Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-26

THE AQUEDUCr TUNNRL.
Lieus. TOwnsend Finds . Big Open
Space Above the Lining.
EVIDENCE or BAD woRK-rHB RESULT or TIE DRILL
Nc yEsTERDAY-wHAr LIEUT. TOWNSEND SAYS
THE CONTRACTORS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY
| FORMAL ORANGES MADE AND KEFKxRKD 10 MAJOR
LYpEcKER FOR RsrORT
the Investigation begun yesterday In the aque-
duct tunnel by Lieut. Townsend the supervisor
inspector OF the aQueduct extension, as described
In The STAR resulted in discovering proof confirm
ing the charges made respecting the character OF
the work done In lining the tunnel. It was ex-
pected That some evidences OF bad work would be
found, but the speedy discovery OF evidence tend
| Ing 70 confirm the worst Of the charges made
caused quite sensation. The work OF drilling
through the key OF the brick arch was begun
as stated In TIE STAR, at q point 500
ieet east OF the Champlain avenue shaft. Two
aooIers worked the drill, one holding IL ana turn
Ing IL while the other swung q maiet. They bored
mole directly upward through the keying In the
pierced the brick the drill struck solid rock above
ana WORK al that point was stopped. Moving ten
ieet Iartner east another hole was drilled through
tue oflck Win the same result. Lieut.. Townsend
then had the scanolding moved to u point about
$40 feet east OF the tunnel and began operation
there. When the drill had pierced the brick an.
otner blow OF the mailet sent il suddenly several
inches Upward, indicating that 1t met little re-.
slstance Then the mallet was swung again, and
tne steer Oar went about foot farther into the hole
Lieut.. Townsend at once directed the men 10 have
the bricks At that point torn out An aperture
ten Inches square was soon cut into the bricks.
Inc Dicks IN the upper ring were found TO De
| loosely laid with little mortar. When 8 me loose
pieces OF rock lying near the aperture hid been
moved, Lieut. Townsend and those accompanying
hlm got upon the sca1old and in turn put their
heads
THROUGH THE APERTURE
and inspected the open space above thus disclosed
II was apparently q vacant space about 10 feet In
diameter. The distance between the top of the
arching to the rock roof varied at different points
| from to feet This discovery satisfied Lieut..
Townsend with his days work, bit he remained
until another hole had been drilled ten feet far
tner east. AT this point solid masonry was found
above the brick.
When a STAR reporter visited the Champaign
avenue shaft this morning measurements were
made through the brick opening OF the height or
depth OF The unified space above. There was q
pocket Immediately above the opening, and In this
the measurement from the top OF the brick TO the
rock above was feet inches. AT the stde OF this
| pocket the measurement was ieet inch.
WHY THIS SPOT WAS SELECTED.
When asked by q STAR reporter Today how It
happened that he had gone to this particular spot
| 70 begin his investigation, Lieut.. Townsend said
that knowing where the different men where en-
ployed, aud being able to read between the lines
in the charges made, he felt certain that could
locate I tne , WORK charged with being bad The
supervision'or an Inspector Named O'Brlen, and
his intention Was to examine that work thoroughly
first. Assuming that tue Charges made were
proved 10 be true In every particular Lieut.. Town.
send SAID that they did not necessarily affect the
| character OF the work in the wh0Is tunnel. They
related more especially " the WORK under this one
NO NEED or DELAY.
"There are two very natural mistakes made In
the public discussion OF this matter" said Lieut.
Townsend. ''The first Is that tue completion OF
the work on the tunnel will be delay ed by the ne
ceSSty or replacing any bad work, and the second
That this viii entail extra expense on the Govern
| Inent. There Is no necessity OF delay, because
| the excavation for the lining OF the tunnel
Is not yet completed. The WORK OF eXcavating or
charging the tunnel goes on so much more slowly
| than Tue Drickwork and packing that II we had 10
could Ue done before the excavation Was COM ..
pleIed. so there need be no delay. The cost Of
the work tails upon the contractors VINO must
complete 1t according 10 specifications"
EXCLUDING THE REPORTERS.
