Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-12-03
Work Started
On Shore Line
Reshaping
New Channel Planned
For Rooch's Run
Near Airport Site

Work on the reshaping of the Vir-
ginia shore line of the Potomac
River along the Mount Vernon
highway south of the Railway Bridge,
including the digging of an entirely
new channel for Roach's Run, has
been started by the local Army
engineer Office as a preliminary step
to the construction of the $3.50, 900
Washington National Airport At
Gravelly Point.
The work, necessary to clear the
way for construction of the up
stream levee along the airport
boundary from the Virginia shore
to the Potomac River channel, will
restore the beauty of the area cut
up during the years by commercial
sand and gravel dredging opera
tions.
Roach's Run, discharging into the
Potomac from the waterfowl sane
tuary through a culvert under the
Mount Vernon highway, now flows
almost due south from the culvert
through a marshy area into what
will be the airport. Present plans
call for digging of new channel
from the culvert almost due east
into the river.
Construction Office.
The Army engineer Office has
started building a temporary con-
struction Office on the first point
south of the Railroad Bridge on
the Virginia shore. This will serve
as construction headquarters dur
ing the process of work on the up
stream levee and filling of the north
end of the airport. A channel will
be dredged through existing shoals
to permit access by boats to this
building, and marshy area behind
the building will be filled.
The work on this area, which
will be entirely outside the airport
boundaries, Is part of program
to be carried on in connection with
the airport work, which ultimately
is expected to make the entire air.
port region one Of the show places
of the National Capital. The work
will not interfere in any way with
the bird sanctuary but will result
in necessary cleaning up of the
present unsightly Potomac River
shore line.
Army Dredge at Work.
The Army dredge Benning now is
at work clearing the channel from
the river to the construction build
ing. The larger suction dredge
Dalecarlia has been put to work
"trenching" soft everything material
from the site of the northwest run
way of the new airport.
The big suction dredge Talcott,
which has just reached the air
port site after stormy trip from
the James River, has been assigned
to dredge the new channel for
Roach's Run and then will 60 to
work on the new levee.
The Talcott, after completing
dredging job in the James River
at Windmill Point, Va, far up the
river, was towed here by the Army
engineer tug and a convoy of small
Diesel-powered tugs. The Talcott
towed behind her tail" composed
of several thousand feet Of large pipe
line f1oated on metal pontoons. It
was decided to tow the line rather
than to dismantle and ship it both
as an economy measure and to save
time in getting airport work under
way.
All went well until the Talcott
was lowed into the mouth of the
Potomac. Here strong following
wind whipped up seas, which pres
entity began to break up the pipe
line into sections. AS section after
section drifted away the convoy
boats went in pursuit until the
Talcott, with her rapidly diminish
ing tail, was left alone behind her
tug. Finally major portion of
the pipe line broke away after dark
ness had fallen, and the Talcott was
towed into the calm waters of the
Coan River to await reassembling.
The towboats chased portions of
the pipe line all the way across
Chesapeake Bay to Tangier Island
and towed the pieces back to the
Talcott, where they were reassem-
bled for the trip up the Potomac,
which was completed without fur
Their incident.