Evening star., 1932-08-07

Ine passage OF Cne river and harbOr
bill over the presidential veto," says The
Star Of August 8,
RECLAMATION 1882, gives assur-
Of. the Flats. ance to the City of
Washington CT the
reclamation Of the Potomac fats. Just
when work upon this much needed i'm
provement will commence is matter OF
considerable speculation. In the first
place, the money will be expended
under the direction of the Secretary Of
War, but he will be unable to make any
move until he Is oficially notified by the
Secretary of State that the bill has be-
come law, which will be done by send
ing him a certified copy of the bill.
After that there will be the usual neces-
sary orders issued and details and
reouisitions made. It Is generally under
stood that Mr.. S. T Albert. United States
civil engineer, will be placed in charge
of the proposed work, although there
will be nothing to prevent the Secretary
of War from detailing some one else
from the Corps Of Engineers to super
wise the work.
"It is supposed that the work will be
done in accordance with the general
plan recommended by the board OF Of
ficers of the Corps of Engineers, con-
sisting Of Lieut.. Coils. Hugh A. Gilmore,
William P. Craighill and c. B. Com
stock. This board recommended plan
which combines substantially the mar
Dor and shore line of Mr.. Abert's plan
from Easbys Point to the Arsenal ana
! Hin
embankment of that plan below the
Long Bridge, together with Maj. Twin
ing's high-grade filling and Sluicing
ponds between the Long Bridge and
Easbys Point. Mr. Abert's plan Is to
dredge the Georgetown channel to a
maximum depth of twenty-five feet,
with width of 400 feet, and the Wash
ington channel between the Long Bridge
and the Arsenal wharf to a width OF
400 feet and depth of twenty feet
at low water. The dredged material
from the main channel will be placed
upon the fats.
THE flushing ponds recommended by
Mai. Twining will probably be not less
than eight feet deep and will be pro-
vided with inlet and outlet gates, auto
matically arranged for filling the ponds
from the Georgetown channel and
emDJy1IlR JIlGUl 1IlIO I1lC w
channel during each oscillation of the
tide An ample system for the drainage
of the reclaimed land will be provided.
It Is not decided how the flats will be
reclaimed entirely as the dredged ma
terial will not suffice for the whole.
The ponds, however, will cover consid-
cradle of the area. which will not have
to be filled in. 1t is thought by some
that Observatory Hill will be cut away
and the dirt dumped upon the flats.
The details of the improvement will be
determined as the work progresses. and
the plan may be subjected to consider
able alterations.
THE Attorney General is directed to
see that all titles to the land are clear
before reclamation is begun. DR.. Kid
well holds a patent upon some forty
acres of the land known as the Kid
well Meadows This patent was granted
him December g. 1862 and for the land
he paid so cents an acre. The law d.
rects that land for which patents are
issued shall be firm and not subject to
tidal overflow. 1t is probable that the
patent will be annulled on the grOun6
that it was issued Illegally and tie
money paid will be refunded to Dr. KID
well, but the question will have to be
decided before the work can be begun"
The Star Of the same issue said edi-
torially:
The day Is not far distant when the
now unsightly and unhealthy river front
will be a place of beauty and a JOY for
ever, not only to the people of Washing
ton, but to the hundreds of thousands
who annually visit the National Capital.
The struggle for this improvement has
been long one and at times it appeared
so hopeless that its friends almost de-
SPARED. After Congress had become
the work selfish schemes interposed OBJ
stacles which threatened its success.
1t Is now, happily, beyond the power of
these harpies and 1eeches to retard the
progress of this undertaking"