Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-24

are completed. The third section is completed
to within about two hundred feet Of the end.
The Rock creek section is progressing rapidly,
with fair promise of speedy completion. Onth
fourth section the work is tied up. In the last
annual report Of the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict OF Columbia, the attention of Congress was
called to this work as follows:
1T Is probable that the slow rate Of progress
is due TO the competition among bidders, which
puts the price OF work at a minimum and to
the inadeQuacy Of small annual appropriations
The reduction of rates of pay by competition
makes the contractor apprehensiye Of loss and
engenders mistaken economy. The amount
OF each annual Appropriation viii not justify
the purchase of such an outfit as wOuld be war
ranted by the immediate appropriation of the
whole cost of the work. all to be expended
under one contract To meet the latter objec-
ton in the case Of the fourth section, the work
was advertised to include the expenditure of
such appropriation as might be made the en-
suing year. and the contract Sc drawn"
Under this contract work 7as been done to
the amount Of the appropriation of 1882, and a
part OF the appropriation of 1888. In this con-
ditioa the work is arrested by an opinion OF the
first controller adverse to the legality of the
contract. Prior to this the contractor had been
suspended because of the slow rate OF progress
made, and the bondsmen had been called upon
to complete the work. 1t will now be neces-
sary to await the action of Congress to remove
first controller.
The limited appropriation for lateral sewers
available last year has been expended In the con-
structiOn ola number of small sewers throughout
the city. principally designed to remedy existing
defects in the old ones. and in such work of re-
construction OF the old sewers as might properly
be cassed with new work. With such meager
provision for the extension of these sewers it is
Impossible to construct them as rapidly as they
are needed in the progress of the work of i'm
DrOVpDeQt. Such constructed mnSt he or
the larger sizes, the pipe sewers being left to
the efforts Of property owners under the permit
system. This system. which provides the ma
terial by purchase out of appropriations for the
purpose. and defrays the cost of the work from
a voluntary fund contributed by such of the
benetciares as are driven to this extremity is
complained of as hardship. The few pay the
cost and the many profit by 1t. Some who would
| not object to paying uniform tax, even greater
than the amount they thus contribute, do object
to being indirectly robbed by parsmonious
neighbOrs who will pay no share of the cost,
yet share the benefit. They urge the propriety
OF special tax to meet the case. There ia no
provision of law for such tax; but this or
larger annual appropriation is needed. A tax
of one tollar per lineal foot upon all property
bordering on sewer irrespective of the size OF
the sewer. would pay reasonable proportion of
the cost to be incurred in laying it, and would
be strictly equitable.
NEITHER JUST NOR SENSIBLE.
taxing property in proportion to the size of the
sewer adjacent to it. All sewers Of each drain
age area from the smallest branch to the larg-
est main sewer, are of equal Importance to each
premises. All are but parts of one common
system required by all premises alike A mod
crate and uniform tax would be useful in limit
ing the extension OF the sewers to the localities
| really needing them. The tax suggested of one
dollar per front foot would defray larger pro-
of no.
ested parties under the much-disliked permit
system. The worst feature of the latter is the
disposition it creates to throw aside all system
attic plans for drainage and return to the chaos
of indiscriminate drainage from which several
portions OF Washington are still suffering. Re-
quests are numerous and urgent for permission
to make temporary arrangements in opposition
to the sewer plans. because of the hardship in
vOlyed in adherence to the plans, under the
permit system. 1t is useless to explain that
sewer designed for O certain area cannot be
made to carry the drainage from two or three
times that area; that it is necessary to prevent
the first encrOachment, because otherwise no
good reason can be given for preventing
other. Each applicant sees only his own case,
and cannot be convinced that he is one OF a
legion who would make all plans Of no avail
THE REPAIR OF THE OLD SEWERS
can hardly keep pace with their disntegraton,
so small fund is available for this work. There
are shown herewith a number Of sections of the
principal main sewer Of Georgetown. These in
dictate the dilapdated and dangerous condition
into which the sewer had fallen, and the char
acter of the work necessary to restore it, The
arch was very much distorted and cracked A
number of bricks had fallen out, and at one
point man-hOle had fallen through. The floor
had been washed away in many places with pOr-
lions OF the side walls and large cavities had
been formed in the bottom and ut the sides.
This sewer is generally at a great depth below
the surface and follows the natural valley line
through private property passing under num-
Der of buildings. To rebuild it from the surface
would have been very expensive and trouble
some, because Of interference with private prop
erty. To abandon the line would necesstate
the construction OF a new one and the add-
tonal cost of demOlshing the old sewer and
| making property secure above it and Of trans
ferring all drainage to the new line. The old
sewer has been made secure and mOderniZed
| as far as the work has progressed. Originally
d shaped sewer with fat floor of plank
or dry rubbe, the shape has been changed to
the oval required for the combined system of
sewerage. and the requisite capacity has been
preserved. The cavities were filled with gravel,
the invert was laid with trap rock blocks on
foundation of concrete; four-inch brick arch
was turned below the old arch, and the space
between these was filed with concrete, rammed
hard. The cost has been about $50 per lineal
foot and it is estimated that $50 600 will be re-
CURED to complete the work. The inverts Of
all the old sewers are wearing out rapidly and
| must be replaced
In every part Of the city where pipe sewers
have been laid for a number Of years portions of
them are found more or less INSTRUCTED by the
roots of trees, in some instances quite filled
with them. The pipes were laid without
| foundation OF any kind upon firm ground. In
process Of time the leakage from the joints
softened the ground beneath them and the
weight fthe covering earth in the trench forced
the pipe down irregulary into the softened
ground. A small amount of settlement sufiiced
to open the joints, and the fine roots of trees
found ready access to the interior. Here they
grew and multiplied rapidly, arresting and col
Letting sand and clay brought in by storms
until the pipe was completely choked up and
section OF it looked like section of large
| flower pot in which plant has been growing
for long time. These roots are sometimes
cut out with suitable tools, but the only sure
cure is to dig up the pipes and relay them. 1t
is feared that a very Considerable expense must
be incurred upon this account. 1t ia because Of
this state Of affairs, which was early discovered,
that all pipe sewers are now laid upon foun-
datiOn OfcOncrete and in bed of cement NOR
tar. The concrete is carried up at the sides Of
the pipe and rammed hard between the pipe and
the sides OF the excavation. The top Of the
joint is carefully sealed over with cement. No
settlement or lateral change of position can
| occur, and the joints remain tight.