Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-02-18
THE WATER SUPPLY orEsrToy.
Address of Gen. VI. G. Meir~.

Aqueduct ana It's connection with Washington
city" McCauley's hall, where the address va,
delivered. was filled with an Interested ana
ence, who frequently expressed their apuroyai
/ by rounds OF applause. General MeisS began
his address by stating that he was pr.r>,nt nj
the request OF committee or citizens 10 eN-
! plain the plan which he proposed Tor the cN-
tension OF the Washington Aqueduct.
HISTORY OF THE WASHINGTON AQUEnrgr
i The aqueduct was begun in lS53. n Is a con
duit OF masonry taking water at Great rails IL
miles from Washington. and delivering II into ,
!. reserYolrS-the receiving reservoir OF ,8 acres.
I miles from Rock creek. ard the di~trlbutin,,
reservoir OF ~ acres. : miles wes OF t.ear,,,'9
town. The water al the falls is raised hv dam
/ 10 $50 feet above tide level. This dam only
reaches across the smaller channe OF tbe Poto-
/ mac. Tie original plan contemplated lis cv
! tension 10 The Virginia shore. on which Is a
quarry owned 10y the United States. which ain
! supply all The stone needed for the cOnStr1lc-
tiOn OF a dam To this time the smaller chan
mel has sGlccd 10 furnish all the water slSed IN,
the District. Thisis not the case nov. and n
/ order TO increase during low water the supply
IL will be necessary To complete the dam. This
should not cost over S50,0o0 The aquedpct is
/ generally cylindric pipe or tube lined with
blick or stone masonry from inches 20 -
nches in thickness Its descent toward the
| city is inches 10 the mile. There are u or 10
| tunnels mostly short and nearly all through
| hard flrm CreisS rock. The conduit Itself is
/ feet in diameter. The total length OF the aque-
| duct is l3 miles, exclusive OF the Potomac dam.
| CAPACITY ASD ACTUAL DELIVERY.
The aqued9cts capacity depends upon tho
! Falls above the dam and that in the receiving
| reservoir seven miles below. With the water
! level with the crest OF the dam-15O feet above
tide-there can De delivered into the receiving
reservoir, at ll5 feet above tide, g. 0aa.oa0 gal
F! Ions day With the water In the Potomac :
feet deeper or that in the reservoir leet lower
! the discharge VIII be s2,00O,0Od gallons With
| The water 3 feet deeper in the dam, and at l4$
feet In the reservoir, the delivery wlll be
! 9o.00o,oo0 gallons When the aqueduCt was
! built 30 gallons day for each inhabitant was
/ the greatest consumption known in any city
1hat was IN Boston, where at night the taps
! We're LETT open 10 prevent pipes freezing. Al 81
gallons day the aqueduct can supply 3uoi.uNa
people: al 9o gallons l,000nO0 people: bg. tlt!e
! city now CONSUMES l1l gallons per head
WHY Is THE CITY NOT BETTER sUrrIIEDe
/ Win this enormous capacity of the athird lCt
why Is not tie city better supplied Th,
/ water delivered into the two reservoirs %
acres, which contain in reserve pa ta,a anu ra'-
Ions at ali times. is brought TO the clty by LhrCe
/ main pipes OF cast lrOn-One . feet. one - feet
/ ana one ! foot in diameter. II Is I've miles
] from lne distributing reservoir 10 the capitol.
( and all these pipes extend 10 CAPITOL i1l
( Their daily capacity 20 deliver On Captol ,tnt
al - feet elevation, provided no water is
/ drawn from them on tie way is f,pI f.l4.r.
Il.t'"'Hp gallons; feet main. & .utl.,.aa g4,-
1 capacity - day ia uaai 900 The pl9fa,fi -.
. Tie Capitol is go feer above tide aud Ihe wl,eJ.
/ al one hundred and twenty-five feet would p
/ thiitN five iCet above the streets. .eToVrs fo s1u
/ ply the lst, I'd aud - stories OF most houses Al
! hlght when tbt consumption Is small it should
+ arise - feet above the streets. WHY il n nor
! 50 delivered: Because the CGuSUInpI ion is NOT
- mllllons, bui p millions. Thus taxed The
! height al which the pipes can deliver water i
lus feet instead OF rs feet as required With
! Tie consumption OF water uniform dar and
night, the water on Capitol Hill should stand
IN the pipes, therefore, AT los feet, less the gu
teet-heieht OF Tie plateau. This i feet l.
/ high enough 10 supply water In the second
story. At night il should rise TO the second
/ story. But the case is worse than this. During
the day the consumption is much greater than
l;Metoo gallons per hour, and the houses on
the high ground, not only on Capitol Hill. but
! ia North Washington. where the ground +
over 100 feet above tide. get no water above
/ their Easements or cellars.
