Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-17
THE BIG WATER MAIN.
Engineering Difficulties Overcome
Gen. Boynton Praises the Work.

engineering DiHicuitfes overcome
Gen. Boynton Praises the Work.
Warrington Correspondents Of the Cincinnati Com
mercisl Gazette.
The Commercial Gdzetts was prominent in
Exposing the frauds in construction which led
20 the abandonment of the most notorious
Washington aquednct tunnel after it had cost
the country and the District Of Columbia over
million dollars each. 1t has, therefore, kept
close watch on the substitute work, the great
4S-inch main, which has been in progress since
last August, and which is already on the eve Of
completion.
just in proportion to the sweeping and Just
condemnation Of the former work and manage
ment is the praise which is due to all concerned
In the present project The prompt an d
thorough preparations and the rapid and ex-
cellent execu IN reflect great credit upon the
corps Of engineers, and will go far toward re-
moving the unfavorable impressions whlc b
were wide y th ia unjustly visited upon this
corps. For. - 1. matter of fact, this most COM
petent and distinguished corps was not respon-
sible for the tunnel project or its fraudulent
execution.
In the presen. work the chief of engineers,
Gen. Casey. has shown what can be DONE
Selecting his men, first Col. John NJ. Wilson,
ana when the latter was ordered to West Point
Col. George II. Elliot, vigor Gus measures
were aQOpleO 10 90 Wnat congress directed
namely, to complete in the shortest possible
time the new project for incre asng the water
supply OF Washington.
FOUR Nj LES OF MAIN.
The plan was to lay considerably over four
miles of 4S-inch main heavy enough to be safe
under the pressure due to 100 feet Of head In
connection with this there was to be laid
mile OF 30-inch main. Connections were to be
made with the system of pipes now in use at
AZ n fDrtv Az orr II thaoe
mains were to be carried through, under or
over all the subterranean distractions of long,
established city streets. Each length of the
great main weighs nearly tive tons, and the
valves for closing II at suitable intervals weigh
eight tons and half.
The moment Col. Wilson received assurances
from members OF the committee that Congress
would appropriate the S575.0O0 estimated as
the cost he sent word to all the establishments
able to turn out such castings that the moment
he could legally do so ne would be ready to
solicit bids. Thus all preliminaries were ar
ranged before the appropriation bill passed,
and when II was 81 gned there WIS no other de-
lay than the legal advertising required and the
opening bids and awarding contracts The
work of laying the mains began under Col
Elliot about the middle of last August. The
autumn was very stormy. The winter has been
open and almost continually tit for out door
work. Up 10 the LIST of February there had
been lis working DAYS and in that time there
has been laid almost four miles of the big
main aud over one mile of the 30-inch pipe
Less than half q mile remains to complete the
work. IL will then be finished several months
within the allotted time. and what is equally
creditable for about sl25 900 less than the esti-
mates.
REMARKABLE KSGISEERING.
The management has at several points been
remarkable in its methods OF execution.
Although the mains weigh four tons for each
length of about II feet and requires 100 pounds
of lead for RaPh mint hy Sr1apiaI ztip of
curved lengths il has been possible to wind the
main either latterly or vertically wherever
the obstacles encountered demanded. One use
OF these arms was to run the line around sew
eral beautiful shade trees that otherwise would
have been sacrificed If all public officers
would follow Col. Eiliot's example in caring
for trees il would be commendable.
There was one part of the work which re-
quired very delicate and peculiar treatment
and which shows some Of the resources of
modern engineering. For some distance the
trench for the main had to be laid along a mar
row road which had itself been carried through
solid rock. Under each side of il were trenches
sunk III the rock by blasting for the old mains
which now supply the city, and the distance
between them was Only few inches more than
the diameter of the big main. 1t was decided
to blast out trench for the latter between the
other two. and to do it without shutting off the
water from them.
The operation of blasting out this rock within
a Few inches OF the old mains running full of
water under 100 feet Of pressure and on which
the present supply to the city depends, was a
most delicate one and it required a good deal
of confidence and courage to undertake it. The
breaking OF either one Of these mains would
have cut of one-half the present supply to
Washington, and IN case of a large fire happen
ing IN tho city before the main could be re-
paired the result would have been most disas-
trous. The method Of operations may be thus
described The trenches which had been
blasted ont of the rock for the old mains were
little wider than the mains themselves, and
the earth having been removed from the mar
row spaces between the wall OF rock and the
mains on each side, they were filed with as
many thicknesses of boards as was possible
and in this way an elastic cushion was formed
and so effectual was 1t In preventing the shocks
Of the blasts of the dynamite from reaching the
mains that not even a leak at the Joints was
caused by them.
AT rHK GATE HOUSE.
The works about the gate house can not be
described in a brief letter. They are on q scale
which makes a deep impression upon nom
professional observers and which elicit the
combined praise of the latter class Col Elliot
has not only added to his already brilliant rep
utatiOn as an engineer, but he has both the
Congress and the citizens Of Washington under
lasting obligations for so promptly relieving
the prolonged water famine Of the city. Thus
great public work when pushed under the
direct auspices of the chief of engineers by an
officer of his choosing has been completed
within the set time and at a cost Of only three
fourths of the estimates. This is the record as
against the tunnel scheme which had cost q
million over the estimates at the time il was
abandoned and which was then far from COM
pleted and yet several years behind the contract
liked for its completion. H.VB
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