POTOMAC

This article appears in Volume V22, Page 209 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: POL-PRE

POTOMAC , a river in the

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

central part of the United States, having its source in the Alleghany Mountains and flowing S.E. into Chesapeake Bay. It is formed by the union of its north and

south

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

branches, about 15 M. S.E. of Cumberland,

Maryland

MARYLAND

. The main stream has a length of about 450 M. and is navigable for large vessels for 113 M. above its mouth. The north branch, about r 10 m. long, rises in the north-eastern part of West Virginia, pursues a north-easterly course, and forms part of the boundary between

Maryland

MARYLAND

and West Virginia. The

south

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

branch has its sources in Highland county, Va., and in

Pendleton

county, W.Va., and flows north-

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

for about 140 M. until it joins the north branch. From the junction of these two streams until it reaches Harper's Ferry the Potomac river separates Maryland from West Virginia. At Harper's Ferry it receives the waters of the Shenandoah river and cuts through the Blue

Ridge

Mountains in a gorge noted for its scenic beauty. From this point to its mouth it forms the boundary between Virginia and Maryland. The stream crosses the Blue

Ridge

Mountains at an

elevation

ELEVATION

of about 245 ft., and at Georgetown (Washington), 62 m. distant, it meets tidewater. Of this descent about 90 ft. occurs about 15 M. above Washing-ton, at the

Great

GREAT

Falls, a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of rapids about a mile long and including a cataract about 35 ft. high. Three and a half miles above Washington are the Little Falls, which mark the head of navigation. Large vessels, however, are prevented by a bridge from proceeding above Georgetown. At Washington there are two channels, with respective depths at mean low water of iS and 21 ft. Large sums have been spent since 187o on improving these channels. A few miles below the city the river broadens into a deep tidal estuary from 21 to 7 M. wide; and channels 24 ft. deep and zoo ft. wide through all the shoals were secured by the project of 1899. The Anacostia river, or " East Branch," which flows into the Potomac just south of Washington, is navigable for large vessels for about 2 M. and for small scows and lighters as far as Bladensburg, Md., 84 m. above its mouth; its natural channel was narrow and tortuous, and about 18 ft. deep; in 1909 improvements (begun in 1902) had procured a channel 20 ft. deep at mean low water and 380 ft. wide. The Chesapeake &

Ohio

OHIO

Canal, from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md., follows the Potomac closely on the Maryland side. The shipments over the Potomac above Washington in 1907 were valued at $7,596,494, and those below Washington at $21,093,800, the principal commodities being sand and

gravel

GRAVEL, or PEBBLE BEDS

, ice, oils, naval ordnance and supplies, and building and paving materials. The shipments on the Anacostia river were of much the same character, and in 1907 were valued at $4,312,687.

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