Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-15

was passed appropratlng $500 600 in the nature OF
| an advance to be repaid in ten annual install
| mentS, for the completion OF the main sewerage
| system. The annual appropriation bill contained
| an item OF 100000 for the Boundary and lateral
sewers This made total OF 100000 available on
the LIST Of last July for the construction OF new
| sewers. Proposals were Immediately invited, by
advertisement In all the large cities in the country
for executing this work by contract and the con-
tracts have all been made. This work is now pro-
crossing with the utmost rapldity consistent With
In order to explain the necessity for this large
appropriation, and the objects which are to be &C
compshed by it, 1t will be necessary to state In as
sewerage system in this city is designed and the
manner in which 1t has grown to its present condi-
tom and In this connection it is proper to state
In the accompanying drawings, and the ap.
proved plans Tor their location and construction,
are the work OF Capt. X. l. Hoxie, U. s. Engineers.
who, during four years as engineer Of the District
and six years as assistant to the engineer Commits
sioner, devoted the most careful. elaborate and
successful study to this very important subject.
The general principles OF the adopted system Of
sewerage in Washington are as follows:
1St. The system is entirely what is known as the
"comblned" SyStem-i. e., the sewage and rainfall
are carried OF in the same channel
Cd. The adopted form Of brick sewer is oval, the
which carries the dry weather flow or sewage
proper. The smooth surface OF this pipe and its
relatively small area give all the practical advan-
tages which are claimed for the separate" system,
While the large area Of the rest OF the sewer gives
ample room Tor the storm water, which in turn
storm.
Sewers that are too small for the oval shape are
constructed OF circular pipes Embedded in concrete
and on the other hand those that too large are
also circular, but made OF brick and concrete with
inverts OF the hardest trap rock in order to resist
the grinding action OF pebbles washed into them
by storms, Which has p owed so destructive to the
brick 1nverts Of the sewers built ten and twenty
years ago.
details OF the various types OF sewers and their
capacity. Full data as to the amount OF material
ID each, their relative cost etc, We're published in
3D.. The size OF sewer for given locality Is COM
puted by Kutter's well known formula On the basis
OF rainfall OF TWO inches per hour, all OF which is
to be carried off by the sewer within the hour.
This is very much In excess Of the computations
which have been usually adopted in other cities,
where the maximum rainfall has generally been
taken at one inch per hour, and one-half OF this
has been estimated to reach the sewer and the
ration; but experience has shown that with our
smooth pavements and sudden heavy showers the
above data are not too large. The New York ave-
nue. sewer constructed IN 1881 ON this basis has
These three principles-the combined" system,
oval shape, and Pinch rainfal-are the basis OF
the sewerage system as now being carried to com.
pletlon.
THE SEWERAGE OF THIS CITY
dates almost wholly from the last twenty years,
and most Of 1t from the time of the Board Of Pub
lie Works, I. e., 187l-74 There are two natural
drainage lines running through the city, ono OF
branches which run past the foot OF Capitol Hill,
and drain about One-third OF the area within city
and the other, the valley OF Slash Run, passing
through the northwest section and empty1ng into
Rock Creek. Elsewhere the ground slopes directly
TO the banks or the Potomac It's branches
These drainage areas are shown by different colors
ON the accompanying map OF sewers When the
Board OF Public Works was organized TIbar Greek
had been arched but this Was The only large sewer
This board arched over and filled up the canal
outlet OF T.ber Greek along street, built main
In had Of oh Dim
sewers up the branches up Tiber Creek as far as
boundary street, and projected and partly COM
p!eted plan OF sewers for the entire city. The
sewers were all circular, OF vurtfled pipe or brick
according TO size. and they were computed for a
rainfall much less than the maximum now adopted
When the present government for the District was
established in 1875 there were four principal de-
1ectS In the system OF sewerage it then existed
the sewers were too small, the brick inverts were
wearing out, the. pipe sewers were INSTRUCTED by
roots Of trees In consequence OF not being laid In
concrete, and in some localities there were no
suffictency OF the Tber Greek and B-street sewers
to carry of the water discharged into them in con-
sequence OF which large numbers OF houses were
hooded with back water at every storm.
In the summer OF 1879 work was begun on two
interceptfng sewers designed to afford reef. The
first was along New York avenue from 7th to 18TH
street, and thence down 18th street and across the
White lot to the outlet at 18th and streets. This
sewer intercepted the northern half Of the area
draining into street. 1t was mile and quarter
In length, but comparatively small in SIZE and it
was completed in two years at cost of $109 4U7 d.
For the relief OF the 1ber valley the great Bound
airy sewer was planned to run along Boundary
street from 9th street west to the Eastern branch
length OF over three miles, 1ntercepting in its
course all the head waters OF the Ttber valley and
the area then drained into it. This sewer is Of large
proportions, the largest, 1t Is believed, in this
country It's outlet section is % feet In diameter,
and for about half its length it has diameter OF 90
feet Failing contractors, insufficient appropria-
tions and other difficulties have delayed Its con-
struction, that, although five years have elapsed
commenced. Quite
Is completed This, however, Is the largest portion
in size, and the balance Is now under contract with
responsible parties, to be completed, under heavy
penalties before December 3lst 1885 1t has cost to
date $348 SO and the estimated cost Of completion
OF 1888 work was begun On the western Boundary
sewer, running from 14th street along Boundary
to Rock creek at the street bridge. This sewer
relieves the Slash run sewer In the same way that
the eastern sewer on boundary relieves the TibeE
1t has just been completed at cost Of s77, 654s6
THESE THRKR LARGE SEWERS,
two on Boundary street and one on New York ave-
nue., have been the principal work on the drainage
system for the past i've years At the same time
existing sewers have been cleaned and repaired,
pipe sewers relaid where INSTRUCTED by roots of
trees, and certain amount OF small new sewers
extended into localities which had no drainage.
The appropriation OF 100000 now enables us to
complete, within the next twelve months the main
drainage Of the more thickly -settled part OF the
city, from Lincoln square to its western limit This
sewer and numSer Of small
each OF which cuts on the existing sewers at the
points where they are insufficient for the water
thrown into them. The most important are as fol-
lows: In Georgetown an 1ntercepting sewer along
O. 8lsr, and streets, from 3Oth to S2d streets IA
the Slash run area an tntercepting sewer along O
and 18th streets, from Rock creek to Boundary and
another along 10th street and Rhode Island ave-
nue., from TO streets In the western street
area an interceptlng sewer along street and Vtr-
ginia avenue, from 18th to 2lst streets In the
Boundary street area an intercepting sewer along
10th ana @ streets, from 10th to 18th Streets an.
other along street, from 10th to 18th streets and
another along street. from 1st street west to lst
street east In the Tiber creek area an intercept
Ing sewer along street, from 4th to 7th streets
east and along 5th street east from to East Cap
South Capitol TO Sd streets west. In the
Eastern branch area an interceptlng sewer
along street south, from 18th to 9th,
and along 9th street east, from street TO
street. In addition TO these main sewers, branches
or laterals win be run wherever needed according
70 applications on fle q the date when the con-