further notice.
District government officials as we'll
as Army engineers in charge OF the
work do not believe Congress will
permit economy or other considera-
tions to stop the flats development
work at Benning bridge. They be-
lieve the false economy of allowing
the project to rest there, if only for
brief period, and of permitting the
reclamation plant to be put out or
commission will be apparent.
Total Cost. s3.740,508.
The total estimated cost of reclaim
ing the flats and building retaining
walls for the channel from Boiling
! Field to a point near the Pennsyl-
vania railroad bridge, near the Dis
trict linz, is s3.740:596. TIP to Jnne go
last there had been appropriated
toward the project sl.45o.980.
| In the operations to date the goy-
ernment, il is said, has expended
something like ssl50,0ee for. land. II
Is estimated $4,000 will be; required
Ifor land, acuuisitionS north of BEN