Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-14
1,000-Acre Tract at Camp
Springs, Nd, Gets Favor
able Study.
WOOD WAITS CHANCE
TO OFFER RESOLUTION
Commission Hopes to Give Wash
ington One of Best Flying Ar
rangements in World.

With Chairman Wood of the House
appropriations committe awaiting an
opportunity to call up again in the
House the resolution to appropriate
sS0o,00o to begin an airport for the
Capital. 1t was learned today that the
joint congressional airport commission
has under consideration acquisition of
the two small commercial fields in vir-
ginia between the Highway Bridge and
the Arlington Experimental Farm for
temporary use. The fields would be COM
bined to serve as one airport The plan
for this field would include the amuse-
ment park nearby and the experimental
farm.
Chairman Bingham and other mem
bers of the commission we're represented
as believing that it would be most ad-
vantaeeous to secure relatively small
area near the civic and business center
which could be used Immediately for
an airport and then to proceed more
deliberately on the development of a
the District which would be made one
of the greatest airports in the world.
A 1,0O0-acre tract at Camp Springs,
Nd, about seven miles from the Dis
trict on the Brandywine road, Is said
to have received favorable consider
alton.
The possibility of Including large
portion of the Arlington experimental
farm in this immediate airport de-
velpoment has been considered With
the enactment of the Arlington Me-
years been the ultimate plan of the
city builders, including the Commission
of Fine Arts, to abandon the Arlington
farm west of the Virginia end of the
bridge for enlargement OF the Arling-
ton Cemetery, with an impressive en-
trance directly from the bridge.
Riverside Drive Is Planned.
This would obviate In large meas
ure the necessity for the present high
way from the Highway Bridge past the
experimental farm as the main approach
to Arlington Cemetery. The plan Of
the Joint congressional airport COM
mission contemplates the development
of this airport In connection with the
building of the Mount Vernon Highway
from the Arlington Memorial Bridge
along the line Of Columbia Island and
skirting- the shore to Mount Vernon.
In this way there. would be afforded
a beautiful riverside drive as result
Of which the present highway from
Highway Bridge to Arlington Cemetery
could be abandoned.
This Is one Of the related problems
which will be carefully studied.
The National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission has estimated that the
entire 1000 acres near Anacostia can
be secured at cost of not more than
5000 an acre. The commission has been
advised that the topography of this
4an - nt,. IL
velopment.a
This is not the area referred to in the
House recently by Representative I'm
derhill of ssachusetts, who narrated
that the commission had under con-
sideration 1,000-acre area which
could be secured for 5000 an acre, but
that representatives of real estate
concern appeared before the committee
few days later stating that they had
secured options on all the property in
volved and were holding 1t for $4,000
an acre. It was learned today that 1t
was the proposed Chillum site to which
Representative Underhill referred.
Gravelly Point Site Favored.
Gravelly Point has been generally
considered as the most advantageous
for airport development, and the gen.
eral opinion has been that this would
be the site taken for the municipal air.
port. Several members of the commits
sion would favor development of Gre-
velly Point. Chairman Bingham, how
ever, has stated that Gravelly Point is
approximately 2 miles from the other
riverside fields which the commission
proposes to acquire and has argued that
1t would take five years to build up
the, Gravelly Point field.
1t still appears to be a controversial
question between members of the COM
mission as to whether the Camp Simms
area should be acquired or the building
up of a 1,CG0-acre, four-way flying field
to match anything in the world or
whether the National Capital and the
Government agencies interested would
be satisfied to develop the Gravelly
Point area up to a maximum of 500
acres.