Evening star., 1937-02-25

AL llldG SItyb VAN
National Park Service, Interior De-
partment. Thomas jefferson had
an important part in the louisiana
purchase, whereby the United States
practically doubled its area. and which
is now represented in some IS States
with a population aggregating some
100000 900 people.
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
project is moving forward on another
salient here, for Secretary Woodrine
is being asked to request the chief OF
Army Engineers. Maj. Gen. Edward
M. Markham, to undertake study OF
the Tidal Bason. The Army Engi-
neers will investigate the proposed re-
arrangement of the Tidal Basin area
to fit in with the commissions pro-
gram, especially in its relationship to
the flushing of the Washington Chan
mel twice daily, through tidal action.
Channel Effect Questioned.
Some criticisms have arisen over the
plan to place the Thomas Jefferson
Memorial at the Tidal Basin, the con-
tention being that the volume of water
will be cut down and thus interfere
with the flushing of the washington
Channel. The engineers concede that
electric pumps might be brought into
play to flush the channel. instead of
depending upon tidal action here, but
this whole project is to be given careful
study. Washington experiences tidal
range of three feet and this is an i'm
portant factor in the present Tidal
Basin arrangement.
Nagle is deemed especially well
qualified to supervise the building OF
the Thomas jefferson Memorial here.
Because of his experience in the
foundations for the Arlington Me-
mortal Bridge, he Is believed to have
the desired first-hand knowledge OF
under water conditions necessary for
construction of the memorial. 1t is
considered likely that giant Golfer
dam will be constructed in the Tidal
Basin, midway between Fifteenth and
Seventeenth streets extended, to place
the memorial the same distance south
Of the median line of the Mall as
the White House is north of that line.
Nagle left Washington. where he
lived for many years at 1408 Varnum
street, last June, after Secretary
Ickes named him to construct the
$30,00o,O00 Louisiana Purchase Me-
mortal at st. Louis. The memorial Is
now In the land purchase stage and
the project has encountered court
difficulties. The st. Louis project
covers some 81 city blocks.
Nagle, native of Memphis, Mo-,
Is 48 years of age and has been more
than a quarter of century in the
Government service. Prior to the re-
organization of the Government in
August, 1888, by President Roosevelt,
Nagle was an engineer in the Office
Of Public Buildings and Public Parks
of the National Capital. At one time
he served as an engineer in the Chief
of Army Engineers Office. He made
such a fine record there that he was
brought to the Arlington Memorial
Bridge Commission as the senior
civilian engineer to supervise the
$14,5O0,0OO project across the Poto-
mac River. He also had charge OF
veatherproofing the Washington
Monument, as well as q variety OF
other construction jobs in the Ma
tional Capital.
Plans for Memorial.
At the next meeting Of the Fine
Arts Commission, March 20, Repre-
sentative John j. Boylan, Democrat, Of
New York, who Is chairman OF the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commis-
sion, set up by Congress, will lay be-
fore the Fine Arts Commission de-
tailed plans for the memorial.
While the memorial commissions
request for $1,000, ,000-half Of the
cost of the projects receiving at
tAntion in the Bureau Of the Budget.
the Army engineers are preparing to
make test borings at the Tidal Basin
site to determine how far down 1t
Will be necessary for the engineers to
60 to strike rock bottom and obtain
O solid foundation for the memorial.
Inasmuch as giant cofferdams were
built in the Potomac River to con-
struct the piers for the Arlington Me-
mortal Bridge, the big cofferdam un-
der consideration at the Tidal Basin
site is deemed an interesting prob
lem. At the Tidal Basin, the en-
gineers will have to 60 down prob
ably double the distance they did for
the Lincoln Memorial foundations, on
the basis of present information. But
at the Tidal Basin they will not have
the current conditions with which
they had to contend in the river. It
may be that piles win be used on
which to construct the memorials
foundations, such as was done in the
Gase Of the Lincoln Memorial