National Republican., 1877-10-11
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
[Cbntfnuod from IYra Puot, /

| VI P'Nh'ehb oht eso-h''"k ~h'
on The Washington aqueduct am indebted /,
assistant Sperintendsni and K bunnins, III
clerk, for untriDg and faithful service during tn,
entire time.
WARRINGTON AouEDuCT.
AZ the date of the last annual report q contract
had been entered into with Messrs. Asa Snyder
Co, OF Richmond Va, for building a wrought.iron
truss roof and galvanized iron cornice on the cato
Messrs Snyder 4 Co. commenced work IN August
and fully completed their contract in the following
Under authority of the resolutions OF Congress
extending certain appropriation for the fiscal
year ending June 30 1876 so As 10 provide for the
necessary expenses Of the Government for the
month OF July, the regular employees OF the acque-
duct were retained during the month, and the
work done was limited to the proper supervision OF
the distribution OF Pntomac water In the conduit
By act OF Congress; approved July 81, 1876 an ap.
preparation prop was made for the fiscal year ending
tenance aud repairs $1,000; for repairs Of George
town reservoir, $1,000.
the year was done by days work, and the materials
used were purchased IN open market
In August at Great Fails, repairs to the Potomac
dam were COMMENCED by replacing the backing OF
frcshets
| At the receiving reservoir, repairs were com.
| menced to the wooden bridge over the waste chan
mel. A new floor was laid and the posts OF the
bents were renewed with sound timber, At the
| house were painted Between the receiving and
distributing reservoirs the arches along the
duit road were cleaned out and the embankments
| which had been damaged by the rains were re.
paired.
Al Georgetown, the repairs Of the high-servics
reservoir were commenced.
In September the repairs to the Potomac dam
were finished. Between Great Falls and the
ceiving reservoir the embankments, which had
been very much washed by the rains, were re.
paired and the repairs to the wooden bridge over
the waste channel were completed. At George
town the repairs to the high-seryice reservoir were
In October new fences were built around the
wells OF culvers, slight repairs after freshet In
repairs to the high service reservoir were com.
pleted.
This reservoir had not been used for the storage
OF water since the 9TH Of December 1875, when a
leak having been discovered therein Il was emptied
out The repairs were commenced Immediately
after the appropriation therefor had been made by
Congress and they were fully completed on the 9Th
of October.
The work done consisted in uncoyering the fore.
ing main and recaulking Its leaky joints. The
pipe trench was reiillcd with clay puddle. The
cracks In the concrete bottom were cut out and
filled with hydraulic cement mortar, and layer Of
concrete, from nine to sixteen inches In thickness,
was placed over the entire bottom, circle OF one
hundred and twenty feet IN diameter.
On the 7th of October ihe reservoir WAS filed
with water to minimum depth of sixteen feet.
since then II has been In constant use and has not
leaked.
Concrete was made in the following manner.
Two platforms were built, each II by Is feet oflk
inch, inch boards On one platform ihe sand and
platform III the form of a basin, into which was
poured sufficient water to make mortar. This
made batch Of mortar about by 8 feet by 3
The whole was then turned twice over with shovcls,
deposited in place and lightly rammed with
wooden hammers. The entire bottom was then
concrete consisted of barrelof Round.top cement
barrels Of sand = barrels Of broken stones and
from s to 10 bnckctfus of water; and these mate
n I'M ueralD EattIN
feet for each batch
The ornamental iron cornice of this reservoir
and the iron fences on Road and High streets were
In November, between Great Falls and the dis
tti6nIing rcseryoir the Macadnm road WAS repaired
and the bitches were cleaned out
At Georgetown the hoor of the Rock Creek
bridge was repaired.
In December pinch iron pipe was laid at the
receiving reservoir, connecting n spring with the
erected, and the dwelling suppiea with Spring
water.
Near the distributing reservoir a leak occurred
In the 20. inch main, the Potomac water was shut
4ii therefromi the pipe was banded and new
joint was cast In front Of the bell.
In january, at the receiving reservoir, a channel
for bouts was cut through the ice TO the suice-
The cs a was % %epSsen p aa meme, 'Iid tSies
the distributing reservoir the stone remaining on
hand was broken and used to repair the Conduit
rDad.
In Georgetown, at the high service reservoir,
laborcrs kept the snow cleaned of the footways OF
ROhu ana hIgn streets
From the 26th to the nth of January the officers
Of the Signal Service Bureau were permitted to use
the Washington aauednct telegraph for the pur
pose of reporting the condition OF the Potomac at
freShct
In February the embankment over culvert IS
was repaired and repair were also made to the
Macadam road
The following is a financial statement to March
3, 1877:
TITLES OF APPROPRIATIONS.
on gate-house at Great Falls:
Available July l. 1876. 20
Expended in 1876 and 1877 2gi7 80
Act ofJuly 81, 1876, engineering, maintenance and
Available July a. 1876 $4,000 90
Expended to March 3, lS77,............. l0,lsl 40
Available March 2, lS77................. s7sls 81
Repairs OF Georgetown reservoir:
Available July ~, 1876 5000 o.
Expended to March 3. ls77................ 1900 90
GENERAL SUMMARY
In closing this report and my connection with
the office. which has extended over nearly six
years, take pardonable pride in reyerting briefly
To the work that has been accomplished In the way
Of fimpruving and bcautifying the various public
reservations ~ the National Capital. Many of
these reservations were commons and public
dumping grounds when assumed the duties OF the
position.
The reservations, the entire improvement of
which was made by this Office number twenty five
and contain an area Of ninety four and two thirds
acres. The improvements consisted Of draining,
hyillR Oi Whtct pipes lOr irrigation anu 10 supply
fountains, grading sowing grass seed, setting out
trees, making walks and roads and inclOsing with
either pOstand chain or iron fence. They are stu
ated as follows, viz: Triangular reservation, corner
Pennsylvania avenue and Twenty. first street. tri
angular reservation, corner Pennsylvania avenue
and Nineteenth street; triangular reservation cor.
ner Pennsylvnnin avenue and Eighteenth street.
triangular reservation, corner Pennsylvania
avenue and Seventh street; triangular reservation
corner Pennsylvania avenue and Twenty sixth
avenue and Fifteenth street; triangular reservation
street. triangular reservation corner Masssrhusett,
avenue and Tenth street; triangular reservation
corner Massachusetts avenue and Eleventh street;
triangular reservation, corner Massachusetts
ayenue and Sixth street; triangular reservation,
corner New York avenue and Thirteenth street
triangular reservation, corner New York avenue
and Twelfth street. Triangular reservation corner
New York avenue and Tenth street. triangular
reservation, corner MARYLAND avenue and First
street cast triangular reservation, corner Missouri
avenue and Third and sixth streets; triangular
reservation, corner Maine avenue and Third and
Sixth streets: circle, Rhode Island avenue and
Thirteenth street. circle, Massachusetts avenue and
Nineteenth street. Judiciary square, Lincoln
square, ArmOry square, Kawlns square, Farragut
square, Mcpherson square, formerly scott squareJ
aud Monument grounds.
Those improved In part contain ali area of more
than li5 acres, and arr as follows Mount Vernon
place, Smithsonian grounds grounds around tho
Executive Mansion, lafayette square, Franklin
square aud reservation, North Carolina avenue and
Seventh street east
In addition the office has erected complete In