Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-26
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The Improvement and development
of Washington's hArber and water
front was q lively
water front subject SO years
Improvement. s bop T inpro ena eat.
all over the country had been in
progress for long time, but despite all
of the Districts pleas for such treat
ment OF the Potomac nothing was done
until the Fall of 1880, when Congress
adopted legislation providing for the
work and contracts were let, In the
news Of the award printed In The Star
Of October %, 1880, the following para
graph appears:
THE fearfully filthy condition Of the
river mats both below and above the
Long Bridge IL well known to all, and
anything TO be done locking to It's
sanitary Improvement Is Q matter Of
great interest and Importance to the
citizens of Washington. The hope has
been general that this appropriation
would be expended In the dredging and
improving Of the fats above the Long
Bridge. Comparing the condition Of
the hats below with that above the
bridge, 1t Is apparent to all that the
latter needs the first attention, re-
ceiving as 1t does upon It's surface the
UASdb Uuik VI uCDI18 1Ektttl Lie II63I1eL3,
as well as sewer deposits from the
Seventeenth street sewer outlet, and
situated nearer to the more densely
populated portion Of the city, Is there
fore most offensive. The appropriation
expended In this way would be In en-
tire harmony with the plan proposed by
the Committee Of One Hundred 0iu-
EenS some years ago, and which was
subsequently adopted by the District
Commissioners after being somewhat
modified by the Engineer Commissioner,
and probably would meet the views and
wishes of this entire community. In
conversation between the chief engi-
neer, Gen. H. q. Wright, and The Star
reporter, the former stated that the
appropriation having been made In the
regular way In the act for river and
harbor improvements, 1t could not be
diverted to carrying cut plans other
than those best calculated for the i'm
provement Of navigation and commerce
IN the Washington harbor, and that In
future appropriations of this kind 1t
would be well for the District govern
ment authorities to see to 1t that such
appropriations should be special in
their character. and not In the river
commenced as soon as the contractors
have finished job now in progress in
the Delaware River, and the appro-
prtation will be expended during the
present hscal year."
In its issue of the same day The
Star set forth editorially its views con-
Flats Net to BE nation nation Of I'll the fiats,
Improved. pISp6s'n Wss a msi tbst
time totally ignored by those In au-
thority, but which IS years later was
put into use In the building of Potomac
Park. The editorial follows:
ut viii be seen by the article upon
the Improvement of the Washington
harbor that the award of contract for
that work has been made to the extent
Of the available amount ($S5 ,000) OF
the appropriation by Congress. It Is
greatly to be regretted that under their
construction Of the law the engineer
department Of the Government does
not feel authorized to make the channel
work auxiliary to sanitary improve
ment, and the reclamation Of the Of
fensive flats. Thus instead OF dumping
the dredgings upon the fats In the
would do excellent service In the way
of retaining these malarial marshes,
they have them carried miles down the,
river and dumped where they are not
wanted, and where they win very likely
do injury to the channel there. The
fats meantime are left In condition
to supply 0 fresh deposit OF sediment
In place Of that Just removed, and so
the work of dredging goes for naught.
The reason given for Transporting the
dredgings far down the river and de-
posting them where they are mot
wanted, instead Of placing them on The
fiats where they are needed, Is that
the latter process costs something mora
than the other. II would seem, how
ever, that the kcheapest plan u that
which % the most permanently service