National Republican., 1883-02-15
THE WATER WRONG.
A Resident Of Capitol Hill Thinks We Have
Too Much Engineer Officer"
Some Old Plans that, In His Opinion
Promise Better than the New Ones.
10 he Editor.

condition of affairs, the star Of the fifth pub
lishcs a letter from Mr.. Pcttibonc, at the
corner of Thirteenth.and-a- half and B streets
southwest stating that he has had to take the
water back out of his range, and has to draw
the water in his kitchen and carry it up to tho
second story and pour it into tho water
closet.
Now, sir, I havo no doubt of the truth Of
his statement but he and others should know
that such has been the condition of affairs on
Capitol hill for several years. In June, 1891,
the water was so low on the hill that at the
Wallach school building, where there were
seven hundred children, Il would not flow in
the closets on the ground floor And MS will
be recollected by the citizens, IL was neces-
sary to shut oil all the public fountains,
except those at the white house, in
order to get even toerablo supply.
We have petitioned and begged and plead,
but in vain. The "cngineor officers in
charge" at first denied the facts Maj Twin
ing when before the house committee two
years ago, said ho did not believe our Condi-
tion was near as bad as we stated, and when
the facts were demonstrated he said he had
no idea il was so bad. Why Senator McNIil-
Ian should expect any relief by an eXamina-
ton by engineer officers | cannot compre-
hend II Is under the control of engineer
officers of the army now, and has been ever
since 1874 and that's what's the matter.
There's altogether too much "engneer
officer" in it now. Judging by the past,
we shall soon have no water at all if
any more engineer officers are added.
Besides, what's the use of such an inquiry2
Gen. Meigs told the senate long ago what
every person of sense knows-that the great
trouble of unequal distribution arises from
the fact that there is not, as there should be,
separate supply pipes Cor the high aud the
1pty A IN p1 gn
that while person on the high grounds gets
pressure of five to fifteen feet head and
sometimes none, those along the avenue get u
pressure due to u head of from sevcnty-five
TO 100 feet An attempt is made, by turning
down the stop cocks in the pipes which lead
from the higher to the lower mains, to par
TALLY shut Off the supply to the lower levels,
and thereby to equali2e the pressure in the
different localities but from tho very nature
of the case IL is impossible for in shutting it
of so as to give n lower pressure along the
avenue it is so decreased that in the few sup
ply pipes beyond the avenue on
the island and where the ground
is much higher, there is comparatively no
pressure, as shown by Mr. Pettibone's case.
So, too, for several years past they have been
in the habit of partially closing the stop cock
in the thirty inch main at the junction of Mas
sachusetts and New York avenues, in order u
throw the water back upon the h ish grounds
supply from Capitol hill. In 1873 the water
at the northeast corner of the Capitol grounds
would rise twenty feet above the roof of the
tallest building there. Now it will not rise
to the second story except at intervals, and
that is not the highest ground bya good deal.
AS IN illustration of the brilliant manage
mont of the engineer in charge, take the case
of this stop cock, the history of which is to
be found in the report of Gen Babcock for
1876, being "AppendiN GG of the annual re-
port of the chief of engineers, page ~" in
which he says:
In August the engineer of the District Of Column
bu applied for ncrmissiOn to shut OIL the Potomac
Maer ~ order o6 20 place ~ inc stop COCK IN me
nue. near 1 S intersection with New Jersey avenue.
The engineer of the district was of the opinion
that the placing of this stop cock in the 80 inch
muin and closing 1t would Increase the pressure
in the piD9s on Capitol hill;
granted the permit, as the eXpen,e attending the
work was tO be borne by the district, and the stop
cock when placed in the main would become the
properly of the United States. The water was
the'elore shut of for twenty four hours, the stop
cock set in the main, and closed. The result of
closing it was that on CaptoAhill certain streets
were deprived almost entirely Of Potomac water,
and others, before well supplied got only par
tial supply. 1t remained closed for several days
by order OF the district commissioner.
That, one of the most brilliant reats of en-
gineering ever seen, cost the taxpayers 5000 (;
and still, strange as it may seem, the stupid
water, not Comprehending the briliancy of
the scheme or the science of engineering,
refused, and still refuses, TO rise on Capitol
hill when shut OF by that stop cock
But, rs above stated, it has served to throw
the water back on the high grounds of the
northwest, especially under the management
Of the late water register. II was n common
practice of his to keep that stop cock partially
closed all the time for the past two or three
years, and whenever complaints came from
the northwest that the water was lower than
usual, he sent his man to give it another turn
down!
Whether he supposed shutting it down
would increase the supply ON the hill or not
! do not know but presume that, rs one of
his superiOrs-an engineer officer tOo-Once
said, 1t made no difference to him whether
we had any water or notw
How much these engineer officers knew Of
the matt r under their special charge is shown
by the reply of Mai. TWining TO the question
OF Senator Rollins, as 10 why he proposed to
apply meters OH the high ground first, and he
sad, "Beclu3o IL cost so much to pump the
water up onto Capitol hill" Here was the
engineer commissioner, SO utterly ignorant of
the matter Under his special charge as to sup
pose the water was pumped onto the hill, when,
as everybody knows, there was never Il drop
pumped there. He and his colleague were so
busy trying to force on the people their meter
job, aud To demonstrate the impracticability
Of Gen. Mcig5s plan that he had no time to
even learn how the water was supplied. As
he once said to a citi2en who complained of
his neglect of these matters, "Ile didn't care
whether rhcy liked tor not he was under no
obligations to the citizens for his position"
In view Ot these and kindred facts, il strikes
me that we have very little hope from tho
proposed examination by army engineers
No doubt the pressure might he eQualiZCd
somewhat by the application OF fsell-reguating
pressure gauges or valves, but, MS the pipes
are now arranged, it would require a large
number and the cost would be great, even If
they could be made to operate satisfactorily,
which is not at all certain. So too, the excess
of pressure, OF rather of the flow at all low
points could be reduced 10 any desired extent
by merely placing washer with n small hole
in II In the supply pipe of all buildings where
the pressure is GREATEST and that would bo n
very simple and cheap thing to do But sitting
Mt headquarters and issuing orders or writing
elaborate reports a Ia mBiiairo will never give
us any relief Neither will the attempt to
immortalizc an army cngncer-by boring n
four mile hole under ground when an aque-
duct can be built on the surface in far less
time and at much less eNpense-giye MS the
relief we need
OF all the puerlc statements ever pul before
sensible public, that in favor of Wnneling
because the work can continue during the
winter Is the most ridiculous. How many
men can work in Il nino-foot tunnol2 sup
pose half dozen shafts are sunk, and they
work in opposite directions how many oven
then? On an open excavation men can work
simultaneously along the whole liue 1 ven
A q.