Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-18
Senator Offers
Alternate to
Burke Location
BY DON s. WARREN

a suggestion tnaC Congress
consider possibilities of building
Washingtons proposed second
airport on some site north Of
the Nations Capital, instead Of
at Burke, Va, was offered today
by Senator Smith, Republican Of
Maine.
A member of the special sub
committee of the Senate APP
preparations Committee making
an inquiry into the whole
issue over the delayed $50 million
Burke project, Mrs. Smith said
she thought the idea worth con-
Sidering. The Senate is seeking
to determine what is the best
way to provide adequate and
most efficient air travel service
for Washington.
Senator Holland, Democrat Of
Florida. head of the special sub
committee, agreed that he
thought the suggestion was
worthy OF consideration.
Mrs. Smith said she was not
sure the people of Montgomery
County would appreciate her
suggestion but she suggested it
would avoid the difficulties of
crossing the Potomac River to
get to Burke and eliminate the
problems of residents of the
Burke area.
Hopes JOlted
Earlier. hopes for resumption
of the Burke project received a
jolt when Chairman Holland told
reporters he thought the refusal
of commercial airlines to make
trial use of the big Friendship
Airport near Baltimore had
jeopardized chances for an early
grant of funds for Burke.
Spokesman for Fairfax County
and Baltimore today joined
forces in lambasting the Burke
project and at the afternoon
session another attack on it was
to be given by Senator Butler,
Republican of Maryland.
Ernest w. Reisner, chairman
OF a Fairfax County homeowners
group fighting the Burke prof.
ect, told the committee more
than 5000 residents of the coun-
ty had signed a petition to the
county Board of Supervisors
urging its help in stopping any
revival of the Burke project.
Some business groups have
spoken for the Burke airport, Mr..
ReiSner said. but added that
many of their members reside
outside the county. In this con-
nection he said a former presi-
dent OF the Washington Board
Iof Trade. Edward r. Carr,
bought between two and three
thousand acres near the Burke
site after Congress selected the
site. Mr.. Carr is the developer
of the Springfield, Va, residen-
tlal development.
Annoyance Cited
| Mr.. Reisner said the use of
jet planes at Burke would
greatly reduce the value of Fair
fax County property for residen-
tial purposes because of the
"great annoyance" from Jet
noise and vibration.
"Piston-driven plane noise will
seem like the sweet sounds of a
string quartet compared with
that Of the JETS" he said.
Two of Baltimore's spokesman
contested statements by Com
merce Department officials that
Friendship Airport would reach
capacity business within a few
years. They were Franklin T.
McHugh of the Baltimore Asso-
citation of Commerce and William
Boucher of the Greater Balti-
more Committee, Inc.
(. Mr.. Boucher accused the Civil
Aeronautics Board and the Civil
Aeronautics Administration of
very serious bias" in arguing
for the Burke project and oppos-
ing use of Friendship for WASH
ington's overflow traffic. He said
Commerce officials had been
guilty of presenting a smoke
screen"
J, The Baltimore witnesses pre-
sented figures to show that a
very large percentage of the
present operations at Friendship
consists of military flights, in
cluding practice runs which
could be diverted to other fields.
Test Run Figures.
! In addition, Mr.. Boucher said
a test run made by an airline
limousine showed it required
only 43 minutes to SIS minutes to
go from downtown Washington
to Friendship and that this run
ming time would be cut when
new road connections-the Ken
ilworth avenue interchange and
the projected Belt road around
Washington-are completed.
Also, he said the limousine
service could be started today
at price Of 50 and as business
grew it could be reduced to 81 so.
One bus company, he said, has
estimated it could run the shuttle
service for 81.
Possibilities also were dis
cussed as to the use of shuttle
. railroad trains from Washing
, ton directly into Friendship. Mr..
McHugh brought out that the
SIS million Friendship Airport
was built by the taxpayers Of
Maryland with only SO million
of the cost coming from Fed
eral aid.
J, Chairman Holland commented
that this was in contrast to the
proposal that the Federal Gov
eminent bear the entire cost Of
the Burke project where the
minimum estimate of cost is $50