Evening star., 1937-01-28
FACILITIES URGED. !
FOR HOUSE BOATS
Provision at Water Front Is
Asked at Hearing of Army
Engineers.

Amid general approval Of plans for
improvement of the Washington Chan
mel water front and predictions that
the yacht and small boat business
here in the next five years will grow
tremendously, Army engineers, holding
public hearing yesterday afternoon
at the Navy Department, were asked
to make provision for house boats, as
one method of beating the National
Capitals high rents. Water excursions
to Washington from New England and
Baltimore were seen as possibility by
the Board Of Trade.
First Lieut.. William j. Matteson,
district engineer for the War De-
partment, Washington area, and
his assistants, listened to a plea
that adequate automobile parking fa-
cilities be included in the improve
nent program. House boats and
parking struck the only discordant
notes in an otherwise harmonious
gathering, attended by some 40 rep
reSentatiVeS Of water front interests
yachtsmen, commercial steamers,
business men and District and Fed
eral Government officials.
The Army engineers will study the
information cleaned yesterday and in
| corporate practical suggestions in it
into detailed plans for the project,
already authorized by Congress, which
will cost $1,650,00 and be spread over
| from six to eight years. Actually,
only $4,000 is now available for the
drawing of plans and a force is already
at work under the direction Of Charles
A. CLANCY, senior structural engineer,
in the United States Engineer Office.
Lieut.. Matteson and E. A. Schmitt,
senior engineer, are supervising this
work.
Piers To Point Downstream. [
Not single opponent appeared TO
the plan to extend the pierhead lines
channelward from 10 to 20 feet and
steamboat interests saw no objection
to this, inasmUch as plans for the
new piers call for the slips TO be con-
| structed at an angle to the shore line,
pointing downstream This Is calcu-
lated to afford more clearance for
maneuvering for the large craft in
Washington Harbor.
DR.. F. S. Bernard Of the Flood Gate
Boat Yard called the attention Of
the Army engineers to the point that
they were making no provision in the
| plan for house boats and asserted
that modern craft of this type are
selling for 81 200 He declared that
when the public awakened to the COM
parative cheapnesS of this character
Of housing it would tend to combat
the alleged high rents in Washington.
He foresaw great increase in this
type of accommodation.
Schmitt asked, amid laughter:
You want marine trailer camp"
The senior engineer added that there
would be provision elsewhere on Wash.
ington's water front for house boats.
Schmitt pointed out that there was q
problem of policing and sanitation
! concerning house boats that does not
exist in yachts and small pleasure
craft.
John A. Remon, chairman of the
River and Harbor Committee of the
Washington Board of Trade, chair
man Of the Presidents Cup Regatta
and senior vice president of the Ameri-
can Power Boat Association, declared
that his organizations thoroughly
and heartily indorse these plans" and
said that suggestions that had been
made were now incorporated in them.
THE only thing We are interested
in is how soon we can see them &C.
complished," said he.
700 Yachts Owned Here.
Remon told the engineers that
Washington now has more than 700
yachts and other pleasure boats in
these waters and that they are grow.
ing "by leaps and bounds" In the
next five years, said he, Washington
lis going to see tremendous increase
in boats" The total boat investment
here now is 100000, he said.
You can't ride in autos safely, but
you can go on the water safely" Re-
mon observed.
A letter from DR.. Charles Moore,
chairman of the Fine Arise Comnis-
sion, indorsing the improvement pro-
gram and expressing the wish that 1t
be carried out as soon as practicable,
was read by Lieut.. Matteson.
Comdr. F. A. Hunnewell, chief con.
structor Of the Coast Guard revealed
that the Coast Guard for some time has
had under consideration the erection Of
q building and wharf here. He said the
new cutters could be accommodated
in the projected harbor facilities here.
G. w. Pearson, representing Col.
Daniel I. Sultan, Engineer Commis-
sioner of the District, and appearing
as chairman of the Wharf Commits
tee Of the District government, dis
closed that the city fathers have under
consideration the moving of part OF
their workhouSe facilities at the Wash.
ington Channels Occoquan Pier to the
| AnacoStia River. He indicated that
| they will agree to separating the pres
ent large pier into two piers in the
new plan, realizing that commercial
| interests are anxious to secure the
channel property. The District gov
ernment Will operate the water front
after the Army engineers have COM
pleted construction. Pearson assert.
ed that the Commissioners do not
favor the operation of the piers as
warehouses, countenancing only tenn
porary storage. Bulk commerce-coal.
eapd 0roval atr -uoilId he Shifted