The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-08-06
THE EVENING CRITIC.
The Water supply.
ESTABLISHED AUGUST, 1893.

10 We GuVOT " IHe EreHtHV tTUtCs
A correspondent in your paper of Monday
last seems to think that somebody has said
the stand-pipe is an absurdity. The stand
pipe was erected some three years ago to
supply Capitol Hill, but it is said that the
water therefrom never got any farther on
the way to Capitol Hill than to Iowa Circle.
The next year pipe was run down Four
teenth street to supply Capitol Hill, and
the next year again another pipe was laid
down Four-and-a-half street for the same
purpose. How any water could reach Capt.
toll Hill by any of these methods can only
be understood by those gentlemen who have,
as your correspondent seems to think,
superior information on these subjects. Tho
stand-ppe was estimated to force 100000
gallons per day, but the main supplying the
pump cannot furnish quite so much as
100000 gallons per day. The enormous
.use of water by the United States, when
measured by Col. Casey, turns out to be the
comparatively small amount of 1926, 1888
gallons per diem, which being deducted
from 26,525,091 gallons, the amount coming
daily through the mains, and allowing as
much more for municipal purposes,
there is left for private consump-
-tion 81, ,615 gallons per day.
Daily flow through mains. %, 525,9 oi
Used by United states..... 26s6, iss
Used by Dlstrict....... ..... 626,lS8
i Public consumption ''''' ...... 5,252 ,376
| Private consumption. ...............2l,27 3, 6l5
The carp ponds and the Bureau of Print
i ing and Engraving were not included in
the above measurement of water used by
the Government. Even il the whole sup
ply from the 12-inch main, which is tapped
to furnish water to the Printing Bureau and
tho carp ponds, were to be consumed, 1t
would add but 1,15O,56O gallons to the
amount used by the Departments, leavin G
20,123, 055 gallons per diem for the use of
private consumers.
The Water Registrar has now sounded
another note of alarm. He says that there
will not be more than three feet depth of
water running through the Acqueduct from
the Great Falls, should we happen to have
long spell of dry weather. When rum
ming three feet deep tho Acqueduct will de-
liver, approximately, about 100000 gal
Ions % day, n surplus of about half q million
of gallons beyond the amount required for
daily use. faA
How badly the water supply is distrib-
uted can be readily understood by the great
A difference in the pressure in the mains in
different parts of the city, the pressure being
in some localities as low rs three pounds
! while in others it is thirty pounds to the
a square inch. The blame is put upon Con-
gress "Influence" is the sovereign remedy
D
. never been wanting to carry any measure
through Congress in order to supply Capt..
toll Hill by the way of Meridian Hill and
1.-The Arsenal. debt of $iS5O0O was in
Cured by the b. p. w. to supply Capitol
Hill through the thirty-six-inch main, but
!, the main was stopped at New Jersey avenue
and L street, and Capitol Hill was left higl
and dry. The capacity of the three mains
coming into tho city from the reservoir n
] 10 fn1
36-inch main, per day ..............l7,93 5, 20
30-inch main, per day...s. ...1l, S6S SO
Finch main. per day... ......... O,56
Total gallons per day ...... 80, l5i, so
In n letter to the Star, under date of DC
tober 2, 1879, General Meigs says that 1000,
l. 900 gallons daily is the full amount of waite
actually used in private houses, and tina
n all the rest apparently consumed is actua
M waste Through single sewer the flow b,
n actual observation is 100000 gallons pc
day, and represents water drawn from tn,
mains into private houses exclusively, ant
at the date of the measurement, July IL
1879, that particular sewer, corner of Indi
TX ana avenue and First street northwest, wa
draining the flow from about $500 house;
Allowing one-third for solid matters held il
solution, at least 100000 gallons of POtO
mac water were passing through the sewe
daily, and estimating these particular con
sumers and MASTERS of water at one-fifth o
the whole number the consumption of 90,
100000 of gallons can be accounted for. A(
H cepting the estimate Of General Meigs, it
n safe to say that of 26,000,000 gallons SUI
h piled each day to the city, at least 1300t
A 900 gallons of this abundance is wantonl
and wickedly wasted in private houses.
: In one of his reports the assistant enginee
4 undertakes to say that a great quantity {
water is used in sprinkling sidewalks, parl
A l--IIiIgs, etc. This statement cannot be mad
to hold water any better than any other I
the allegations of the alleged engineer. I'll
L supply is 26OO0,OO0 per day. The creates
flow, as stated in the letter of Gen. Meig
II VI is !, 1852, 900 per hour. The use Of sprinkler
\ is limited to fifteen minutes. To divit
(tlN 1,162,OOO by four, gives 29O,50O gallons ,
the greatest possible amount used by sal
sprinklers. And so on, al in.fnitum, throug
the whole chapter of misstatements.
], p, KLINGLE.
National Hotel Arrivals.
Hon. Isidor Rayner, Baltimore; Hon.
| i NJ w. U,.l II M