Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-19
Fifty Years Ago
i'm The Star

Fifty years ago the river reclaIna :.
ton work had progressed TO the poin
where the EN-
of Potomac Park. became P otc
evidence. The Star Of November ]
1883, thus reports the state Of the pr
Ject:
The work on the Potomac ia.
under the present contract with Ros
& Sanford will be completed the las,
time over $50 acres of land, three feet
above high water mark, viii have been
reclaimed. This will be about two
thirds of the work contracted to be
done by that time, and the contractors
will then ask for an extension to enable
them to complete the work under
taken.
THE work of filing UP the fats ar
dredging out the channel is a stupen-
dous undertaking, and countless diff
culties have been met. Besides the ele-
ments which frequently have conspired
to retard the work, the nature of the
soil to be handled has proven very diff
ferent from what was calculated upon.
Instead of the sandy or mucky soil ex-
pected to be found at the bottom of the
struck immense boulders embedded in
stiff, hard clay. This soil has been
unyielding and almost unmanageable
When dumped upon the flats it would
not settle in place, but remained in
loose, rugged piles and had to be satu-
rated with water by means of hose at
tached to steam pumps so that it might
be spread out over the fats.
For the work Of dredging, filing In
and leveling there are employed eight
ponderous dredging machines, Is mud
scows, two large steam locomotives, 40
cars each with a capacity of 10 cubic
yards, two largest sized pile drivers, two
steam tugboats, two steam pumps at
tached to half q mile of 5-inch pipe
and force Of 220 men. With this force
the work is carried on night and day
and nearly $50 acres of ground has
been reclaimed and over three miles
the night work an electric light Of q
thousand candle-power has been at
ta;e5fy b to os Of the dredges the cleo
used In the work, and other lights will
soon be in operation. rendering It as
easy to work by night as by day.
During the past month Is acres Of
ground have been reclaimed the fats
being raised feet above the low water
mark The work has been greatly re-
tarded this week owing to the stormy
weather. On Monday the wind broke
fve OF the scows from their moorings
and drove them against the abutments
Of the Long Bridge, damaging them
seriously One scow having on board
100. tons Of coal for the use Of the
engines was sunk and the coal, valued
of GE00 lnRf nuffVly m fha
severity OF the wind storm all work
was rendered impossible for three days
Yet to see the amount Of work that has
been done Is astonishing, and in the
long row Of piles and stretch Of block
earthworks looming up out Of the mud
Of the malarial He1S IS seen a beautiful
national park In its infancy.
How long viii 1t be before we shall
be able to drive out there2' asked
Star reporter of Mai. Hams.
You can drive there now answere
the engineer There are acres and
acres OF ground of Easbys Point owe
which you can drive. drive out there
every day
How are you satisfied with tn
work. asked the reporter
With the work that has been dor
I am very well satisfied. / should Tx
~ II tAAC WIN NOQA4 AAdNC OCCu 0Oll
faster, but there has been an immensf
amount OF labor performed and yer.
formidable obstacles have been met o.
every hand. It has been q great un
dertaking. but it will prove successful
As public park, when the work is a.
done, 1t will. be one Of the finest In III
country and in the place OF the mucky
marshy flats, which obstruct navigatio-
and inJure the healthfulness of the cit
there viii be beautiful and valuabl
property
How long win II take to comrle.
the Work?'
of the park, do you mean3 Tn
would be impossible to say. But th
work of filling in the fats SO as to cor
vert the entire area into solid grounr
extending from the Monument Par
could be completed within two years 1
Congress appropriates the money men
toned In my last report. 81. 600, 0o0.'"