Evening star., 1925-11-29
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.

ID d. w
Preservation of the virgin beauties
Of the banks of the Potomac River
from the National Capital to Great
Falls, and ultimately making them
accessible by the construction of
boulevards and pleasure drives ter
minating on either side of the water
way at this Eastern wonder, the source
OF the Capitals water supply, is
among the great projects looming up
in Importance in connection with the
development incident to the construc-
ton of the Arlington Memorial
Bridge.
Though the Importance of the ac-
QUESTION of lands for park purposes
along the banks of the Potomac was
pointed to with emphasis in the Me
MILAN plan of 1901, and a scheme laid
down for carrying il out. the matter
mas gotten little further than the dis
cussion stage since that time, until
now it again begins to come up as
one OF the big projects. but. like all
such, needs the provision of large
funds. 1t is for the handling of such
projects that the National Capital
Park Commission was created, but
Lieut.. Col. Clarence Q. Sheriff., exeCu-
tive officer of the commission. said
that the Great Falls project is not
time, because there are so many other
projects within the Capital area which
must be given first consideration to
save them, and the funds provided
have not been sufficient even to take
care Of these.
Senator F'ernald in 1924 introduced
a joint resolution in the Senate direct
ing the chief of engineers of the Army
to make an examination and survey
Of the banks of the Potomac between
the District and Great Falls and to
submit an estimate of the cost and a
recommendation as to the advisability
of the creation of an extension Of the
park system of the District in this
area. The resolution never was acted
upon, although it was the first definite
step in the acquisition of this area.
Since then, however, the National
Capital Park Commission was au-
thoriZed, and unless Congress feels
that this project is of such great i'm
portance as to require separate at
tention from it the Park Commission
seems disposed to lay it aside until it
can reach 1t after other projects con
sidered more imperative are disposed
of with the small funds provided.
BOulevards Are Favored.
The National Commission of Fine
Arts is definitely on record as favor
ing boulevards on both sides of the
Potomac between Washington and
Great Falls on the Maryland side and
Great Falls on the Virginia side. The
desirab bility of the Virginia road takes
on new Importance in connection with
the construction of the Arlington Me
mortal Bridge and the treatment OF
the approaches on the Virginia side.
mission of Fine Arts had this to say
on the projects:
The desirability of widening the
Conduit road from Georgetown to
Great Falls and securing the control
of the Potomac banks was dWelt upon
in the report of 1901. This project
depended more or less on the neces-
sity, even then apparent, of increasing
the Washington water supply. The
necessity has now become so acute
that Congress has been forced to act.
In the work of increasing the water
supply the park features should not
be lost sight of. An area on both
sides Of the river at Great Falls,
works, should be secured and become
a portion of the park system. The
roads leading thereto on both sides
OF the Potomac from Great Falls to
Georgetown and RoSslyn should be
bulevarded. The Conduit road, now
much used. should be turned into a
we'll ordered and well policed pleasure
drive"
A roadway radiating from the Ar
lington Memorial Bridge. following
the south bank of the Potomac.
passing through Rosslyn and running
through the virgin area bordering
n CT To q
it is pointed out, would furnish one of
the most beautiful and scenic drives
found anywhere in the world, and
should be given the prompt attention
which 1t deserves to prevent the area
getting into commercial hands for de-
velopment. Once gone, these beauties
can never be replaced. Such a boule-
va-d would connect up the scenic
waterfall, the memorial bridge and
the suggested boulevard connecting
the national shrine at Mount Vernon.
It's Importance as a connecting link
also is pointed to in the fact that at
Great Falls, on the Virginia banks.
still remain the locks and the bed of
canal which George aShlngIon
constructed.
The acquisition of the necessary
land would be the first step in the
move to preserve this scenery. and
then would come the development of
the road So far as can be learned
from the records no survey has ever
been made of this area to determine
the amount of land which should be
acquired, or what the problems would
be in constructing a boulevard, haV-
ing for it's main purpose, in addition
to connecting the Falls with the new
bridge, the keeping of the Potomac
River and the Maryland shores in
view.
Report Praises Scenery.
Regarding the extensive scheme
laid down in the so-called Mcmillan
plan report of 1901, the Park Com
mission said:
The Falls form one of the greatest
cataracts of our Atlantic watershed,
and while they themselves cannot be
injured, yet the great trees that once