Evening star., 1869-09-04

city spread before you, observe Its extensive
water front on two navigaole rivers. washing
your eye along that dark streak called the
"Washipgton Canal" you will involuntarily
excla N: w hat could have induced Congress TO
grant the privilege TO construct a work which
IL seems to us at this day very moderate de-
gree cf foresight would have shown must be.
come q receptacle for filth; q crucible for the
generation Of disease; and an ''eye sore" which
every citizen strives to exclude from the OBJ ser-
Natlon Of stl gers, nay, even bushes to own
its existence 10 himself. Was it required in
the carly history OF this city or Is il required
nows To sfferd facilities for business, look
slong the river front OF the city and the Poto-
mac and Anacostia will respond with an en-
phatic negative. Whatever was the original
oe Ire Of its construction more than half
century Of experience attended with constsu ut
annoy ance and unremunerative expense has de-
mopstYated that 1t can be u ed only As a sc wer
theE let rs make sewer of IT. The W ord
sewer rs OF itself so suggestive of COLLECTION of
the garbage and filth of civilization that the
very sound Of the word prompts one 70 turn
involuntary from the direction where the eye
would likely to rest upon Ifs Shiny course,
and open sewer would MI with disgust even
the inhabitants Of those ancient c':es OF the
old world where all sorts of nasal anu occular
abominations have became chrome. The
washington Clnaf' IS sewer aud nothing
else can be made of il, then let us shut out
from view and sense the disgusting object.
survey of the surface which is sdrained into
the canal Will disclose the fact that II the drain
age south of the point at which the Tiber enters,
is drawn from a suTfece not exceeding three
fourths Of square mile IN extent An arched
sewer then, seven feet high and seven feet
wide at the bottom, built along the bed of the
canal from the Tiber to the Anacosiia, will
afford ample outlet for that drainage, and also
for the water discharged from the present or
any future public or private buildings, located
in ano On the natural basin, extending from
New Jersey avenue On the east to ~ street on
the west. and from street. east of the Tiber
on the north, to south NJ street on the south
All the water which falls upon the city north
and west of Tiber Greek, and east OF 18TH street
together with the drainage OF nearly the entire
country north of the city, through which Der
Greek flows, find its way into the canal
through mat creek or west of il through the
street sewers. During violent rain storms the
volume OF water drained from this surface rs
very large, and rises with great rapldIty, but
The most casual observer must have noticed
that the great bulk OF flood, the destructive
part Of ip flow through the Tiber. That creek
Is conducted across Pennsylvania avenue aud
through the Botanical Garden by an sarched"
sewer, which with few exceptions IN many
years has been found sufficient to vent the
flood
In view OF this brief but believe mainly ac-
curate topography OF the surface drained into
the canal, respectfully submit TO the corpo-
rate authorities the following plan TO relieve
the city OF the offensive features of that work.
and at the same time TO accomplish a most i'm
portant improvement.
Starting from the end OF the arch IN the Bo-
tanical Garden, continue the sewer westward
through the canal built in the same manner,
and with the same general dimensions, until
IL reaches the river at "Monument point
making gradual descent OF the floor OF the
sewer tor the whole distance, depressing the
western end TO about one foot below an ordI-
nary low water in the Potomac. In approach
Ing the river the sewer should be made to con-
form TO the direction OF the current, by turning
the end with gradual curve TO the southeast
round Monument point. An ''arch" thus con-
structed will be amply sufficient to allow the
passage OF two carts abreast on the floor, which
should be laid with timber, aud by construct
ing :. Iampsn a. every cross street, guarded by
doors, would afford ample facilities of in
gTess and egress 10 clean out the sewer, and
which could be done twice IA every twenty
-our hours II necessary.
To remove the deposit from the sewer, so far
from being any expense 10 the city, would in a
orief time b come source OF revenue. Nearly
every particle of the deposit will possess fer.
tilIzlpg properties of the most superior char.
acfer.
The alluviaI held IN solution by the river
during freshets could be excluded in great
measure by gates at the end OF the ever where
II emptes into the river; and if part OF il should
be deposited in the sewer, mixed as it would
be win the garbarge OF the city and deposit
from the water closets, would create fertil.
izer equal to any now in use.
commencing again at the place where the
from that point to the Anacostia an be clrriSd
through a sewer (as before IndIcatsd) seven
feet wide and seven feet high, constructed with
proper openings TO clean IL out and for VENT.
latlon. When this work shall have been con-.
pleted IL Will effect an Improvement in the an.
pearance OF the city, than which it will be diff.
hcult to conceive greater, and when it is con.
sluered that the time Is not far distant, when
thrC ugh The Improvement OF the channel OF the
Potomoc by bringing it along the western and
southern part OF the city, merging the two
cnannels now In existence, into one, affording
wharfng facilities along the whole line fronting
on the Potomac from RockCreek 70 the Apacos.
tia nver, the weak argument In favor of con.
tInnIng the existance OF the canal, for the pur.
poses OF business, although II mars the beauty
OF the city and spreads sickness ana disease
among the people, falls to the ground and be-
come untepable We Will assume then that
the archIng of the canal and reclaiming the
ground, which il occupies, Is desirable, and
will meet the wishes Of a large majority of the
people OF Washington. The question now
ari,es what are the difficulties in the way of
making the Improvement, and what obstlcles
10 be over come? The first direction 10 archipr
the canal is its alleged great cost. 1t can be
easily demopstrat that the cost will not
greatly exceed, If it equal 1t, the value of the
ground reclaimed, TO say nothing of the ad-
ditionsl revenue which the city will receive
rom The taxes on that reclaimed ground when
1t snail be sold TO individuals or companies
ard also from the increased value of the con-
uguous property. The second objection is THAI
The ''iail" is so slight and the current through
the sewer Will be so sluggish, that 1t will no.
carry OF the matter flowing into il. This argu-
meDt against covered sewer Will apply with
equal force against an OPEN sewer, although
you may. by courtesy, call that open sewer "a
canal bnt take into consideration the ease
and facility with which a sewer properly con-
structfd, can be cleaned out. and the vitality
OF this objection vanishes. The third ana last
objection, tand one which i admit has con sid.
eTable force.) is that by the swelling OF the
waters OF TIber Greek during freshets the sewer
would be Ins ufhcient TO vent the Hood, and the
crown OF the arch over il would burst with the
pressure to which il might be subjected. The
disasters which have occurred from freshets
in Tiber Greek from the first great flood in the
early history OF the city to the present time,
were caused not by the water that fell on the
surface OF the city, but by the collection in this
ing OF several square miles Of territory, beyond
the city) through which the creek ana its
tributaries aow. That the drainage of a large
extent OF country beyond the limits of the
city should not Be permitted to dow through
1t TO the detriment and injury of the in.
habitants, (if II can b avoided.) Whether
the canal Is left as an open sewer or
covered with an arch, IL proportion so
clear as to render argument TO sustain il
superfuous. To remedy this always inn.
pending) evil IL will be- only necessary to
change the course OF the Tiber befcre or when
it enters the CITY a. Boundary street, and take
1t eastwafdly, into the AnAcoetia, o werk Of no
great magnitude, aHd comparatively email
cost, and which. when accomplished, will re-
lieve the city from all fear Of damage By freshets
from that quarter, and the sewer, having only
the drainage OF the city 10 carry OF, viii be
found to have ample capacity TO pefrorm thar
work, without the sltghtest apprehension Of
the ..bursting upn Of the covering arch.
WASHINGTON, August 9e, 1850 ReE st N.
'~Professor Henry, Of the Smithsonian In.
Stitutp Waahin1fnU ny n tad