Evening star., 1925-05-03
D. c. RIVER FRONT
MARKED BY DECAY
Only 5000 Feet of 10000
Available Now Devoted to
Water Commerce.

Washington with a vast water
frontage of nearly 10000 lineal feet
available for commerce in its three
channels Virginia tGeorgetown)
Washington and Anacostia-is now
phtting To legitimate use for water
borne commerce only some 5000 feet
while the whole water front presents
a most dilapidated and unsightly ap
pearanCe.
This will be officially reported tc
Congress when ii reasSembleS by tnt
Engineer Corps of the Army III re
sponse to orders for a special survey
to be made this Summer under the
current rivers and harborS act. 1ha'
the prevalent use of the water front
should be discontinued. storage ano
Junk heaps moved and cleaned VI
and suitable terminals provided WI
be emphasized by Mai. James a
O'Connor in his report. Congress
asked particularly for advice OF the
Army engineers regarding proposed
establishment of adequate terminals
for interchange of cargoeS between
boats. railroads and highway trans
portation agencies.
Pleas to Congress.
Congress will be told that the wa
ter frontage available for commerce
is as follows: Four thousand linear
feet in the Virginia Channel George
townc $40 linear feet in the Wash
ington Channel. and 10000 linear feet
in Anacostia Channel. OF these front
ages about 1900 linear feet in Nir-
ginia Channel consists of broken
I; -l,.a,- n
use for a storage of all kinds of mis-
cellaneous articles and refuse heaps
having no connection with commerce
on the waterway. In the Washing
tno Channel about $500 linear feet
are used for storage of fireWood. small
pleasure boats and miscellaneous artl-
ces. and are not used for the legiti'
mate purposes of commerce. Some
$500 linear feet in the Anacostia
Channel is undeveloped and not in
use for commerce.
The net result is that these vast
water frontageS are utilized for iegi-
innate Water-borne commerce purpos-
eS onlyIo the extent of about 1,10o
feet on the Georgetown front, 1900
feet on the city front between Wash
ington Bar, cks and the railroad
bridge. and 800 feet on the AnacoS-
tia Channel.
Lacks Port Administration.
There is no port administration or
port charge. Congress will be told.
The United States owns practically
the whole ws.er front, and no meas
ures have vet been taken to improve
il. The waterway is used foy ship
ments of all kinds TO points reached
by the various freight and passenger
steamers as they give more 'eXpedi-
tious deliveries than rail lines. Bulky
materials go and come in vessels.
barges, scows. etc. Rail and water
connections exist at several docks in
the Virginia Channel (GeorgetoWnl.
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad has
trackaGe along this whole frontage.
making ii an easy matter to Increase
these connections when desired.
Rail and water connections with all
the railroads entering Washington
may he eSta blished on the $500 linear
feet frontage on the Anacostia Chan
mel. between the Navy Yard and
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Washing
ton Railroad Bridge when desired.
Coal. sand and gravel, in small
amounts, are among the only articles
that are now routed over railwater
lines.
Report of Engineers Quoted.
To give Congress the complete pic
plain that Washington is situated at
the head of navigation on the Poto-
mac River. 10 miles from Chesapeake
Bay and about 225 miles from the At
lantic Ocean. The port has three dis
tinCt channels. namely: The Virginia
Channel. affordinS waterway to the
northwest section of the city: the
Washington Channel affordinS a wa
terway to the southwest section Of
IA L s,-..,-
Channel. atfording a waterway to the
southeast section Of the city.
The frontages on the waterway are:
The Virginia Channel 23,300 linear
feet, of which 1900 linear feet are
available for commerce and 10 800
linear feet are set aside for Potomac
Park and its connection with Rock
Creek Park; the Washington Channel.
1855 linear feet, of which 5,440 lin
ear feet are available for commerce.
1925 linear feet are set aside for
Potomac Park and 1000 linear feet
are set aside for Washington Bar
racks: the Anacostia River Channel.
TO the Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Washington Railroad Bridge, near
Massachusetts, avenue. 34.700 linear
feet, of which 10000 linear feet are
available for commerce, 1890 linear
feet are set aside for AnaCostia Park
y
linear feet for Washington Barracks
and $40 linear feet for the city's sew
erage pumping station.
Besides these frontageS, the unde-
veloped frontages, consisting of H.
900 linear feet between Giesboro Point
and Shepherds Landing. ID. c., and
81. 900 linear feet between Rosslyn and
Alexandria on the Virginia side of the
river, are susceptible of development
and for whom desired
The waterway is tidal, the mean range
being feet. Below Washington the
Potomac River is a broad body of wa
ter, having the controlling depth of
23 feet at mean low water.
Improvement Plan Outlined
The plan of the Improvement is for
securing depths of 30 feet ut mean
low water in the Virginia and Wash
ington Channels, and Il to 20 feet
deep in AnacoStia River Channel with
a least width Of 400 feet. The projects
have been completed and the water
ways are under maintenance by the
United States.
The entire commerce entering this
port passes over the Improvement.
about 80 per cent of it is dependent
on the increased depth and width and
the other 30 per cent needs only a -
foot depth. The freight and passen-
ger steamers now having their ter
mini at Washington are: Two daily
lines to Norfolk, Va; one semi-weekly
line to Baltimore, Md. and two semi
weekly lines to lower points on Po-
tomac River. Navy craft. tramp
steamers. sailing vessels and tugs
with scows and barges. also make use
Of this waterway. The yearly ton
mage, amounting in 1923 to 1,324.GS2
tons, valued at S13,560.112, consists of