National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-04-25
DRAINING THE CITY.R
The Plan Of Sewerage Devised by the Old
Board Of Public Works
Changes Rendered Necessary by the City's
Growth Now Being Made.

The system Of sewerage which prevails in
Washington is what is technically known as
the combined system" that is, IL is designed
to carry off both tho storm water aud tho
house waste. Washington is admirably sit
uated for drainage throughout its whole ex-
tent, except tho fat area OF Pennsylvania
avenue, between Twelfth street and the cap
itol.
The board of public works originated the
present system of sewerage Under their
directions were built tho b street valley
sewer, the Slash run sewer, and the Tiber
creek sewer. The object of tho first is to
drain the low ground In tho heart Of the
city. Of the second to relieve the necessities
of the northwestern section, and of the third
to take off the vast amount of water that
comes down the valley of the Tiber. II was
intended, in addition to these three principal
sewers, to build q large one east of Lincoln
avenue and north Of boundary, and to run a
sewer on either side of Rock creek, emptying
into the Potomac river near tho gas works, SO
as TO keep the water of Rock creek pure.
Neither of these two last improvements, how
ever, was made.
The b street valley sewer Is fiat bottom
sewer, equal to circular one, with ten feet
diameter at its outlet 1t rests on walls
Hhree feet,thick. At its narrowest part it is
equal to diameter of five and q half feet.
his bbWeE 10 luIBHuBu 10 carry vi hil uOuoo
waste and storm water of tho country along
the line of Seventh street and Pennsylvania
avenue running up i street northwest to its
outlet at the old mouth of tho Tibor, foot OF
Seventeenth street. 1t is built of brick and
cement, and all the subsidiary sewers tapping
1t. running up every street within tho area
il Is intended to drain, are made of the same
material or of pipe, according to their rela-
tive size and Importance.
1t was intended to carry this sewer ia
Easby's point and run an intercepting one
up New York avenue as far as Seventh street,
but this idea was not carried out by the
board.
Slash run sewer, which drains the north
west section has a span of ten feet at its
outlet, and has a plank floor. 1t was origi-
nally intended to have carrying capacity
equal to q circular sewer of ten feet diane
ter, but the plan was changed, and in its
narrowest part it is equal to circular
conduit of only four feet in diameter.
The Tiber creek sewer is an immonse
waterway, its size having been determined
by the old arch built over tho avenue at
second street west. 1t has a span of thirty
feet as far as North Capitol and L streets,
with side walls five feet high. At + street it
meets gigantic " feeder" equal to a circular
sewer nine feet in diameter, and then runs
along North Capitol street to New York
avenue with span of twenty feet. Beyond
that point it has diameter of thirteen feet
1t was intended to drain all the country
lying in the basin Of the Tiber, from Seventh
street west to tho edge of the table land OF
Capitol hill. Its outlet is tho James creek
canal, about a mile from the river.
Tho trouble with the sewers put in by the
board of public works was that they were al
too small. As moro and more streets became
paved, there followed less and less soil ABSORB.
tion and greater and constantly increasing
necessity for larger sewers. On Capitol hill
the SubiaCt of not dptermi nDI
by the board of public works. 1t was attended
with unusual difficulties. The soil hold!
water more than any other part of the city
Besides it being table land, and having few
marked lines of drainage, presented questions
requiring Typographical survey for solution
which survey at that time didn't exist.
When the commissioners came into power
the increasing necessities for additional
sewerage led to the gradual extension
of the general plan of the board of public
works. The existing system of tho latter wa
supplemented by additional sewers. Thu
first one built by the commissioners draining
distinct area was the New York avenue
sewer, which relieves tho area between + and
NJ streets west of Seventh and running down
New York avenue. 1t does part of tho work
formerly thrown upon the b street valley
sewer. Its greatest equivalent diameter al
its outlet is eight feet at Seventeenth street
and smallest four feet, the latter at Seventh
and streets northwest The eliminating
work of the commissioners is the stupendou:
Boundary street sewer, or properly sewers
for there are two distinct systems. 1t COM
mences at its outlet east in the Eastern
branch, is circular in shape, and has diane
ter of twenty-five feet. 1t carries that diam
ater westward as far as where Fifteenth street
and Maryland avenue run into II street
where it is lessened to twenty feet. Thence
as far west as Galess creek, just west o
Delaware avenue, it is thirteen and half feet
and from there to First street west narrow:
TO seven and half feet diameter. 1t prop
erly terminates at Eighth street west. Tht
drainage up to Fourteenth street is carried
off by nine foot sewer which enters the
Boundary street at o.
West of Fourteenth street, tho sewer nov
being constructed will have an outlet in Rocl
creek. In its widest part it is eight feet il
diameter and in its narrowest is three by
four, and of oval form.
These sewers, or sewer systems, will drair
the entire country north of the boundary.
A GOOD smoke for 5cents-The Ratchet. $40 Est