Evening star., 1950-12-17
|Whenthe Tiber Flowed
Excavation for Revenue Building Bored
Course Of Stream Long Disappeared
By John CIoqett Proctor

ters Of Willow Tree spring (south
of New York avenue between
Fourth and Fifth, which coursed
southwark to Judiciary Square
and in Indiana avenue to it's con-
fuence. Crossing Pennsylvania
avenue in Second street west the
Tiber traversed the Botanical
Garden reservation, emptying
into the canal at Third street.
Two small runs in Pennsylvania
avenue near Second street flowed
southwark to E and First. and,
joined by another from Second
and D streets Sc, flowed into
the canal at South Capitol below
E street. Thus the Tiber drained
more than half the territory
within the boundary of the city.
Bridges Over the Canal
"The canal entirely cutting 1t
off from the remainder of the city
made it necessary to throw bridges
over the Tiber to supply means
Of communication. These were at
Fourteenth, Twelfth, Seventh and
Four -and-a-half streets; Mary
land, New Jersey and Virginia ave-
nues, and N street, and were
wooden structures, with the ex-
ception of that on New Jersey
avenue, which was of brick. For
merly a stone arch was at New
Jersey avenue, but this had been
replaced by a brick archway,
which, built on an angle and in a
superb manner, attracted much
interest and for a long time was
regarded as a masterpiece of brick
work."
Old residents know that the
Washington City Canal for many
years ran along B street NV. It
was begun in 1909 and completed
in the autumn of 1915. An ac-
count of the exercises incident to
its completion, written at the time,
tells us that a barge was provided
for the directors and other Of
ficials of the company and for
members of the City Council and
for prominent citizens. The Ma
rine Band followed in another YES
sci to enliven the occasion, and we
are told it took one-half hour to
make the 2-mile trip from the
starting point at Twelfth and B
streets NV. to the Eastern Branch
However, from this time on some
thing was always being done to
the canal.
Writing of the canal in 1887,
William Elliott says:
"The work is now completed and
is connected with the Chesapeake
& Ohio Canal by lock at Seven
teenth street west, where a spa
cious basin has been formed to re-
ceive the boats descending with
the various products of the West
and which is connected by Goose
Egg Island in the center. The
canal and the basin are walled
with stone throughout the whole
course. It's width varies, but from
the Potomac to the Center Market
House it is $50 fec; III e ~ SEE
tions its width varies from As to
80 feet"
Took 7-Foot Draft
Again. for the year 1850, Mr..
Sessford tells US:
The excavation and walling Of
the canal to the Anacostia branch
of the Potomac is nearly COM
pleted, and the dredging of the
western section between Fifteenth
and Seventeenth streets COM
menced. When this portion is
done, vessels bringing coal through
the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
can pass up as far as the bridges
will admit; also lumber vessels of
draft of Z feet can pass up and
unload on the line of wharves,
superseding the necessity of scow-
ing from the vessels at the mouth
of the Tiber, as is now DONE"
In his chronicles two years later
we find this reference:
The deepening and walling Of
the canal from Fifteenth street to
the Anacostia has been completed
and several cesSpools made along
its margin for the reception of the
sediment from the drains. The
excavations west of Fifteenth
street by dredging are still un-
finished, and vessels which can
get to Seventeenth street cannot
get from thence to the deep water
at Fifteenth street, thus continu-
ing the necessity of unloading at
Seventeenth street or of scowing
up to the business portion of the
city