National Republican., 1878-11-14
THE ENGINEER,s REPORT.
Recommendation for Improving the Sewer
age system-Estimates for Next Year.

work has been undertaken, tho cost Of the
substitution Of stone blocks and asphaltum for
the worn out wood pavements constituting the
great bulk Of the expenditure. This has been
effected at notable reduction In the price and
considerable improvement In the quality Of the
work. A further economy may be effected
and facility and certainty Of proper main
teuauce by repairs II the work Is taken in
hand by the District government and with
held from contract.
The recommendation that the District do
all It's work by days labor instead Of con.
tract Is renewed. In regard to the improve.
ment Of the sewerage system he says: "The
most serious defect in the present system of
sewerage Of Washington Is the failure 10 dis.
charge the sewage into doep water of the
Potomac River. The remedy Is found In the
plan of tho harbor commission, which, when
perfected, will enable the discharge of all
sewers into deep, running water on the Poto.
mac front, and upon the Anacostis as far up as
the Navy.Sard bridge.
That defect OF the present sewer system
which has provoked most complaint is the
| want of capacity to discharge the rainfalls Of
| the violent storms which arc of common oc.
curence in the District Of Columbia. The
remedy Is In the construction OF auxiliary
sewers and the use Of certain temporary cx.
INhlthlS lNl httIluk lHC stlI'u Nbl'l bul u
| the present sewers until the latter can be con.
structcd.
'Cnqucstionably the ideal system Of sewer.
age for Washington and Georgetown Is that In
which all Of the sewers, carrying each both
sewage and storm water, shall discharge into
deep, running water, and shall have such
capacity aS to carry oil the rainfall of the most
violent storms without raising the surface ofthe
water flowing in them SO high as to cause a
back How in the house connections. This
| ideal system must be confined to the high
grounds of the city, aud cannot apply to the
| low grounds, even at the ordinary stage of
water IN the river. When 1t Is considered
| that the last frcshet covered ground eight feet
| above tide, the impossibility is still moro evil
dent, as well as the necessity for special treat
mCnt Of these localities, which cannot have
| the convcnences nor the inImunities of the
| hi n grounds"
He proposes generally that all new lateral
| sewers shall be constructed Of the requisite
capacity to fulfill tho conditions required that
the auxiliary main sewers to We constructed be
| designed 80 as to achieve the same result by
| supplcmGmtng the present sewers, and that
the iuets for storm water be regulated accord
iugly.
| THE TIBER ARCH.
| Referring to the great Storm Of August g.
| ISIS, aud the great rainfall, he states that an
| examination of the Tihcr sewer after this
| storm showed that the arch had been lifted
| bodily, breaking AT the crown, and with
| marked uniformity ut the launches, on each
side about six feet FROM the spriuging line, for
| distance OF about 100 feet, and in falling
again into position with the subsistence of the
water the pieces had settled more or less out of
position. The water escaping through the
| broken arch and the mau.hOes above flowed
along Third street aml Missouri avenue toward
sixth and Il streets, where il joined the storm
water from the street area and flooded that
| II Al. a
| broken arch has been removed from The Tiber
sewer aud should be replaced at once, an over.
dow being constructed at the same time us a
temporary relief to the sewer
The grade of Pennsylvania avenue should
be raised to at least fourteen feet above mean
high tide. The aow Of riber sewer In times
Of storms to DO kCpt six feet below the surface
Of the ground at the lAvcnuc, falling say six
inches above mean high tide at the james
Creek canal. Above the avenue the flood sur.
| face of thCtwatcr In this sewer is TO be kept at
eight feet below the, surface Of tho ground, and
the interccpting sewer, TO flow under the same
conditions is computed to carry OF the re.
maindcr Of the food water Of TiJer 10 the
Eastern Branch. All cellars or Easements be.
low the line of now IN the sewer must have
tOOd.valvCs 10 arrest the back flow Of the
water. With these valves in position and the
overflow for the sewer the construction of the
large iutercepting sewer to the Eastern Branch
| may Dc postponed, allnOuSn IL 49, Vi course Au-
v!sahie to construct IL as soon as possible.
THE n STREET SEWER.
| In speaking Of this sewer he says:
with II necessarily fat grade, and with the
highest point of the sole of the sewer two feet
below mean high tide, 1t has not sufficient
reservoir capacity to accommodate the storm
, water OF 500 acres nor fall enough to carry II
5 off, Relief may be afforded By the construc.
ton OF an auxiliary iuterGcrting sower upon
the line OF New York avenue, which will take
nearly half this area. AitoTward, II found ne
ctssary, the drainage otthe area lying south of
, street may be intercepted by parallel sewer
This need be only Of slight depth, as II will not
be required to drain any cellars or Easements
. Two auxiliary sewers are needed In this case
. because IL only the intcroepting sewer on the
north were to be constructed, the drainage on
the south being carried by the existing sewer
the line Of the intcrCepting sewer on the north
would bo brought down too near the low
4 grounds and too little grade and depth obtained
for II. To rectify this line still further, pro
pose to provide for the overflow sewer into the
: parallel sewer to be constructed south OF it, 81
? enabling the corresponding section Of the inter
cepting sewer to be carried further nOTthward
with better grade aud increased depth.
"As In the case Of the Tiber DRAINAGE area
the low grounds will require protection by
: food valves wherever Easements and cellars
are constructed. For temporary relief there !,
| nothing to be done except TO diminish the siLt
q Of the inlets to the sewers aud throw the storu
water upon the streets. It viii! descend to
.. .. street, which Is the valley OF the area, food /
!, for distance Of shout 5000 feet, as 1t i
, flooded by tho river In time Of freshets, and 6,
= dud It's way to the river. If at the same tim
these food valves be put in which will DO re
CURED under the perfect system Of severn &C
4 the great majority Of the present causes ,
complaint will be attended to-
The ventilation Of sewers Is disposed Of b.
:. requOting the recommendations In the repOr
OF 1876,
lie submits the following: "Approximat
estimate OF cost for au imtcTcopting sewer alOn
B street, to take the water from the south an
|, from the overchargcd portions Of the prcseu
sewer, $50, 7J4 50; Approximate estimate OF COS
for an intclccptimg sewer along New Ior
/ avenue, Fifteenth street, aud through III
a WMto Lot to Seventeenth and u streets, $40
e GA So"
:, TOTAL expenditures from November |, ls7'
10 June 80 ISIS, tI3ji63l0. Tho estimate
A for tho remainder OF the current and nc,
- fiscal year are 40 follows
GITGi EEJWiE
yoIT Y,Ir
WORK Of ofimproyementR .
| repair N!T......,.,,s'..,,,., ti5,sJj " sJyy,hEi
u.gl.,s '....,.......,..,. $4,000 % l.iI6.SsC