The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-08-10
THE CIrY's NATURAL SPRINGS.
An Old Resident who Thinks Their De-
struction Was a Mistake.

struction Was a Mistake.
The city authorities appear to have had, since
the introduction of Potomac water decided
prejudice against the pumps and natural
springs which formerly supplied large portion
of the population with the cooling beverage.
The natural springs which were so abundant
at one time have been oblterated, and but few
of the multitude of pumps formerly existing
have been permitted to remain all the rest
having been filled up on one pretext or another.
The reason generally given was that as the
population increased the water of the wells be-
came contaminated and unfit for drinking pur-
poses.
Said an old resident to a SUNDAY HERALD re-
porter: perhaps you noticed during the heated
term that there was nearly always a crowd
about the pumps that are now in order. The
idea that the water in the wells and natural
springs was contaminated by the increase of
population is all bosh If the pumps had been
regularly cleaned out there would have been no
necessity for filing up any of them. Closing
up the springs and pumps was an outrage upon
the people, and especially upon the poorer class,
who are unable to pay the tax for the use of the
Potomac water. But numerous families who
have the Potomac water in their dwellings and
pay tax thereon make use of it only for washing
purposes, and send half dozen squares or more
to the nearest pump for the water used for
drinking and cooking purposes 1t is not of
record that any one has ever been made sick by
"There used to be large number of fine
springs within the city limits, which were
boon to the population, but the authorities got,
or pretended to get, it into their heads that the
water Became foul from the surface drainage,
which theory, as above stated, was untenable,
for the surface water never mingled with the
water of the springs, which were all walled up.
Curbed, or covered. There's splendid spring
in Lafayette Square, and through pipes it sup
plies water to the White House They are
talking about filling it up on the old plea of
unhealthiness, but it would be sheer piece of
folly to do so. There's another fine spring un-
der Masonic Temple, and its water used to be
conveyed by underground wooden pipes down
Ninth street to hydrant opposite the Bijou
Theatre and also to hydrants on Tenth street.
These hydrants were taken up years ago, and
the spring is useless, except for residents in the
adjacent houses. Another large spring was sit
uated on the north side of C street northwest,
midway between Four-aud-a-half and Sixth
Streets and this was also connected by under
side of the Avenue These hydrants except
the one on Seventh street opposite the Centre
Market, have all been taken up Then there
was the splendid Carroll spring, near the Capt.
tol grounds, which supplied large section with
the finest water, and this too has been oblit-
Grated Numerous other fine springs could be
mentioned, but the above examples are sufi-
cient to show the policy that has been pursued,
and that too in the face of the fact that the
higher sections of the city were at times almost
entirely deprived of Potomac water owing to
insufficient pressure in the mains. 1t was a
poor policy at best, and it should not be con-
tinued a moment longer. Why some OF the
filled up, merely because citizens residing near
complained that they were annoyed at night by
the working of the handles by poor people who
came for cool water.'