Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30
SOMERVELL URGES
POTOMAC POWER
Holds Cramton Park Bill
Would Be Waste of
500, 900, 900.
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chief engineer of the Federal Power
1 Commission, had made a report in 1921,
when he was district engineer for the
War Department for this area-the
same position Mai. Somervell now holds
relating to power development at
Great Falls, the major asserted, there
was no opposition of consequence to
the project on the score of its marring
the natural beauties of the region;
there was no popular claImor at all"
Pressed for further details by Sena-
tor Glass. the major said: II think, If
this low level park is developed, it will
be impossible to provide for power de-
velopment or for navigation develop
ment."
Names Major Scenic Features.
The major scenic features, as cata-
logued by the landscape architects
Maj. Somerven said, are: First, Great
Falls; second, the gorge below the fails;
third, the Black Pond and D6icult Run
section, and fourth, the Plummers
Island to Stubblefield Falls section.
81 also wish to emphasize that all Of
these features are In the upper part Of
the valley at or close to the falls" said
Mai Somervell. 1.-THE low level park,
as shown on the drawing, is built
around these features. Arrangements
on land can be varied at will in upper
sections of the valley. In the lower or
debatable sections of the valley, how
ever, no structures can be placed, as
this area is on account OF Its topog-
raphy, largely inaccessible and can
hardly be made less so. This lower sec
ton of the river Is visited periodically
by destructive foods varying from
few feet to more than rs feet high. In
the yower part of the valley in the
vicinity Of Chain Bridge the major
floods reach a height of over 40 feet,
and in the upper part of the valley over
20 feet. 1t Is manifest that no roads or
other structures can be placed IN this
part of the river"
Mai. SomervelI conceded that there
is nothing in the Cramton- Capper bill
that would make it impossible for Con-
greSS in the future to approve some sort
of a power development or an addi-
tional water supply for the District OF
Columbia If it seemed necessary. The
major explained his estimated waste
of over O0,000, 900" by neglecting to
develop fully all phases Of the Potomac
River by telling the committee that this
would comprise "the loss Of power de-
velopment, the cost of bridges and the
loss to the water supply Of the District,
the loss of taxes and the cost of naviga-
ton dams whenever navigation is I'M
dertaken and the conservation Of the
coal, labor and transportation"
Answers Objections.
Mai. Somervell answered objections
to development OF the Great Falls area
by saying that there is no reason why
plants cannot continue to exist on the
shores Of the lakes contemplated, add
ing that the Department Of Agriculture
has chosen the AnacoStia River area
for the National Arboretum.
Senator Glass asked the witness: eff
the Congress should pass the Capper-
Cramton bill would 1t necessarily pre-
clude hereafter the adoption Of the
schemes which you present here2"
To this Maj. Somervell answered:
ut would make them very difficult,
sir.
But it would not preclude them?"
queried the Virginia Senator.
mo, sir; 1t would make them very
difdcult," the major responded. ''Once
that park was established there 1t would
be extremely difficult to get any altera-
tons in the park which would permit
navigation or power development or
anything Of that Sort"
CONSTRUCTOR OF q Gam az Great Falls
Tor power purposes would stimulate
industrial development close to the
Capital, the major said, in answer to
a question. Maj. Somerveu said that
this would not mean, however, that the
National Capital would become in
dustrialized, but that concerns in this
area would have power available and
that communities in this section Of the
country would have the benefit of any
hydroelectric development at Great
Falls.