Evening star., 1937-03-07
Army Engineers Garry Forward Project for
Which Many Years Have Been Spent in
Preparation, and Art Commission, With
Park and Planning Board, Had Part.

Identification program undertaken.
this new plan will match the beauty
of East Potomac Park, just to the
westward.
The municipal fish wharf is con-
sidered the only structure worthy Of
the name on the channel side OF
Water street. There is a half-fnished
pier at the police wharf. and this the
Army engineers expect to complete
out to the new line on the water front.
Under present plans. the construction
work will be put out to bids as soon
as funds are made available.
Additional dredging will be under
taken in the slips proper. For the
steamboat piers the depth will be
carried down to "a feet. In the yacht
basins this depth will be less, due to
the shallower draft of the pleasure
craft. Yachts put into Washington
from various parts of the coun-
try. In the new plan provision will
be made for them to tie up, load and
unload and greatly improved system
will be in force. Washington for
many years has been known among
yachtsmen as lacking in facilities for
the visitor afloat.
WASHINGTON. midway between
North and South. is a convenient
| stopping off place for the visitors who
come by way of the water This the
Army engineers have in mind in plan
ming the improvement of the Wash
ington Channel waterfront.
At the National Capital there is a
3-foot tide. This factor enters into
the engineers calculations Further,
they have in mind the high waters
that sometimes sweep down upon the
City of Washington. Their studies
show that in the past half century
there have been but four damaging
floods. These were in 1881, 1889, 1888
and 1886. Then the floods went above
the 9la-foot mark.
In the new plans the steamer docks
are being arranged 912 feet above
average low water. Bearing in mind
that in so years only four floods would
have covered this dock height, the
engineers are predicating their draw
ings on this fact. The yacht basin
piers will be about feet above aver
age low water.
The Washington Channel will have
a project depth of "a feet, the same
as the Potomac River. The river
channel here has a project width of
zoe feet, ample for the anticipated
traffic.
The length of vessels negotiating
Washington Harbor shows that there
are three craft each approximately 305
feet long and 81 feet beam, with a
draft of II or 18 feet. The excursion
steamers vary UP to 327 feet in length
and a 60-foot beam, while many
smaller-size craft also are seen here.
IN THE forthcoming construction
work it will be necessary to shift
the present occupants from their ex-
isting quarters. The Army Engineers
emphasize that while they may be put
to some inconvenience, none will be
so jeopardized that he will be put out
of business. The Engineers want to be
as helpful as may be to evolve a
smooth-running program, both for the
business man and the Government,
they say.
Thus the scenic drive in East Poto-
mac Park, along the Washington
Channel water front, is soon to witness
transformation across the water.
Colonial style buildings. in keeping
with the pattern set in the construc-
ton of the Municipal Fish Market and
the War College, will be erected. Pre-
liminary sketches of the various types
of steamer pierhead houses. yacht unit
structures and appurtenant features
were recently viewed by the Fine Arts
Commission and the proposed archi-
tectural arrangement received its gen.
eral approval. Up-to. lte piers will be
built and that whole area generally
toned up.
A new factor has recently come into
t e reckoning, for the Thomas Jeffer-
S n Memorial Commission set up by
Congress has decided that tn memo
ria to the Sage of Monticello is to be
built in the Southwest. between Fiji
teenth and Seventeenth streets ex-
tended, at the Tidal Basin. This will
be built good stones throw from the
head of Washington Channel.
TIL northerly end Of Washington
Channel is connected to the Tidal
Basin by automatic gates, which per-
NIT the stored tidewaters to flow into
the head OF that channel and thereby
flush the place out twice daily. Pre-
liminary plans of the Jefferson Memo
rial 50 far available indicate that this
function Is to be safeguarded.