The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-10-28
OUR WATER SUPPLY
Annual Report Of The Engineer Of
the Wash ngton AqueduSt.
INTER- EsTING FACTS


In tina ,eport Of General Michler. pub.
lIsbed In the REPUBLICAN, of Yesterday. refer-
enee vas made to the annual report of the
engine.r or the Wasb,ooton aoueduct Al
mi wo,k 4. NJ orsa, ,n,ers., IN al, c,s.so. az
the commun,,v, wa herewith pub,i.b thu r,.
nor, ., m. .no,no., rh.oaor. s.mo 4,
Mi. nI... so,,ov..
A ,no a,,a 81 ,ho ,,., ANNA, ,.,o,,
-, -, -. ...a.. -, a.. -,
a.. =. -, ~ ast"ss, ',,o ~ ~
.ano,n,, ..a ,,a a"nsas,,uso. 60. ~
-, -. -,.',.',-,-
~ 80,
Ina 80 Wv
''H' h1snh'oA'
. e"io0' an o.a'A 'a''ou ".' "~ue VI
W, ' =. VI tuo u''.''ou'ius 'e'e'
- appa,o"s 'uA' .aey "o'o 'e''
- " ,"V A'u " Wv W
aa.a. "p'o'eO ~. ',op0o, .@u 80. "a' uee".u
necessary i'r rue sMe'y ., 'ne reservoir 70
Hpv 's' '"o "'.'' ine is-"en ha'n
"o' 'ao p'p' 's1' founury
Oiaueu was u'eu 10, urau, aae 'ne iese'-
"" '"p'ou. n"u oee" III use
~ 10 uuu"''u0u eo"u''i'" 'o' ''o'"so ana
ue p.'po'o' o'e' 'ou, y.A'', SUI ua''ns
'us' pes'oa Tue wafer suPp'ed 20 "eo'se'o"a
ana washington was gcneraly eiear snd
pure. Since then, being brought directly
from tho potomac IL has oman bean muddy
-, t.
"nu '''P".
Inc construction Vi '"i' 'ese''on was Sus-
pended in June, 1854; owing to the failure OF
Congress TO make any appropriation for TIA
,omnIc,iop. No WORK has boon aon. ~ /,
-, - V'
sinee' in lott II Is hear'y reetahgie' s,sso
feet lsng and about $50 feet wide, with nm
area at Tho eov line NJ A ooro. The Lei
-, IL. 49,, 4. 49,. a., $3.50.
y, "' Oo,'o" 10 wv ,ee' noo'e 'ue oo''om OF
the CONDUIT AZ the innuent gate-house, and
fifteen feet above tho centre Of the iron
mains that lead from IL nj the ef3uent rata.
houso
"ouse'
with the water nine feet deep In the con-
duit, 1t Is only seven feet deep In the reser-
yoir, making its capacity at that depth canal
IN Oh sno 400 r,o,,ons
NJ, eO
. Inc WORK remaining 70 DC done consists
In excavatlng the bottom to an additional
depth Of thirteen feet, raising the dividing
han to ba f,,1I hat, f,l,a
- -" Nv VI '"o JANIS
ouiiding central gate'house In the dividing
bank, building faclnps of hubble ma.onry on
the interior slopes. comnetIno the i,ansn,
and efiluent gate.bouses and Tho eainent
screen well and nine yanIt.
By excayatipg the bottom tn thu den,b
contemplated, which ia the lowest at vhIcb
water can he drawn throngb ,ho ns,ns 1,
would he twenty tcpt ha,ow tha a..
rallons. which wonid he spfScisn, a. ~.
present rate of consnmntio, TO- ,u,an,s A.. n.,
supply. and wonId aIInw Of ann,o H. ~.
making apy repairs IN m, c,ndni, a horo,ho,
might be pecessarv. ''A'
On the Boston, New York and RaI,imor.
waterworks annual examInations of he con.
duits from end to end have been founs neces-
sary, and annual repaIrs made IN The ma.
sorry. On the Washington Aoueduct ,nch
examin ,tions and r.nairs c.nno,s he "a.
until the completion Of the dIstributinp res
eryolr,
The CONDUIT.
The conduit leading from Great Faus
to the distributing reservoir ia apnarently in
good condition. Extensive rrpairs have
been made to its embankmepts. especlally al
eulverts Nos Is, 10, 30, rs and PC,
The roadway over il has been kept In
good order, bot during wet weather the
travel has necessarily been restricted 10 light
loads. Il has become tho princlnaI bi0b NV
of Montgomery county. and sbould he Mac.
adamized.
The connecting conduit at the receivipp Pea
eryoir has been in unInter rnnted p.e sInco /,
was finished. In anvns, 1ssT nn,ii a.,
March, DnIecarIia tnnnaI wb,sh 4. IL 80
nrctIon with thjs condni, 90. an,nmaaaas T.,
1854, Il ia built IN rongh poci that ia NO, ssif'
sustaining, During ia construction The root
and sides were supported with timbers. In
March a slide occurred near the shaft
which completely obstructed the aow M
water, and rendered IL necessary IN sbpt i,
of from the conduit and pass II tbrouqb The
receiving reservoir. An examInatjon az tbjs
tunnel was made in AnriI 10 oscor,ajn ,ha
cause Of the slide. Il was found thai The
tlmbers that supported the roof and sides
were very much decayed. and where the
slide occurred they were crusbed into fra .
ments.
MANY other nloces ware In n danoero,.
condition, IL was deemed trne economy 10
expend a portion Of the appropriation for
superint.pdence and renairs IN arcbing ,his
tunnel. Accordingly arrangements were
made for beginnInv Tho work, Tho .iIdo -
removed; new timbers were mi in Mace Of
decayed ones, sand. cement. stones and
bricks were delivered in the Vicinity Of the
work, and the arcbiDp was bepun and con-
tlnued until the middle of September when
il was suspended for The want Of money. A
Over three hundred feet Of Inc tunnel
were securely arcbed and a sufiiciept mum.
Der of bricks purchased and delivered for
arching the remainder. During the pro-
gress OF the work the roof and sides had to
be shored with heavy timbers In order to
protect the lives of the masons and laborers.
1t is estimated that over 60, 900 feet, board
measure. of timber were used for that pur.
pose. Many places 10 that part Of the tun.
mel vet to be arched are safe only while the
timSers remain sound, and the remainder oil
the tunnel should be arched without delay.
By referring to previous reports 1t will be
seen that tho estimated cost of archinR CSC
feet Of this tunnel was sl5 400. The amount
expended Inns somcwhot .ycsebsd thIs ann
the Increase Ia due To the fact tb,t since m,
estlmate was made nearly two vears eIansed
before The work was commenced and in tha,
time tlmbers decayed and masses of rocI.
fell from the roof, greatly Increasing tbe
cost of The work, Every precantIon was
taken to protect the lives Of the workmen,
and only one man was injured.
The slopes of the embankmepts of the
connecting conduit shouId be faced with rim.