Lieut.. Townsend declined this afternoon to allow
the newspaper reporters to accomr any him into
| the tunnel when he went there to resume his in
vestigation. ~ thought" he said "that would
give all a chance yester ay. Now have concluded
that 1t Is mpolitc 10 have every hole described as
II Is made, keeping up feverish public excite
ment. am willing and propose that the public
shall know everything that Is discovered here, but
propose &c go on with my Investigation and walt
till have completed 1t before making known re-
suits"
"Then will you make no statements as to the
pro ,ress OF the Investigations" asked TEE STAR.
"Not, at least, until nave gone over the work
that OBrten was engaged on, !" was the reply. ,
under the supervision OF Subinspector OBrien
amounted to about 800 feet. There is q stretch
OF about 800 feet where Lieut.. Townsend is now
boring, and another stretch OF 500 feet at the
Howard University shaft. 1t will take some days
TO 60 over this area. L.ut Townsend will bore
into every section Of a feet The brick laying Of
81 nd
are bored through this.
WHAT THE SUPERINTENDENT sAYs
MI. Kerlin, the superintendent OF the work, to
whom the inspectors report, said to-day to STAR
reporter that 1t appeared 10 him that the aperture
discovered by the lieutenant ye sterday was be-
| tween two bays or centers on which the arch had
been constructed. He thou ht the workmen had
skipped q bay. The brckworK at this point, he
said, had been laid by the gang OF which one OF
the X ndalls was foreman, and he thought the
foreman should have reported the fact that the
packing had not been done before going on with
Mr. Kerlin said that the Kendalls were employed
by the sub-contractors on his recomm ndatiOn, as
ne knew them TO be competent men. O'Brten, the
sub-inspectOr, he said, Was employed on his recon
mendatlon, because he was a OF some mean s
had h d experience with masonry work. and was
he believed, honest When asked about changes
respecting bad work near Rock Creek shaft, Mr..
kerlin said that was investigated at the
torn out and done over again. OBrien
was sent from the Champlain avenue SHAFT 10
the ROCK Creek smart 10 supervise some work
which tue men under him were 10 do there He
LETT some work at the Champlain avenue shaft un-
finished, and he was Instructed not to permit any
men to return TO DO that work until he came vii
them so as TO inspect It. The work at Rock Greek
having BEN nearly all cOmpl ted, some
Of l. e men started back to the Champaign avenue
ait. Two men were LETT at Rock Creek TO finish
the Work there. O'Br1en relied on the competence
OF these men, and returned TO inspect the Cham
plain avenue work. These Two men, left alone
olo the bad work which was discovered and torn
out. The matter was reported TO Lieut.. Town.
send, and OBrien was called upon for an expana-
zion. He appeared TO have misunderstood the
or AerS given hiu, saying that he understood that
IN case any or the men returned to work at Cham
plain avenue SHAFT he Was ~ return with them.
THE OFFICIALS IN CHABGE OF THE WORK.
Maj. Lydecker Is In charge OF the Washington
aQueduct. Capt. T. w. Sym0ns was relieved Of
his duty In connection with the work OF the aQue-
duct extension In June, 1885, and Lieut.. C. Med.
Townsend Was ordered 70 take charge or the saline
April ., 1887. The present inspector Is Elias Kirk
lin, and the subinspectors are Oscar Ii. Briggs,
Martin McNat0ara, Thomas O'Brien, John p. Row.
Fer, Charles h. Thomas, Edmund Il. Fisher, John
n. Florin, George I. woodward, and Thomas
Muntz.
5. b. Merrill and George H. Coryell, assistant
engineers and the following sublnspectOrs were,
at some time during the construction OF the tun-
mel, on duty In connection herewith, but were re-
moved or resigned: q. b. Tarbell, II. N. Wood
ward, 8. A. Harper, Thomas Lucas, George W.
Perkins, JACOB MasterS, James Lanigan, Nicholas
Harper, Samuel Z BOyce, ana Lorenzo Lucas.
TIE CONTRACTORS AND THEJR BoNDsMEN.