Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-02


it relating TO the distribution Of the water.
is now being worked out in this city, not
| with paper and pencil. but by practical,
grimy men. with pick and shovel, melting pot
and calking irons. In large cities this water
problem is especially annoying. for the pollution
Of the streams by the communicating influences
Of civilization makes pure water rare and
almost. in places, impossible to obtain.
1t is therefore necessary to go far away from
the cities into the depths of nature, where the
water Is sweet aad pure and clean, and then
another difficulty is encountered in getting this
valuable commodity to town without contain
mating it in sufficiently large quantities to sup
ply thousands of Threats and washtubs and to
arrange ii that. by reason of some of natures
laws, it will ascend to all heights. Inasmuch
most of our modern cities occupy much
space that the general contour of the inhabited
portion is very uneven this consideration is q
decidedly important one.
In the case of Washington the conditions are
extremely favorable. Long before the river
gets near the limits of possible contamination
il takes big tumble, producing one of the
most charming cataracts in this portion of the
country. 1t is here that the hand of man has
built one of those things that is better written
than spoken-a dsm-and by means of it the
pure river water Is drawn off through conduit
into huge artificial lake, known in official
language as the receiving reservoir" holding
a fabulous number of gallons. Here it is
given a chance to settle. which il often needs
very badly. for every rain stirs up the muddy
banks of the tributaries of the river and i'm
parts to the HOO rich yellow tone not recog-
nized by the chemist.
Then great iron pipe receives the water
and hurries it away down an incline under the
bed of q magnificent road to another holder,
called the distributing reservoir" several
miles away, and it is from here that it goes off
to slake the thirst of the denizers Of George
town and the citizens of Washington and some
few other people, struggling to reach high up
on Capitol Hill, but failing except at mid
night or thereabouts. 1t was from this point
the distributing reservoir-that a tunnel was
dug through the ground intended to carry a
vast amount OF water from one artificial lake
to another, which was to be dug near the
Howard university. This would, It was ex-
pected, give the water such a force that no one
would tor years to come have chance
to growl at the water supply, a right
that is one of the inherent prerog-
atives of Washingtonian. But the hole
been pretty well ventilated by an army court
of inquiry. 1t was dismal failure, and today
it is filed with water that does no good and
slakes no thirst. When it was found that the
hole contained ''many and extensive cavities
and that it was no longer competent to perform
active service, and that it was suffering from a
pronounced case of uselessness, 1t was decided
to bring more water to town in another way
by means of huge pipe of iron that should
lead directly from the distributing reservoir to
the consumer.
1t is the operation of putting this big tube
under ground that is now muddying some of
the streets of the northwest and causing an I'M
due amount of profanity among certain house
holders whose front yards have been occupied
by several tons of bad-smelIing earth, and
whose entrances and exits to and from their
doors have been accomplished only by unusual
exercise, approximating Alpine climbing.
The work, however, Is DeIng pushed as rapidly
as possible and the great trench has now
cleared r street and is dragging along down
New Hampshire avenue near 18th street. The
nature OF the work ID such that but one gang
OF men can work at each end, for il it were
divided into sections there would be unlimited
amount of trouble in getting the pieces to fit
evenly. So force is at work at either end,
advancing toward each other, with the inten-
ton Of meeting somewhere between Rock
creek and the reservoir.
The route laid out for this iron procession is
as follows: From distributing reservoir along
Conduit road to Georgetown, along NJ street to
the creek, across the creek on trestles to New
Hampshire avenue, to street, to the corner
OF 4th northwest, where a junction has been
made with the 4-foot main branching from the
New Jersey avenue pipe. Then at the corner
OF New Jersey avenue and Is street. on the
edge OF Capitol Hill, under the shadow of the
deserted Maltby, the 4-foot main is tapped
again and the water poured into pipe a foot
and a half smaller. which will cross the Capt.
toll grounds into East Capitol street and thence
out to 18th street east.