Evening star., 1938-12-24
7 Big Dredges
Sought 10 Speed
Airport Work
Survey DiscIoses
FilIed-in Land
Settles Little

Will be opened January III IN Lne
Office of Col. R. S. Thomas, Army
Corps of Engineers, local Army en-
gineer, in the Navy Department
Building.
The bidders will be asked to SUBJ
NIT offers for use of the dredges for
periods ranging from three to nine
months. Specifications call for
dredges with discharge pipes of not
less than % inches In diameter
which were described by Army en-
gineers as very large dredges."
1t is hoped, however, that prospec-
tive bidders may come forward with
offers of dredges with discharge pipe
diameters of as much as q inches
which would be among the largest
dredges of the type in the Eastern
United States, it was said.
To Work on North End.
These two dredges will be put to
work at once at the north end OF
the Gravelly Point site, where Army
dredges now are at work on the con-
struction of a levee from the Vir-
ginia shore to the Potomac River
Channel, to connect there with the
existing levee along. the channel
edge.
1t is probable one of the big con-
tract dredges will 60 to work on the
levee and the other on runway con-
struction at the upper end of the
airport, it was explained by P. c.
Dorr, civil engineer in the local
Army engineer Office.
Col. Thomas, Edwin A. Schmitt,
principal civil engineer in his Office,
and Mr.. Dorr returned to Washing
ton Thursday night after an in
spection trip to four of the largest
hydraulic-filled airports in the
United States. These are Boston
Municipal Airport, in Boston Har-
Dor; Floyd Bennett Airport, near
Coney Island, New York; North
Beach Airport, New York, near the
site of the New York Fair, and
Shushan Airport, New Orleans.
At all four airports they discussed
with the constructing engineers
methods of construction, costs and
other factors. All of these airports
except North Beach, which still is
under construction, have been in
use for several years. All were
found to be entirely successful, the
engineers reported. Little difficulty
because of settling of the hydraulic
f1ll has been encountered at any of
them, it was said.
Foresee Early Use.
On the basis of their studies of
these three major projects the en-
gineers are confident that the WASH
ington National Airport, under the
construction methods proposed, will
be available for use Immediately
after its runways are built up to
grade and that no future difficulty
need be anticipated.
North Beach Airport is being con-
structed at an estimated cost of
s28,000,000, although it will be far
smaller in size than the airport
here. 1t is being filled in relatively
deep water-ranging up to more
than 20 feet.
Works Progress Administration
and Public Works Administration
allotments totaling $9,880,OOO have
been made available for the Gravelly
Point job.
Army dredges now are at work
building up the north levee of the
airport and trenching the sites of
the sections of runway in the north
end of the airport. Between 300
and 1000 feet of the north levee
has been built up to an elevation
of between 8 and 10 feet above mean
low water level, Mr.. Schmitt ex-
planned. This levee is to be built
up eventually to a level ranging
from Is feet at the shore end to
IL feet at the channel end. This will
be above the level of the highest
flood waters ever recorded in the
Potomac River.
Number of Dredges Undetermined.
Although the two big contract
dredges, in addition to the Army
equipment, will constitute a power
full dredging force, the main bulk
OF the dredging program still is to
come. This also will be done by
contract, to be awarded probably in
the early spring. The number of
dredges which will be in operation
at Gravelly Point when the dredging
reaches its climax early next sum-
mer will be contingent largely upon
the sizes of the two dredges the
Government is able to obtain under
the present advertisement, it was
said.
If % or "a inch dredges are OBJ
tanned now, it is possible two or three
more of the same size or larger will
be contracted for later.
Exact locations of the runways at
the airport probably will be deter
mined within the next week or two
so that there may be no delay in
putting the contract dredges into
full operation on runway construc-
ton.
The chief pilots of American Air
lines, Eastern Air Lines and Penn
sylvania Central Airlines-the three
air transport systems operating out
of Washington-flew over the GRAY
ely Point site with officials of the
Civil Aeronautics Authority during
the past week to study the area with
view to recommending a detailed
runway plan.
They gave particular attention to
approaches and other technical fea-
lures. The pilots we're to confer
with their fellow pilots before SUBJ
mitting their recommendations to
the newly created engineering COM
mission in charge of the airport
construction.
The runway plan will be designed
not only to utilize to the best pos
sible advantage the area available
but to provide the best possible ar
rangement for bad weather" op.
erations and to permit future ex-
pansion, if necessary. 1t is prob
able that single runways will be
constructed at first for "eight-way'
operations, but that these may be