Evening star., 1926-02-03
ECONOMY DELAYING
TITANIC MEMORIAL
Lack of Funds for Sea Wall
Holds Up Erection of Com
pIeted Shrine.

Governmental economy presumably
e barring completion of the Titanic
memorial, 10 be located at the inter
section Of New Hampshire avenue and
Z street. site now under water. The
memorial proper has been completed
and the Titanic Memorial Association
was anxious to have it finished by the
next anniversary of the sinking OF
hat grest vessel, April Is
For several years there was includ-
ed in the estimates under the office
Of public buildings and public parks
one for the construction of sea wall
extending for about 1000 feet in the
ricinitv of this point and on the river
side of the memorial. The building
If this wall would have been followed
by filling IN land and completion OF
one of the links of the Rock Creek
Potomac parkway project. However.
through some slip in the estimating
machinery this year. the estimate I :
the sea wall was left out, and unless
congress can be prevailed upon to in
sert il in one of the appropriation
bills II may be several years before the
memorial can be erected.
In Path of Ice.
All present the site for the memorial
= at turn in the river where
violent eddies occur and in the direct
path of An ice flow. Until the sea
wall is erected the memorial would
he In constant danger of destruction.
The Titanic Memorial Association
contributed $4,000 to the Government
FOR preparing the site, which consist
ed of building up a foundation OF
l'iprap work to furnish a firm base for
The memorial The plans have all
been completed by Henry Bacon.
Mai. U S. Grant. Sd, director OF
public buildings and parks, has laid
the situation before Mrs. Florence
Kahn. member of Congress from Cali
fornia, who is a member of the COM
mittee of 100 having the construc-
ton of the memorial in charge. Mrs.
Kahn is at present out of the city,
but il is understood that she will
make some effort during the current
Congress 70 have some provision made
COR the construction of the seawall
necessary in order that the memorial
may be erected.
Waiting for Seawall.
Mrs. Robert s. Chew of this city,
secretary of the association, said that
while the association Is ready to pro-
ceed and Is anxious to get the memo
nal in place as soon as possible. 1t will
have to wait until the Seawall is COM
pleted. Hs the members realize that the
present conditions at the site, exposed
as 1t Is. would make It folly to try to
go ahead with the work. While they
have no hope of getting 1t up by the
next anniversary, she said, they would
ike TO see it up by April. 1927. The
riprap work will have been in about
a year by that time and will have had
j chance to settle. which would make
IL drmer foundation for the monument
Mrs. Chew said that she could offer
no explanation as to the reason for
leaving the estimate out this year
unless 1t was a part of the govern
mental economy program, and Maj
Grant also said that he did not
know why 1t had been left out. Maj
Grant did say, however. that the plans
and designs for the wall had been
gone over and changed SO that the
Government had found that at the
present time 1t could build it at a
saving of several thousand dollars.