Evening star., 1937-05-04
D. c. AIRPORT BODY
MEETS THURSDAY
TO DISCUSS SITE
Recent Flood and Growing
Fill at GraveIIy Point
Discussion Factors.
MAI. LUPL0WS LETTER
ON ELEVATIONS CITED
Army Engineers Study Shows
Proposed Base Would Have
Been Well Above Water.

CONFRONTED by rapidly-groWing fill
at the proposed Gravelly Point airport
site and by criticism of the Washing
Ton airport area as result of recent
flooding, the District Airport Commits
sion will meet at 2 pm. Thursday IN
an effort to settle the 10-year-old local
airport problem.
Army engineers have made a study
that shows the Gravelly Point fill
would have been well above water dur
ing the flood of last week.
In this connection, the Aero Club
OF Washington today made public a
letter from Maj. w. D. Luplow, Dis
trict Engineer.
He said: Reference is made to your
letter of April 80. 1897 concerning
newspaper statement that an airport
located at Gravelly Point would have
been inundated during the food of
April 27-28. 1887.
The most recent plan for an air
port at Gravelly Point was prepared
by this office in December, 1882, to-
gether with estimates of cost. and
these were published in the report of
hearing for an airport for the District
of Columbia, Seventy-second Congress,
second session, S. 1855 and S. 54Ol,
June l6 and II, 1888 The plan in
this report was based upon construct
ing an airport at Gravelly Point TO
the same elevation as that of the
present Washington Hoover Airport.
Due to the descending slope of the
food waters between the two airport
locations, the flood crest at Gravelly
Point during the food of April 27,
1887, was l.8 feet lower than the crest
at the Washington Hoover site. Even
with the water at this elevation, the
Gravelly Point airport, except for a
narrow strip at the outer edges,
would have been free from water
during the crest of the food Rum
ways not less than $500 feet long
in all directions would have been
available for continuous use The
apron at the hangers and the hangar
floors would have been 5 feet above
the highest food water. Some of the
previous plans for the Gravelly
Point airport provided for an eleva-
ton several feet higher, which would
place the airport above the reach
of any flood so far of record"
The District Airport Commission is
understood to be considering a num-
Der of proposed airport sites in near
by Maryland for development of
secondary or bad weather" airport,
upon which air transport planes
might land in case of closing by bad
weather of a smaller terminal closer
to the city. The smaller field would
be the regular terminal for air trans
port operations.
thursdays session will be conduct
ed behind closed doors it was said by
commission members. who declined
to discuss probable results Of the
meeting
1t Is understood that at least one
influential member of the commission
is in favor of consolidation of mill
tary and air transport flying at the
new Boiling Field. but that so much
opposition has been encountered that
the Gravelly Point site again has been
brought to the fore as a possible So
luton.
A previous Senate and House COM
mission recommended the temporary
use of Washington Airport pending
the development of Gravelly Point as
the Districts permanent air terminal