Action on the Dam Today.

On the recommendation of the House Committee on Rules, the lower house of the Massachusetts Legislature voted on Friday to suspend the rules and to admit the petition of Major H. L. Higginson '55, and others, regarding the construction of the proposed Charles River Dam. Definite action on the bill will be taken by the House probably today. It will then be referred to the Committee on Rules of the Senate, and if the committee reports favorably, will be brought before that body for final action.

The petition as it now stands prays for the appointment of a commission to consider the construction of the dam, the original bill having been withdrawn. In this form it is not expected to meet with any serious opposition. The project was considered by two commissions previously,--Health Commissioners who reported in favor of the dam, and the River and Harbor Commissioners who reported against it, chiefly on the ground that the change would interfere with the tidal scour. Since the reclaiming of so much marsh land beside the river, the consideration of tidal scour has become unimportant, and should not be a considerable factor in the present discussions.

If the dam is constructed, it will not be a fixed structure, as was originally intended. The present plan contemplates a dam in conjunction with a new bridge, with separate sections between every two adjacent piers, and so arranged that any section may be opened to permit the tide to enter. This would result in a basin of salt water, instead of fresh water, as would have been the case under the former plan. By opening the dam at intervals the water of the basin could be renewed, and any possible unhealthful effects of stagnation would thus be obviated.