Evening star., 1938-04-20
.bEAUT|F Y|NG JOB
ON WATER FRONT
BEGUN OFFICIALLY
Groundwork Laid for New
S2,000,000 Program
in Next 8 Years.
COPELAND OFFICIATES
AT FORMAL EXERCISES
Engineer Office Dredge Will
Work on 24-Hour Shifts
to Push Project.

Bucketsful Of Washington Channel
muck from the bottom of the water
way, bitten up by the United States
engineer office dredge Atlas, working
on a 24-hour shift, today gave as
surance of reality to the promises
made at the opening ceremony yester-
day afternoon, launching the long
sought Identification project.
For the next few weeks the Army
Engineers will clean up in the areas
set apart for the first years Work-the
east half of No l Yacht Basin. ex-
tending 500 feet north of the munich
pal fish market, and the east half Of
No. 2 Yacht Basin, extending from the
property of the Powell Transportation
co. to the Occoquan wharf Thus they
will lay the groundwork for the
structural work to be done in the first
phase of the s2,OOO,OOO program that
will extend over eight years
Plans and specifications for the
construction are now being perfected.
Bids will be called for shortly for this
job. which includes erection of Yacht
sales and service building at Yacht
Basin No. /.
The high point of yesterdays cere-
mony came when Chairman Copeland
Of the Senate Commerce Committee
pressed button on the speakers stand
that gave the signal for the Atlas to
start work. inaugurating the project.
,nI fol, -,
rick boat sounded. the bucket ate into
the river bottom and hurled the first
load into nearby barge.
Civic Officials Present.
The ceremony, held opposite Nay
lor's Restaurant on Water street. was
preceded by half-hours concert bv
the band of the Boys Club of the
Metropolitan Police Department. At
4 pm. John A Remon, chairman of
the River and Harbor Improvement
Committee of the Washington Board
of Trade, called the meeting to order
and introduced the various District
and Federal Government officials pres
ent. as well as civic and business
leaders.
The exercises were held under the
joint auspices of the Board of Trade
and the Army Engineers Francis G..
Addison, jr., first vice president of the
board. who is scheduled to become the
organizations new president. charac-
terlzed the project as "a forward step
IN the development of the city" He
| gave credit to the corps Of Army En-
| gineers, to Congress, to the members
OF his organizations River and Harbor
Committee, to Maj. Walter D. LUDLOW,
War Department district engineer for
this area. who will have charge of the
project, and to the District Commits
Sioners.
Maj Gen. Julian L. Schley, chief Of
Army Engineers, said that when COM
pleted. the development will add
greatly to our National City" He
sketched the growth of the move
ment and said that since 1872. reports
have been made periodically. declar-
ing this is the elimination of all this
/ planning" The designs he said, have
/ SSNAA oPPtO'N0 ny lllC I lit Is SOIN-
mission and the architectural treat
ment will be in the Colonial style.
| When completed. he explained. the
| project will be turned over to the Dis
trict Commissioners for operation and
maintenance. While some inconven-
fence will be experienced by the pres
ent tenants along the water front. Gen.
Schley said this would be kept to
minimum, and he asked patience.
Hazen Lauds Project.
Commissioner Melvin c. Hazen said
| the improvement was "one long needed
and jestingly told the crowd that he
and Maj. Pierre Charles L'Enfant had
laid out the city in 1891. but that
George Washington had fired them
before they had finished the part of
the city along Water street. He re-
ferred to the project as 'one of the
highest order" and gave assurance
that the Engineer Commissioner and
Department of the District Govern
ment would look out for the interests
of the citizens in its operations.
Introduced as Acting Engineer Com
missioner Capt aPtrick H. Tansey said
his chief, Col. Dan I. Sultan, had
fought for the past four years for this
development. He lauded the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion, which had studied plans for this
improvement for the past decade, and
declared it is now hard for the layman
to visualize the beautiful boulevard
that will stretch from Fourteenth
street to the Army War College
Paying tribute to his predecessors
for laying the groundwork of the pro-
gram, Maj. Luplow declared "the need
and desirability of this project is out
standing" He complimented his as
sociates in the United States Engineer
Office engineers, the architect, drafts
men and others, for doing good work
on the job.
Senator Copeland declared realiza-
ton of the plans would make this
water front "a model for America"
and praised the Corps of Army Engi-
neers for getting more for their money
than any other agency of Government.
Turning to Commissioner Hazen,
Senator Copeland said he hoped that
soon the affairs of the city would not
be settled in some smoked-filled room
in Congress. but that the citizens of the
District would have the same privileges
enjoyed by other citizens of the Nation.