Evening star., 1926-10-24
Air Fields on Either Hand Will
Greet Visitors Coming Up
River by Boat.
PLANS ARE PREPARED
AT CONGRESS- REQUEST
New Engineer Officer for Washing
ton District Makes Personal
Study for Adequate Program.
BY WILL KENNEDY.


Washington Is to have the most
beautiful waterway entrance of any
city in the world. unique and char
acteristically American, which will be
developed within the next five years
as part of the administration pro
gram to have the Nations Capital
In the best possible shape before the
world comes here to celebrate the
bicentennial Of Washington's birth, in
1882.
An immediate and important step
In this development is the new and
elaborate plan for improvement of
the Washington water front on the
city side of the Washington chan
mel as prepared by Mai. Brehon
Somervell, the new engineer officer
for the Washington engineering dis,
trict, by direction of Congress. This
plan has been approved by the Ma
tlonal Capital Park and Planning
Commission. and will go to Congress
as soon as 1t meets, with a request
FOR an immediate appropriation to
start five-year program.
TO get a full appreciation of the
contemplated eautification of the
water entrance to the Capital, one
must envisage the approach from the
river In a passenger boat or plea sure
craft.
Vista Coming Up River.
On the right. inlan nd from Shep
nara Landing, the visitor will see
the Blue Plains reservation, which
Is the District of Columbia Home for
the Aged and Infirm, and adjoining
this is the United States Naval TX.
perimental Laboratory, Bellevue. Next
the panorama of the city unfolds, with
the greensward Of the Potomac Park
Playground in the foreground and the
Capitol Building najestically on the
heights in the background. On the
nigh ground to the right will be seen
st. Elizabeth's Hospital which itself
commands one of the best views of
the Capital City
Behind Potomac Park, where 1t
juts into the river at Hains Point.
Is the impressive War College on the
end of the Washington Barracks
reservation. Up Anacostia River on
the right bank Is the Naval air sta
ton and Army flying field and on the
left bank is the Navy Yard, with a
considerable water frontage between
Washington Barracks and the Navy
Yard. which IS soon to have har.
monious trea tment.
On the left bank of the Potomac c
River is to be the riverside boulevard
traversing historic ground from
Washington to Mount Vernon This
is intended to be the most magnificent
stretch of highway in the world. Is
miles long. giving the National Capt.
tai monumental entrance from the
South. Opposite Potomac Park on
the Virginia side of the Potomac
River will be- developed a yacht and
pleasure craft basin near Gravelly
Point, and just next to that. down
river, Is to be model airport. the
finest four-way landing field in the
world. for commercial aviation.
Just across the river. sheltered un-
der the heights crowned by St. Eliza
beth's Hospital. is the existing Boiling
Field, now occupied jointly by the
Army and Navy. which is to be inn
proved with officers quarters on the
rising ground to give the same effect
as at The Presidio in San Francisco.
These two flying fields will command
both sides of the Potomac as the vfsi-
tor approaches.
Memorials to Dead.
Tn the Potomac River itself. the
incoming visitor will see the cha ste,
classic Lincoln Memorial on the right
bank. the new Arlington Memorial
Bridge spanning the river. with a
watergate on the Washington side and
a beautiful park development as an
extension of the National Cemetery
on the Virginia side. now occupied by
the Department Of Agriculture's eX-
perimental farm. The Virginia exit
of the bridge. along Columbia Island
will be the start Of the memorial
boulevard to Mount Vernon. which
later is to he continued on to Wake
field, the birthplace of Washington
and connecting with the great motor
highway to the South. The bridge
will also connect with the Lee High
way and the proposed Canal Highway
to the north and west. Rising behind
the bridge on the Virginia shore the
sight of the Nations Valhalla, the
Silent City" of the Hero Dead, viii
stir the feelings of the waterway
visitors.
On the Washington side, hard by
the bridge. will be seen the John
Ericsson Memorial, and a little fur
ther upstream will he a new sea wall
to cost $3.50. 900. supporting a promon
tory on which will stand the completed
Titanic Memorial. Past this will run
boulevard connecting with the
Palisades drive on each side of the
river to Great Falls, and the beau
tiful country beyond.
The stretch of the Potomac River
fronting Potomac Park and lying be
tween it and the proposed yacht basin
and model airport will be used for
t.
Then along the city side of Wash