THE REMEDY.
IL another and separate main Were laid l.,
Capitol Hill from The distributing reservoir aud
none OF its water drawn on the route of nve
miles. capitol Hill would be relieN ed: but Wash
/ lngton west would he nc better of than now
and the cost of this main, which. IL three feet
IN diameter. is estimated at S4o1.oal would be
chaigeabie 10 Capitol Bill and East Washing
! ton. III this sum can be applied 50 as To ia
crease the supply OF water in the same extent
! 10 Capitol Hill. and al the same tine give 10
Washington greatly increased supply aud
provide for a fun supply for the future. IL Will
! be more economical use OF money. The cost
viii then be properly chargeable 10 the whole
, whole city, ii Congress will not complete the
. nlted States Aqueduct, built 10y and the prop
( erts OF the nation. How can this be done? II
! Is cheaper 10 bring the AQueduct 10 the margin
! OF tie city than 10 continue TO lay down costly
/ cast-iron mains 10 bring the water from the
| distributing reservoir. There are great i'm
!
and The cost OF such work has been greatly re-
! duced in the past twenty years. The difficulty
| ard cost OF bridges are now avoided or greatly
reduced by Use OF Sheet-irOn pipes 81 large SiI,
/ forcalTyin water across y2.ieys. This d,syelon-
mefl ol e-grEeeiing The world owes TO he ready
ingenuity OF tie American miner IN the gold
fields OF California. Mining ditcnes lo6 miles
/ Ia length, cross valleys hundreds OF feet below
grace by Sheettron pipes. The metal is pro
| tecied from coTrosion by being painted with
! White asphalt and to save the labor OF caulking
q falA q ht.ap ~.
OF chopped straw are thrown in at the he2d q,
! tne Syphon, and being carried by ine force OF
me current into all the open joints. they are
| nlled with this material and the Dipes under
| enormous pressure become prattraily water
tight. Let us avail ourselves of these improve.
lnehls In the arr OF engineering. Gen. Meigs
| explained that his idea was 10 dig a tunnel
| through the hills north OF Georgetown from the
| distributing reservoir TO the valley OF Rock
| creek; tocroSs Rock creek by California syphon
I,eeo leet long, and feet ia diameter COM
posed or well rvetted boiler iron OF sufficient
! slrength, ana then 10 tunnel through the high
ground north OF Washington TO 14til street iI1ST
| north or Boundary street: the Tunnel and
! syphon should be OF the same diameter and
capaclty as tEe Washington aqueduct. They
1 should not cost more per foot than did The CON
| uult OF thal aqueduct with its costly stone
DfldgeS and numerous short tunnels The 10
miles mile OF aqueduct, including Cabin John bridge
cost 81 100000, or 100000 a mile An sioO 0ao
ihIs extension, II continued to 10th street which
/ Il lor many reasons a better terminus than l4tG
s.Ieet, sIoulQ cost $3.50 0oa. being miles long
! one hundred thousand dollars mile is sla ner
meal loot. Baltimore tUnGelng. u feet iu
/ diameter in hard rock, cost s20 per foot Chit
cago, with wages double those now prevailing
IElSled ten years ago tunnel 13 feet below
Lake Michigan. and over two miles long. Al
Slo4a per foot. Examples might be mult!guad
The tunnel proposed would bring with a head
ol l4o 1eet 10 10Th and Boundary streets al the
gates OF the city, instead OF i've miles or.
l'h,Otoooo gallons OF water daily. or l. 2nQ O~i
gallons Per hour. This is four times as much
as our pipes now deliver Connections are
needed with this tunnel. which viii be In direct
connection With the two reSerKOi and the dis
tl1Dullng mains OF our street. one piDc of a.
Ieet diameter tapping the tunnel west OF 18Th
street west. viii be equal In capacity TO two
three feet pipes, and connecting with the
three feet pipe now On L street viii iced
IL east ana west. This done. the three feeI
main west OF Frederick street, Georgetown
no longer needed. can be taken up ana re-
laid TO complete direct and exclusive inde-
pendent CONNECTION and supply from the aque-
duct at 10th and Boundary streets TO Capitol
HILL TO which, al l25 feet altitude il VIII deliver
eleven millions OF gallons a day or ninety gal
Ions day 10 each OF 10000 people. The - feeI
pipe on 18th street viii be able TO deliver 10 the
two branches OF the 3 feet main on L street and
10 the lu0,0OO Inhabitants or west Washington
29,me.UG0 gallons a day. Georgetown VIII be
fully supplied through the connection with