National Republican., 1884-04-03

Half n dozen men are able to work each way,
and when tho other two shafts arc finished
there will be eight gangs of mon at work.
The construction of the tunnel was begun
last October and thus far the tunncling has
all been done by hand labor Holes are
drilled into the rock with hammer aud drill,
the holes are filled with blasting powder, and
tho blasts arc fired twice day The loosenod
rock Is hauled to the surface in buckets by q
steam windlass.
Under tho most favorable conditions caoh
gang of men can tunnel fifty feet in q month
which, when all are working, would mako q
progress throughout the entire tunnel of foul
hundred feet month. The contractors now
have nearly finished q steam power plant
near tho bank of the river, by which they
propose to apply steam power through com
pressed air run through pipes to the drills
They expect by this means to cNcavate two
hundred feet month at each heading, or six.
teen hundred feet a month throughout the
tunnel. Their contract with the government
compels them to finish the tunnel before July
/, 1856, and with the steam power they will
be able to accomplish this. The
plant necessary for working by steam
power costs tho contractors about
100000. Only 205 feet of the four miles OF
tunnel is now completed. The sides of the
tunnel arc not made smooth, but are left
rough and jagged as the blasting makes them
Tho engineers expect to be ablo to bore
through solid rock for the entire distance
but Ii breaks occur the tunnel will be there
lined with masonry. The tunnel is intended
simply as a passage for the natural flow OF
the water from one reservoir into the other,
with gates at each end, so that the contents OF
one basin may. .bo drawn Off without disturb
ing the other; but IL it is ever found noces-
sary or advisable to drive water through under
pressure tho tunnel will be 50 strong that
no artificial power can possibly strain it, 1t
will also be practically enternal, and no one
fnraapa Inv which IL oct
out Of repair.
A 15-inch cast iron ppe, the largest ever
made, will connect the new reservoir with
the present system of pipes for supplying the
high grounds of the city. For the completion
of this extension of the water supply tho dam
at Great Falls must be extended from the
island in the middle of the river across to tho
Virginia side. With this dam completed the
supply Of water at the source will bo practi-
cslly unlimited, rs the minimum dry weather
flow OF the river is about one thousand million
gallons day.
The cost of this entire improvement will
be, in round numbers, about Sl,700,00O Con-
tracts for most of the work have been let at
prices less than the appropriations made by
congress, but in one respect the engineers
have found their estimates all at fault They
calculated the price which must be paid for
lands covered by the now reservoir at figures
far below those awarded by the appraisers,
and IL is interesting to note how the price of
land rose in that vicinity as soon as the eN-
tension was decided upon. Land which was
assessed for taxes at $500 an acre, the owners
even then declaring that the assessment was
outrageous and tho actual value Of their
land was not more than 5000 an acre, has
been appraised at $4,000 an acre, and that is
the price which the government will have TO
pay. Considering that the tax assessors are
by law liable to a fine of 5000 for every under
valuation of real estate which they make,
this state of things is at least surprising.
In little more than q year the system OF
wster supply briefly outlined above will be
in full operation. 1t will probably be suf-
ficient, under favorable conditions, for many
years to come. A little study of the plan
shows, however, that for bathing, washing,
drinking, and all domestic purposes, as we'll
as putting out their fires, the people of Wash
ington are absolutely dependent upon brick
conduit eleven miles long, and liable, from
some cause or other, to give way at any time.
The two reservoirs, if used with economy
might supply the city for twenty days 1t
would take double that number of days to re-
pair any serious break in the brick con-
duit, and in the meantime there would
be great thirst in Washington 1t is evident,
therefore, that there is complete safety only
in two sources of supply To secure another
source of supply Capt. Hoxie suggests that
dam 1900 feet long and $50 feet high be
thrown across Rock Creek and its valley just
reservoir which would store the rainfall of
forty-fve square miles. In the dryest years
Washington could draw from this source alone
26,0O0,o00 gallons day, which is more than
the entire daily consumption at present. The
cservoir would cover about 1900 acres of
.and, which is nearly oil rocky and precipit-
GUS hillside, and worthless for any
other purpose. This land and certain
mill rights would have to be purchased by
the government. margin of land on the
border of this lake would form park of great
natural beauty. In the drainage area there
are no manufactures or other sources oPpol.
luton for the water, tho great size and
depth Of the basin would clear the water ad-
mirably, and the supply would be so near to the
city that it could be delivered directly into
the distributing mains. This source of sup
ply would be entirely independent of the
brick conduit
The cost of this alternative supply Capt
Hoxie estimates as follows:
onnecton with existing system of mains 10000
and and water rights s...........".....,. 65,OOO
Total cost of alternative supply ..... $4,000
By connecting the upper end of this reser-
voir with the dam at Great Falls, q supply of
500,0O0000 gallons of water o day would be
secured to Washington. 1t is unnecessary for
the present generation to consider whether
the wants of Washington will ever outgrow
this supply.
A comparison of the average consumption
OF water in Washington with that in other
cities proves that the people of this city must
ho either extraordinarily cleanly or very
thirsty. The average supply of water in
Washington is 166 gallons day for each
inhabitant. In Philadelphia in 1877 it was
So gallons in st. Louis, 56 gallons in Chicago,
l19 gallons, and in Montreal 50 gallons. Capt.
Hoxie points out that in the use of pure
water We are yet only one-half rs high in tho
scale of civilization as were ancient Rome,
Jerusalem, or Byzantium. Their daily
supply was 300 gallons n day for each
person, and yet they brought water from
great distances and from various sources
through costly aqueducts. With an unlimited
supply of water close at hand there is no
reason why we should be either thirsty or
dirty, and Capt. Hoxie has steadily opposed
any system, like the use of water meters,
looking toward = permanent economizing of
the water. ut is cheaper and healthier"
says he, "oven TO waste water in this city
than to put in tho machinery for oconomizing
it,"
The Interests OF His Constituents.
Mr.. Hewitt is on the war path for the sec
retary of the treasury. He thinks that the
recommendation of Mr.. Folger for partial
. 4 ..,N.