New-York tribune., 1875-12-11
THE DEFECTIVE DRAINAGE OF WASH
INGVON.

THE DEFECTIVE DRAINAGE OF WASH
INGTON.
tfFEcrs or THE RAIV on Aug 23THE SEWERS
FAIL WIEN TIRED Al oNE-FoUETH OF THEIR
ESTIMATED CAPACITY RECORDS OF FORMER
TLOOUS
rome Edttor Of The TribWne.
SIR: The very damaging effects of The rather
heavy rain Of sunday, Aug 20, appear 10 have been
sufficiently alarming TO force most of our city papers to
admit that after ALL there must be something wrong
about The hitherto much-prased comprehensive system
Of sewerage Bat they err in estimating the magnitude
Of that rainfall by its disastrous effects II they had con
suited the meteorological records they would have found
tAat the quantity OF rain only about one-af as great
as that OF former floods But, comparatively moderate
10 the late food was it has proved ooncusyey that the
whole Ring system OF sewerage AID drainage is who'll!
wrong and utterly inadequate Moreover the effects Of
late extensions of some of the main sewers
are IN all most pefniciOus. The ram mas also
proved worry nearly an OF the sewers built during the
last four or five years at cost Of several millions OF dol
!srs will have to be reconstructed: that Oh the whole
the present sewerage drainage OF this city is actually
very much worse than before " Boss" Shepherd
and his followers began operations upon thei and thi
the work done has been badly devised and shdmeuy
executed make proper reconstruction OF II neces-
sarily very expensive.
And now after this deplorable condition OF things has
heen exposed by the late rain the local newspapers com
pain that AN unnecessary aud unfair cry il set up 10y
that Of persons and papers who are determined to
see nothing good Washington over the fact that the
sewers failed 10 carry of all The rain that fell in this city
last Sunday morning" We'll, are sewers not built
for the purpose of carrying OF the liquids And
is not their failure to do so good ciuse fol
COMPLAINT especially when in this case, the failure
results in very great damage
During three hours of the late rain its fa from m
20 10 u. IN. 80 Of an inch; from 10 10 II, LII
inches and II ~ noon, go inches equal 10 tota
f 22l inches aud average OF .13t inches an huur
On Aug -. S73 had l inch Of ram IN 26 minutes
The fall as 1t the rate OF 23O7 inches AN hour Snort
a. was The duration Of this u yet caused larger
flow than the last rain and was less damaging
Oy because the sOcaed improvement ot the sewers hy
the Ring lad not then been extended as lar as eN are
new Aug. 20. % inches of rain fell ~ % minutes
clual GO a rate Of 1907 inches an hour This too was
damaging. Int mainly Ia the Localities where th9 hlhs
lad operated. D., o.,
ON JnlY ~ 1866 there was n very heavy rain, thOuS
the records do not give the rate Of its fall Bus Inc gen
teman at the National o Syryatory who keeps the
records aud remembers II well, on account oi lts una
sua severity IL as his opinion that for h an hOu
p the the fi must have ben l. inches mat Is al
fse rate inches hour Yet the damages caused N
that 0ud tenth as great as the damages ny te
latest According To safcm' Ms OF numerous llu>t
gorfV persons there must have been su greater HOOD
some 30 years agO, which hHNc found no written
record though the hight to which II rose ha~ been ds
tuctly marked viz Two feet above the ground moor Of
Inc irst house west of the stpito the north side oi
Peunsylvania-ave In view Of all the foregoing weiieS-
tll-hrd facts. IL is quite plain that the local editors
must be very wrong; that the Board OF Public Works
ana their the present Commission ahd tAtii
fuueer htuudcIcl 10 extent That cal, Tor thc
earliest possible interp0,itior OF Congress. b.
BdSh01t0H, u. g., Nov. 4. l515.