American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-09-02
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:aPare, cold water IN lAbandan.pe.a

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.aPare, Cold water In iniAbundance."
"A, supply Of water from the Potomac river
above the Great Falls, about sixteen miles from
Washington, is the FIRST project to seize upon
the mind of any one who contemplates the
necessity of such supply bit Colonel g, w,
Huannfts, in his report upon this subject in jan
nary last, states that, however desirable this
plan may appear it is impracticablc, as "a
country worse adapted to1such purpose can
scarcely be found. y The canal, with its many
locks, occapies the best ground for this and
the pense ;and labor Of constructing IT was
enormous. The only apparently feasible plan
would sbe, through iron pipes. laid nearly coin
cident with the descent of the canal but it is
believed that this is not really feasible, for req
sons not easy to state, but such as are satisfac-
tory to those who have examined them.
After careful survey Of all possible sources,
Col. Hughes says that a most abundant supply
canfbe procured from Rock Creek Our city
contains 4O,027 inhabitants. This would re-
quire 1,2oO.s10 gallons daily, allowing thirty
gallons to each inhabitant, or say j 500, 900.
This Creek, sat its lowest stage, Col. H. ascer-
tainedt yield daily 22,O00,0OO gallons at the
proper place for the dam, at point near the
southern boundary Of Mr.. Darius Clagett's
farm, where the valley, is very marrow, being
contracted by high rocky promontories on
either side, while the valley opening widely
Immediately above may be converted into
capacious retentive reservoir. .'
It is therefore apparent that the quantity
would be sufficient after making all allowances
for waste on failure in an extremely dry season
But he says that "Piney Branch, tributary
to Rock Creek, yielding q flow of nearly eight
hundred Thousand gallons per diem, might also
be introduced into the conduit, while the Navy
Yard and its dependencies might be advantage
ously supplied from '1sherwood's Spring to
the east Of the Capitol. This spring" he says,
"forty-one feet above tide--one Of the most
noble | have ever seen, and whose waters for
GOODNESS andpurity yare unsurpassed discharges
into the Eastern Branch of the Potomac, and
might be conducted to the Navy Yard at little
expense" ..
The water Of Rock Creek is said also to be
(" pure, cool, and pleasant to the taste"
The plan proposed is to erect dam as sug-
gested, twenty feet high, $50 arranged as to
draw off the water fve feet below its crest, and
To conduct it through an drched oual culuert Of
three By four feel interior diameter, on slope Of
'orefoot to the n,iie, to receiving reservoir on
Meridian HILL" 1t is proposed to construct
two reservoirs--the one for receiving and filter
ing the water, the other for its distribution
throughout the city-the former to be located
in ravine on Mr.. Litte's farm, adjoining Me-
ridian Hill, or o ravine near the country resi-
dence of the late Mr.. Jesse Brown, near the
Seventh street road, on the northern verge of
the city; the distributing reservoir to be estab-
lished just back of Franklin row, the highest
ground acithin the city.
Estimates of the expenses are made by Colo
mel IL. BY the line to Little's farm the follow
ing is given:
Dam, 500. .O49 65
Crossing Piney Branch, l9,975.0o
Conduit, 2O6. 1910
Clearing and grubbing, 10000
Reservoir and connecting mains, 184, 10000
Waste wiers, 4,500.00
Tantilatorc \ 900 nn 4