Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11
BY DONALD A. CRAIG.

OF peculiar interest to Washing
tonians, Virginians and Marylanders,
and to members of the engineering pro-
fession everywhere. is the project adopt
ed by the American Engineering Council.
as its contribution to the worldwide
J 1892 celebration of the 200th anniver-
sary of the birth of George Washington,
| to preserve and restore the remains of
/ the old "Potomack Canal" whose con-
! around Great Falls on the Virginia side
| of the river.
II was intended to help make the
upper Potomac River navigable for the
residents of Maryland and Virginia, and
of the new Federal City that he hoped
some day would rise on the banks Of
the Potomac, a few miles below It,
Lieut. Col U. S. Grant, 3rd, who,
with Representative Sol Bloom of New
George Washington Bicentennial, is
taking a deep personal concern in this
plan. He is one of the most prominent
members of the engineering profession
| in the United States and has for many
years viewed with interest the remains
| of the old "Potomack Canal"
Suggested by ID. C. Group.
"One of the proposals made by the
George Washington Bicentennial Com
mission of the District of Columbia was
| to honor the memory of the first Presi-
dent by restoring this canal. The
| matter was laid before the American
Engineering Council with the approval
of the United States Bicentennial Com
mission.
Because of their connection with
George Washington, the preservation of
the remains of the old Potomac Canal
and locks near Great Falls" said Col.
| Grant, appears to be an undertaking
| appropriate to the George Washington
| Bicentennial
Since these relics are rare remaining
evidence of very early American engi-
neering work, 1t seems peculiarly fitting
| that their acquisition and restoration
| has been adopted by the engineering
profession as its contribution to perpet-
uating the memory of the first President
| of our country. who began life as an
| engineer"
Many persons regard this project as
peculiarly fitting" for another reason
| Not only Is one of the associate direc-
| tors of the bicentennial an eminent
Army engineer, but the President of the
United States today, who also is chair
man of the George Washington Bicen-
| tennial Commission. is Herbert Hoover,
who was a world-famous engineer long
USlOIc nc Wbo CFci tiAoueiI VI AOA IlSoi-
dent.
A Washington Project.
Picknickers and sightseers for many
! years have tramped over the remains
Of the old "Potomack Canal" most of
them without knowing-and, no doubt,
some of them without caring-that this
was one of the engineering works that
George Washington helped to bring to
| fruition.
1t Is Of special importance to know
what Col. Grant. director of the BIZ
centennial and an Army engineer, has
| to say about 1t.
Col Grant recently spoke on wash
ington and the Navigation of the Po-
ton1ac River" a project very close to
the first Presidents mind and heart
from the days of his early manhood,
when he travelled through the wooded
1 hills and mountains in the valley of the
| upper Potomac River as surveyor for
Lord Fairfax or as a messenger to the
| French from the Colonial government
Of Virginia at Williamsburg.
! The route of the Potomac Canal was
selected by Washington, Col. Grant
| points out. after a personal reconnais-
| sance survey of $50 miles, including the
search for highway portage between
the Potomac Watershed and the Ohio
Watershed"
Embraces Five Locks.
The "Potomack Canal" at Great Falls
| is about mile long and embraces five
locks. It was constructed in 1786, I'M
der the personal supervision of George
| Washington, to pass boats around the
| Great Falls of the Potomac River.
This structure" says Col. Grant, "is
the only engineering project. now In
wi IN hou honVn
structed by the first President
Little remains" continues Col. Grant,
| 'of this original engineering work, but
the route Is well defined. Old excava-
tons are intact. except that there has
been a great filling in of stone and soil
and trees and other vegetation have
moved some of the stone work out OF
| alignment.
but enough remains and enough re-
| liable data Is available to enable the
| engineering profession to restore this
great historical project for preserva-
ton.
I'm the report of the War Depart
ment to the American Engineering
Council, it is stated that AS a whole
| these structures are rather impressive
being in a wilderness and representing
practically the first engineering work
of any magnitude In this country 1t is
l O6IlSPCu IIldL LIllS Tile
first lock canal built in the United
States
Somerveli Report.
/ Elm order to ascertain just what will
have to be done to restore this work to
a status of preservation, the American
Engineering Council asked Maj. Brehon
Somervell, Corps of Engineers. District
engineer, for report Of present condi-
tons and the work that will be re-
| ouired. In this report 1t Is stated that
the canal extends from above Great
Falls about 5000 feet on the Virginia
shore, around them and discharges into
the gorge below.
THE entrance to the canal was
formed by short wing dam which
acted both to divert the water and as
mooring for the boats descending the
river. Below the entrance the cana
was built either as ditch or else Sc
cured by retaining walls to point
about 1000 feet above its lower end.
THE upper part of the canal contains
no striking features which were directly
connected with the canal itself A low
masonry ru!bble wall separates the cana
from the upper part of the falls anC
served TO keep the water in the cana
during times of low flow and keep II
out during times of high flow. There
is a waste weir or spillway to a few
hundred yards below the entrance anc
below this waste weir are found the
sites of mill and an iron foundry. The
| ~ 81 CD.