Evening star., 1937-07-29
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

"
port
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.
An amended version of the Nav
bill providing for enlargement Of
Washington Airport. minus the bound
ary channel lagoon feature. was re-
ported to the House today by the
Military Affairs Committee. The
committee will seek early action on
the bill as an emergency measure to
alleviate dangers now existing at the
local airport.
The committee action came Just
after an announcement that the
House Naval Affairs Committee had
supported the action of its aeronautlCs
subcommittee in opposing develop
ment of an airport at Camp Springs,
Md. This was regarded as sounding
the death knell of Camp Springs leg
iSlatlOn introduced in the Senate and
House for the District Airport Com
mission. Senator Walsh of Massa-
chusetts, chairman of the Senate
Naval Affairs Committee. has an
nounced he will oppose the measure
in the Senate.
The May bill was amended to pro-
vide for the leasing to Washington
Airport. for a period not to exceed
IS years, of the right of way Of Mill
tary road. The original bill provided
for the conveyance in fee simple of
the 81 acres of land in the highway
right Of way across the airport.
Provision Eliminated.
To meet objection of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion the committee eliminated from
the bill a provision for the leasing
to the airport of the lagoon area.
AS reported to the House the bill
provides merely for the closing of
Military road and the leasing to the
airport Of the road and Sc acres Of the
Arlington Experimental Farm during
the life Of the airport. at a price to
be fixed by the Secretary of Agri-
culture
Closing of Military road is expect
ed to eliminate the existing traffic
hazard which has been one of the
chief sources Of complaint at the
local airport. The present 4,200-foot
runway. now restricted to width
of 100 feet at the highway crossing,
will be widened to 500 feet, airport
officials have testified.
Use of the experimental farm area
will permit construction of a new
runway more than a mile long. ac-
cording to Samuel j. Solomon, airport
manager
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission announced to-
day 1t definitely opposed enlargement
OF the Washington Airport by filling
in OF Boundary Channel Bay because
large transport planes might then be
operated within 100 feet of the Mount
Vernon Highway and threaten traffic
safety on the $7OOO.OOO parkway.
Thomas S. Settle, secretary of the
commission. said however. the COM
mission has no fear that landing of
private planes would affect the high
way
The commission this afternoon was
to consider the proposed Camp Springs
airport and plans for parkway mod
eled after the Mount Vernon Boule-
ward, to connect with one of the Ana
costa bridges. An alternate plan of
the commission calls for South
Capitol street bridge, Settle said,
Report to Be Published.
The House Naval Affairs Committee
will voice its opposition to the Camp
Springs site in a formal report which
Is expected to be made public Satur-
day. The committee will report to
Congress that development of an air
port at Camp Springs would jeopardize
the usefulness of the ST 5000 Naval
Radio Center now being constructed
at Cheltenham, near the Camp
Springs site.
The action Of the Naval Affairs
Committee is expected to result in re-
newed efforts to obtain passage of the
Copeland-May bill.
David L. Behnke. president of the
National Airline Pilots Association
meanwhile stated that Washington
Airport will not be adequate even if
improved under the terms of the Cone
land-May bill The added land will
not permit construction of q long
enough runway in the southwest
northeast line, which is the direction
Of the wind 21 per cent OF the time,
Behnke said
Assistant Secretary Of Commerce ].
Monroe johnson dismissed suggestion
that susceptibility of Washington Air.
port to inundation during periods of
Potomac River floods imperils its USE
fulness with the statement: 1T is
quite simple to protect Washington
Airport against floods. The airport
management can do that in connec-
ton with enlargement Of the field.
That Is not serious problem at ALL"
Johnson, who as State engineer
in South Carolina, had considerable
flood control experience on the Pee
Dee and other rivers, pointed out that
low earthen dikes would be sufficient
to protect the landing area against
the highest floods ever recorded and
that these dikes would be low enough
so they would not constitute any OBJ