Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-26
THE AQUEDUCT TUNNEL.
The Report Of the Congressional Com-
mittee of Investigation.

THE AQUEDUCT TUNNEL.
The Report of the Congressional Com.
mittee of Investigation.
The select committee on the Washington
aaueduct have completed their report on the
condition of the tunnel. and the same was pre-
sented to the Senate to-day by Mr.. Edmunds
After going at considerable length INTO the
authority for the construction of the tunnelan
the law In the case, the committee says:
1T appears from the report of the experts
and from the testimony taken to be beyond all
question that substantially the whole and every
part of the lining of the tunnel is
ABSOLUTELY AND ENORMOUSLY DEFECTIVE.
and that it is scarcely too much 70 say that
there is hardly any continuous length Of 10
feet in the whole lining where the back
ing, particularly over the arch of the
ling, is not either absolutely wanting. or only
partly filled in; or, when fully filled in.
badly constructed as to make the whole back
ing of
THE LINING ENTIRELY WORTHLESS
Some profile drawings, made from actual ex-
aminations through the course of the tunnel,
are returned as part of the report Of the expert
engineers, which show how utterly bad the
whole lining is.
These profile drawings do not cover the
whole length of the tunnel, but measurements
have been made and cross-sections have been
sketched by experts, from which similar draw
ings could be produced covering the whole
length of the lining.
THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTORS.
1T appears from the testimony taken that
during the progress of the lining work under
the last contract if not earlier, several of the
Government inspectors, whose names appear
in the testimony and whose duty il
"a n he of
and see that the work was done ACCORDED to the
contract; under color of working over
time. &c, received, under false Names
various sums of money from the contractors,
the time-keeper of the contractors enter
ing in his tme-book these fictitious names
intended to represent the particular in
spectors. and from which time book
the sums were computed put in
envelopes addressed to the fictitious names,
handed to some one of the subcontractors or
handed over directly to the inspector, as the
case might happen to be.
MAJOR LYDEcKER AND LIEUT.. TOWNSEND.
The committee has no just grounds to be-
lieve from the evidence that either Major
Lydecker or Lieut. Townsend WAS guilty
of any corrupt practices in regard 70
the matter, or had any personal knowledge
that the sub-inspectors were receiving money
in the manner stated; but the fact remains
that with all this responsibility and
watchfulness en- their part, and Oh the part of
the government, chief inspector aud others. and
ths contracting duty of the contractors,
thousands of feet of the lming, occupying
nearly six months in its construction, was
Systematically put in in u manner
FRAUDULENT As TO THE GOVERNMENT,
which was paying full and adequate price for
the condition in which it left.
for the purposes of lining
OF the tunnel carrying water under the very
great ressure that this inning must endure.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE
In view of the evidence, the committee feels
compelled to say that the officers in
charge of the work. as well as
the chief inspector, must have been
guilty of great negligence in the Discharge
OF their duties, for it seems impossible to
conceive that in any work of this
great importance, requiring. after repeated
examinations and considerations of the
subject the most perfect construction and
the most perfect fnltlIment of
the contract for a complete and solid back
ing to the lining, this systematic sham-work
could have gone on for months of time and
for thousands of feet in length OF tunnel with
out being discovered if any one of the en-
gineers connected with the work or any one OF
the inspectors had done his duty.
WHAT SHALL BE DONE WITH 1T?
The question of What shall be done with
the tunnel?" is answered as follows:
We think, therefore. that the fact that
so great an amount of money has
already been expended upon the tun-
mel does not furnish an adequate
reason for spending a still further very large
amount subject to all the known and unknown
contingencies that may occur in respect of it;
and the committee thinks this is particu-
larly true when supply can be obtained
and maintained under known conditions.
and with no uncertain elements. for a sum not
much exceeding what will doubtless be re-
CURED to put the tunnel in the condition de-
scribed.
The question is really one whether Congress
shall now expend substantially the same
amount of money for the work. which,
when completed will be open to all the doubts
and difficulties, well expense
in the future, already referred to
in regard to the tunnel whether it will ex-
pend it for similar supply of water in a way
that leave nothing open TO uncertainty"
They report against spending any
more money in respect OF the
and that for the present. at least it should be
left i'll the condition in which IL is.
The committee has decided as a means of
relief in favor of 4S-inch surface conduit,
the cost Of which is estimated by Gen. Casey
at S575. 600, including all the connections.
This will. the committee thinks. supply the
city's wants for the next ten or fifteen yeers.
The report concludes with an amendment
which the committee intend to offer to the de-
ficiency bill appropriating 81 900 for a survey
of the line for a substantially surface gravity
conduit from the present distributing reservoir
to the new reservoir IN the city, the survey to
be made under the direction of the chief Of
engineers.